A HUMAN ERROR APPROACH TO ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION - THE TAXONOMY OF UNSAFE OPERATIONS

Human error continues to be implicated in the vast majority of aviatio n accidents. Yet, most accident investigation and reporting systems ar e not currently designed around any theoretical framework of human err or. One reason may be the discontinuity between classical theories of human error and the practical application of these theoretical approac hes in accident investigation. The Taxonomy of Unsafe Operations prese nted here bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing fie ld investigators with a user-friendly, common-sense framework from whi ch accident investigations can be conducted and human causal factors c lassified. This taxonomy draws upon traditional models of human error to account for human accident causal factors, including the condition of operators and supervisory error. A detailed description of the taxo nomy is provided, as well as a discussion of the benefits it provides the field of accident investigation and prevention.