1HUMAN MEMORY AND COCKPIT OPERATIONS: AN ASRS STUDY

Memory errors in the cockpit are often detected before they have negative consequences, but have also led to major aviation disasters. Our view is that vulnerability to such errors is not an indication of lack of expertise, but rather a function of the way normal human memory processes operate in situations involving routine, well learned behaviors. Approximately 6 % of a random sample of 1299 Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports analyzed were found to describe memory failures by pilots. These 75 reports were then categorized according to four themes: monitoring, absence of cues, habit capture, and poorly formed intentions. The cognitive mechanisms underlying these four types of memory errors are discussed as well as potential strategies for reducing vulnerability to errors