Overview

On March 27, 1977, 583 people died when KLM and Pan Am 747s collided on a crowded, foggy runway in Tenerife, the Canary Islands. The cause was a miscommunication between the pilot and the air traffic controller. The pilot radioed, ""We are now at takeoff,"" meaning that the plane was lifting off, but the tower controller misunderstood and thought the plane was waiting on the runway. In"" Fatal Words"", Steven Cushing explains how miscommunication has led to dozens of aircraft disasters, and he proposes innovative solutions for preventing them. He examines ambiguities in language when aviation jargon and colloquial English are mixed, when a word is used that has different meanings, and when different words are used that sound alike. To remedy these problems, Cushing proposes a visual communication system and a computerized voice mechanism to help clear up confusing language. This is an accessible explanation of some of the most notorious aircraft tragedies of our time, and it should appeal to scholars in communications, linguistics and cognitive science, to aviation experts and to general readers.

Full Product Details

Author:   Steven Cushing
Publisher:   The University of Chicago Press
Imprint:   University of Chicago Press
Dimensions:   Width: 20.00cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 25.00cm
Weight:   0.367kg
ISBN:  

9780226132006

ISBN 10:   0226132005
Pages:   176
Publication Date:   04 March 1994
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Stock Indefinitely
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Language and Aviation Safety Pt. I: Language-Based Communication Problems 1: Problems of Language 2: Problems of Reference 3: Problems of Inference 4: Problems Involving Repetition Pt. II: Communication Problems Not Based on Language 5: Problems with Numbers 6: Problems with Radios 7: Problems of Compliance 8: General Problems Pt. III: Potential Solutions 9: Immediate Fixes 10: A Long-Term Solution: An Intelligent Voice Interface for Aviation Communication 11: A Shorter-Term Solution: An Error-Resistant Visual Interface for Aviation Communication Appendix: The Aviation Interface Research (AIR) System: Technical Description Notes Glossary: Standard Contractions Used in the Examples Index of Subjects Index of Problematic Phrases

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