An Analysis of En Route Controller-Pilot Voice Communications

Details

• Creators:
  Cardosi, K. M.
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Air traffic control
  • Air traffic controllers
  • Air transportation
  • Communication systems
  • Airplanes
  • Pilot-Controller Communications
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-VNTSC-FAA-93-2 ; DOT/FAA/RD-93/11
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration
• Abstract:
  The purposes of this analysis were to examine current pilot-controller communication practices in the en route ; environment. Forty-eight hours of voice tapes from eight different Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) were ; examined. There were 5,032 controller-to-pilot transmissions and 3,576 clearances (e.g., instructions to maneuver or ; change radio frequencies, routing changes, etc.) In this sample. ; The complexity of the clearances (I.e., the number of pieces of information) was examined and the number of erroneous ; readbacks and pilot requests for repeats were analyzed as a function of clearance complexity. Pilot acknowledgements ; were also analyzed; the numbers of full and partial readbacks, and acknowledgements only (i.e., "roger") were tallied. ; Fewer than one percent of the clearances resulted in communications errors. Among the error factors examined were: ; complexity of the clearance, type of acknowledgement, use of call sign In the acknowledgement, type of information in ; error, and whether or not the controller responded to the readback error. Instances in which the controller contacted ; the aircraft with one call sign and the pilot acknowledged the transmission with another call sign were also examined. ; The report concludes with recommendations to further reduce the probability of communication problems.
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• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  FA3L1/A3021
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8659/dot_8659_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.30 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:38a5f335b98a83d2e0bb4e6c38b4c1d17aa500dfe31e75cafb13a57b0f5953b16458673cc335116d4e31586d4a240243448d32f6597272f07a7df8ab5f8bbfa5