Culture, Communication

and Crashes
Prepared by : Jignesh Rathod
Roll no : PGP/17/037
Section : A
Is there any Connection between
Airplane Crashes and Communication?
Or between Communication and
Culture?? Lets find out
Avianca Flight 52
January 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 52 took off
from Bogota, Colmbia to New York, USA via
Medellin, Columbia at 2.04PM local time

The Flight crew consisted Captain Laureano
Caviedes, First Office Mauricio Klotz and Flight
Engineer Matias Moyano.

What happened??
Due to bad weather, the flight was delayed
and hovered over New York for 72 minutes
before it got permission to land.
After getting the clearance, the crew
attempted the landing but that resulted in
missed approach due to bad weather and pilot
did not see the runway
Crew is forced to attempt again even though
they knew that they were running out of fuel
Lets see the conversations
between ATC - Klotz(First Officer)
and Caviedes(Captain) - Klotz after
the missed Approach.
Air Trafic Control : Avianca 052 heavy New York,
good evening, climb maintain 3,000.

Caviedes(to Klotz) : Advise him we dont have fuel

Klotz(To ATC) : Flight level 3,000 and ,uh, we are
running out fuel sir.
(Huhh.. Why not let him know upfront and clearly
that there is no fuel)

ATC: Okay, uh fly heading zero eight zero.[few
seconds pass.]


Caviedes : Did you already advise that we don't
have fuel?

Klotz: Yes sir, I already advise him, hundred and
eighty on the heading. We are going to maintain
three thousand feet, and he's going to get us back.

ATC: And Avianca 052 heavy,uh..i am gonna bring you
about fifteen miles north east and then turn you back
onto the approach, is that fine with you and your fuel?

Klotz(To ATC) : I guess so, Thank you very much.
(Seriously?? I guess so!! when there is no fuel in the
tank??!! And Thank you very much???!!!)
Caviedes : What did he say?
Klotz : The Guy is Angry.
*after few seconds+ ATC : Avianca 052 climb
maintain 3,000.
Klotz: Ah, negative sir, we just.. were running out of
fuel but okay 3,000 will be good.
(What is wrong with Klotz!! No fuel and still
okay 3,000 will be good??)
ATC: okay, and you're number two for the approach.
I just have to give you enough room so you can
make it without, ah, having to come out again.


ATC: Okay, and you're number two for the
approach. I just have to give you enough room so
you can make it without, ah, having to come out
again.

Klotz : okay, we're number two and flying three six
zero now
(Was Klotz feeling too much intimidated??)

ATC: Okay, turn left heading three one zero,sir.
[..after few seconds and few technical
conversations..]





Klotz : Avianca 052 we just uh, lost two engines
and uh, we need priority please.
(There again!! we need priority please when
you lost two engines and will lose another two
in seconds and going to crash any second!!)

ATC : Avianca 052 turn left heading two five zero
intercept the localizer.

Klotz(last words heard from Klotz at the ATC ) :
Roger.
Is Avianca and Klotz a one off case?
As you have seen, Klotz was not at all Assertive.
Avianca Flight 52 crashed near a village Cove
Neck, New York, United States. Only 1 out of 9
crew members survived. Total 73 passengers and
crew died in this crash.
Is this the one off case? And why Klotz was not
assertive when he knew they are going to crash?
Or ATC did not interpret him well? Lets check
another case of completely different geography
and unrelated culture.

Curious Crashes of Korean Air
By the year 1997, Korean Air had come under
tremendous criticism for having series of
crashes.
There were varying reasons given for all the
crashes but no remedy changed anything for
the Korean Air. (Back then Korean Airlines)
Lets check one of the crashes happened was
on August 6, 1997
Korean Air Flight 801
Korean Air Flight 801 departed from Seoul
Kompo International Airport at 8:53PM(local
time) to Reach to Guam(Island under US
Authority in Pacific Ocean)
Crew was headed by Captain Park Yong-chul, who
had received a Flight Safety award for successfully
handling Boeing 747 Engine Failure. 40 year old
Song Kyung-ho was a First officer and 57 year old
Nam Suk-hoon was a Flight Engineer.
The Snapshot of the
conversation in the cockpit of
Korean Air Flight 801
CAPTAIN(Just after the take off): If this round-
trip is more than a nine-hour trip, we might get
a little something. With eight hours, we get
nothing. Eight hours do not help us at all.... They
make us work to maximum, up to maximum.
Probably this way... hotel expenses will be saved
for cabin crews, and maximize the flight hours.
Anyway, they make us... work to
maximum...Eh... really... Sleepy..

FIRST OFFICER: Of course.
[after long time] FIRST OFFICER: Don't you
think it rains more? In this area, here?

(What he really means is - Captain, You have
made us go by visual approach but in this
weather condition, we cant see anything)

[The flight is now hit with some turbulence but
it has been able to get out of the turbulence..
Small turbulence formations are common in
Pacific



Flight Engineer : Captain, the weather radar has
helped us a lot.
(Again, According to Korean Culture What Flight
officer really means in his head that the captain
should consider another upcoming turbulence as
shown in the weather radar but tired Captain
under stress just acknowledged the Flight
Engineer)

[ When coming closer to Guam, ATC warns the flight
801 that the Glideslope of the Guam Airport is out
of service and hence they must make the visual
approach which is not extremely rare for pilots]
[Once the flight approaches according to ATC
guidelines, they try and make the visual
approach for the Runway of Guam Airport.. But
Captain does not feel necessity to brief the crew
about the plan or back up plan and crew does
not ask]
[Captain puts the landing gear down and flaps
open and weather turns again bad]

*1:48:48+ Captain : Wiper on(due to bad
weather)
[1:41:59] First Officer : Not in Sight??

(Some investigators later argued that this question was also
meant to suggest captain to have a missed approach since
the airport runway was not visible)

[1:42:19] First Officer ( and the sound alert for the height from
the ground beeping 500ft) : Eh? Lets make a missed
approach.

(The First officer upgraded his speech from Query to
Suggestion.. First Officers are trained to take control of the
plane when they think that the captain is going definitely
wrong. But First officer choses just to suggest. Later,
investigators found that had first officer taken control at this
moment, plane would never have crashed.)
[1:41:20]First Officer: Not in Sight
[1:41:21]First Officer: Not in sight, missed
approach
[1:41:22]Flight Engineer : Go around.
[1:41:23]Captain : Go around.
[1:41:24]Ground Proximity warning system:
One hundred..fifty..
[1:41:25]Ground Proximity warning system:
3020..10*End of Recordning]
Why exactly this Happened??
Of course, in this case, pilot error was
apparently the reason for crash.
The question is, why co-pilot and Flight
Engineer never corrected the pilot knowing
that they would risk their life as well??
Almost in all Korean Air crashes, similar
observations were made about Flight
Engineers and especially about First Officers.

A psuedo Korean Conversation
between Mr. Kim(an employee)
and Mr. Kwacang(his boss)

KWACANG: It's cold and I'm kind of hungry.
[MEANING: Why don't you buy a drink or something to eat?]

MR. KIM: How about having a glass of liquor?
[MEANING: I will buy liquor for you.]

KWACANG: It's okay. Don't bother.
[MEANING: I will accept your offer if you repeat it.]

MR. KIM: You must be hungry. How about going out?
[MEANING: I insist upon treating you.]

KWACANG: Shall I do so?
[MEANING: I accept.]
And The Effect of Culture
In Korean culture, the power distance between
two individuals matter a lot.
The person in lower social hierarchy hardly dare
to give a command to the higher power authority,
even when it is an invitation for a party from the
person lower in the hierarchy to the higher in the
hierarchy.(as seen in the previous slide)
The same culture continued in the cockpits as
well, tiring the captain since he alone had to
handle the plane and holding back the co-pilot
since he dare not cross the line of the hierarchy.
Transformation of Korean Air
After Korean Air flight 801 crash, Korean Air
president was forced to resign. David Greenberg,
who was retired from Delta Airlines was brought
in as a CEO .
He changed the training of the pilots and
precisely pointed out the issues in cockpit
culture of the Korean Air. After new trainings
and better understanding of Korean culture
among pilots, Korean Air Transformed itself and
now is one of the safest Airlines in the world.
Why Klotz of Avianca 052 behaved
that way?
Similarly, Columbian culture was also hierarchical
in nature. They, like Koreans, could not overcome
the hierarchical differences, in this case, of NY
ATC who behaved as to be in command.
To deal with the New York Air Traffic controller
one must put forward their idea directly and
firmly or else one must obey, due to cultural
background, Klotz chose to obey. But that wasnt
the only reason.
Why Klotz of Avianca 052 behaved
that way?
Priority in Spanish means Emergency itself. So when
Klotz asked for priority, he clearly thought that he
told the ATC to give him emergency landing.
Later, ATC testified that he took ..um, and we are
running out fuel casually since all the flights which
are landing are supposed to be low on fuel and pilots
in bad weather passed such comments all the time
Had either ATC or Klotz clarified and simplified their
communication, Avainca would never have crashed!!
For your Reference
Avianca Flight 52 ATC recording:



Guam ATC recording about KAL 801 crash:
References
Malcolm Gladwel Outliers [Chapter 7 The
ethnic case of Airplane Crashes]
Transcripts of cockpit:
- Korean Air 801 :
http://www.tailstrike.com/060897.htm
- Avianca Flight 52:
http://www.tailstrike.com/250190.htm


References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_incid
ents_and_accidents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Fligh
t_801
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avianca_Flight_5
2
Documentry Air Crash Investigations S02E05:
Missing Over New York(Avianca Flight 52)
References
Documentary : Air Crash Investigation S04E06
Missed Approach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG3_nJYt
rO8 (Documentary on Korean Air crashes)
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/26/busine
ss/new-standards-mean-korean-air-is-coming-
off-many-shun-lists.html (On David
Greenberg)