On a wing and a prayer? Exploring the human components of technological failure

This paper attempts to explore the human factors and systems dynamics of hu man-machine interaction by reference to the Kegworth aircraft accident. The paper seeks to move beyond the more traditional human factors literature t o include research findings from both systems research and crisis managemen t in an attempt to examine the relationships between active and latent fail ures. The role of human error within complex technical systems is explored and particular emphasis is placed upon the dynamics of latent errors within the management of such systems. The main thesis developed here is that, wh ile there are important cognitive processes at work within accident causati on, attention needs to be moved away from the level of the operator to the wider managerial and social frameworks within which individuals work. Copyr ight (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.