Eurocontrol is telling airlines to help prevent radio communication confusion by ensuring that no two flights operate in the same area simultaneously with near-identical callsigns, writes David Learmount. The edict is just one of many proposals in Eurocontrol’s communications safety action plan intended to reduce the likelihood of potentially catastrophic errors like a runway incursion or level-bust that frequently result from misunderstood radio telephony (R/T) exchanges.
About half of all runway incursions occur because a crew erroneously thinks it has been cleared to enter a runway, according to safety specialist Tzvetomir Blajev, who oversaw the communications project. This can result from pilots in one aircraft thinking a clearance is for them when it is for another, or the use of non-standard R/T terminology that is then misunderstood.
Eurocontrol’s action plan – which follows two years of investigation – addresses call-sign confusion, prolonged loss of communication (PLOC), simultaneous transmission and R/T discipline. The plan contains recommendations on best practice for airlines, pilots, air navigation service providers and air traffic controllers, and comments: “Many experienced pilots and controllers may feel that some of the best practice highlighted in the action plan is basic professional knowledge that should not require reinforcement. Unfortunately, analysis of incident reports concerning communications safety suggests that what many consider to be standard practice is not universally applied.”
PLOC is an increasing problem, says Eurocontrol, and can be caused by selecting the wrong radio frequency when instructed by the controller to change. Pilots should recognise the signs of PLOC and, after checking the set frequency, return to the previous frequency if necessary.
Source: Flight International
