Towards a safer and more efficient communication process for aircraft ground deicing: Review of Human Factors and Team Communication Literature

Aircraft deicing is a complex process. The actions of a variety of actors have to be coordinated while coping with time pressure and adverse weather conditions. In this context, efficient communication is key to both the... [ view full abstract ]

Aircraft deicing is a complex process. The actions of a variety of actors have to be coordinated while coping with time pressure and adverse weather conditions. In this context, efficient communication is key to both the success of the operation and the safety of those involved as misunderstandings between the actors can lead to severe consequences. The main goal of this research is to present the results of the literature review that has been performed for aircraft ground deicing communication. The first part of the review of the literature is based on previous human factors research related to aircraft ground deicing and review of the existing aircraft ground deicing guidance material. The second part of the review is based on teamwork and team communication literature for high reliability organizations (HROs). The following HROs were included in our research: nuclear power plant control room, air traffic control, airliner cockpit and surgery room. For both reviews, the databases Compendex, Scopus, Web of Science, Aerospace Database and NASA Technical Reports Server were consulted. The first part of the literature review showed the lack of scientific research for aircraft ground deicing operations, particularly in terms of low-level events or contributing factors that lead to poor communication. The review of the guidance material revealed that regulations concerning transmission of safety critical information such as transmission of the deicing code are not standardized. The second part of the literature review showed that the ground deicing operations could be positioned as distributed teamwork research in the scientific community. Furthermore, the review of the team communication literature identified speech coding schemes, taxonomies of inappropriate communication and team communication analysis methods, which are deployed in HROs. After the review, it can be argued that the communication process for aircraft ground deicing operations is as equally as important as other HROs. Therefore, the identified research gap in the literature regarding aviation safety should be addressed. The performed literature review is a good starting point towards the development of a new communications process that could be applied industry wide and that would enhance safety and lead to more efficient deicing operations.