feat(dissertation): wrote checklist background in full

pub/dissertation/chapters/background.tex

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 \end{itemize}
 
 
+
 %%%%% SAFETY %%%%%
 \section{Safety in Aviation}
 \subsection{History}
@@ -25,62 +26,141 @@
 % - Rates of accidents
 \begin{itemize}
   \item 70-80\% of aviation accidents are attributed to human factors~\cite{faa:reasons}
+  \item The first use of a checklist was in 1935 after the crash of a prototype plane known
+    back then as the Model 299 (known as the Boeing B-17 today), due to the complex procedures
+    required to operate the aircraft normally and forgetting a step resulting in
+    lack of controls during takeoff~\cite{manifesto}
+  \item It was found that because of the complicated procedure to operate the aircraft
+    that the pilots would forget steps, and hence the concept of checklists was tested,
+    and found to minimize human errors~\cite{manifesto}
 \end{itemize}
 
 \subsection{Checklists}
-\begin{itemize}
+% \begin{itemize}
-  \item Checklists are defined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as:
+%   \item Checklists are defined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as:
-    \blockquote{A set of written procedures/drills covering
+%     \blockquote{A set of written procedures/drills covering
-      the operation of the aircraft by the flight
+%       the operation of the aircraft by the flight
-      crew in both normal and abnormal
+%       crew in both normal and abnormal
-      conditions.~\ldots~The Checklist is
+%       conditions.~\ldots~The Checklist is
-      carried on the flight deck.}~\cite{caa:design}
+%       carried on the flight deck.}~\cite{caa:design}
 
 
-  \item Checklists have been shown to aid in minimizing human errors~\cite{manifesto}
+%   \item Checklists have been shown to aid in minimizing human errors~\cite{manifesto}
   
 
-  \item However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's aviation regulator:
+%   \item However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's aviation regulator:
-  \begin{itemize}
+%   \begin{itemize}
-    \item Checklists can be misleading and compromise the safety of the aircraft
+%     \item Checklists can be misleading and compromise the safety of the aircraft
-      due to them being either too confusing or taking too long to complete~\cite{nasa:design}
+%       due to them being either too confusing or taking too long to complete~\cite{nasa:design}
-    \item Other problems may include the crew skipping a step either unintentionally or by interruption,
+%     \item Other problems may include the crew skipping a step either unintentionally or by interruption,
-      or just failing to complete the checklist outright
+%       or just failing to complete the checklist outright
-    \item The crew may also not be alerted to performance issues within the aircraft,
+%     \item The crew may also not be alerted to performance issues within the aircraft,
-      that running the checklist may cause~\cite{caa:design}
+%       that running the checklist may cause~\cite{caa:design}
-  \end{itemize}
+%   \end{itemize}
   
-  \item However, it is important to note that checklists does not prevent the human
+%   \item However, it is important to note that checklists does not prevent the human
-    factor of failure to use a checklist, like in the case of Northwest Airlines
+%     factor of failure to use a checklist, like in the case of Northwest Airlines
-    Flight 255, where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an investigatory board
+%     Flight 255, where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an investigatory board
-    for aviation accidents in the United States, determined that
+%     for aviation accidents in the United States, determined that
-    \enquote{the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure
+%     \enquote{the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure
-    to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff.}~\cite{ntsb:NWA255}
+%     to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff.}~\cite{ntsb:NWA255}
 
-    \item These checklists can be bundled into a Quick Reference Handbook (QRH)
+%   \item These checklists can be bundled into a Quick Reference Handbook (QRH)
-      which the CAA defines it as:
+%     which the CAA defines it as:
-      \blockquote{A handbook containing procedures which
+%     \blockquote{A handbook containing procedures which
-        may need to be referred to quickly and/or
+%       may need to be referred to quickly and/or
-        frequently, including Emergency and
+%       frequently, including Emergency and
-        Abnormal procedures. The procedures
+%       Abnormal procedures. The procedures
-        may be abbreviated for ease of reference
+%       may be abbreviated for ease of reference
-        (although they must reflect the procedures
+%       (although they must reflect the procedures
-        contained in the AFM\footnote{
+%       contained in the AFM\footnote{
-          Aircraft Flight Manual - \enquote{The Aircraft Flight Manual produced by the
+%         Aircraft Flight Manual - \enquote{The Aircraft Flight Manual produced by the
-          manufacturer and approved by the CAA.
+%         manufacturer and approved by the CAA.
-          This forms the basis for parts of the
+%         This forms the basis for parts of the
-          Operations Manual and checklists. The
+%         Operations Manual and checklists. The
-          checklist procedures must reflect those
+%         checklist procedures must reflect those
-          detailed in the AFM.}~\cite{caa:design}
+%         detailed in the AFM.}~\cite{caa:design}
-          }).
+%         }).
-        The QRH is often
+%       The QRH is often
-        used as an alternative name for the
+%       used as an alternative name for the
-        Emergency and Abnormal Checklist.~\cite{caa:design}}
+%       Emergency and Abnormal Checklist.~\cite{caa:design}}
 
-  \item Therefore, as there may be a need for the checklist to be
+%   \item Therefore, as there may be a need for the checklist to be
-    referenced quickly and potentially in emergency situations,
+%     referenced quickly and potentially in emergency situations,
-    these checklists should be tested for flaws 
+%     these checklists should be tested for flaws 
-\end{itemize}
+% \end{itemize}
+
+Checklists are defined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),
+the UK's aviation regulator, as:
+%
+\blockquote{A set of written procedures/drills covering
+  the operation of the aircraft by the flight
+  crew in both normal and abnormal
+  conditions.~\ldots~The Checklist is
+  carried on the flight deck.}~\cite{caa:design}
+These checklists as a result has shown to be a crucial tool in aviation
+to minimize human errors.~\cite{manifesto}
+
+There are multiple checklists that are designed for aircraft for the use of
+normal operation and potential problems that could arise during the flight.
+These checklists are stored in a Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) which is
+kept in the cockpit of each aircraft for use when needed. The definition
+of a QRH by CAA is:
+%
+\blockquote{A handbook containing procedures which
+  may need to be referred to quickly and/or
+  frequently, including Emergency and
+  Abnormal procedures. The procedures
+  may be abbreviated for ease of reference
+  (although they must reflect the procedures
+  contained in the AFM\footnote{
+    Aircraft Flight Manual - \enquote{The Aircraft Flight Manual produced by the
+    manufacturer and approved by the CAA.
+    This forms the basis for parts of the
+    Operations Manual and checklists. The
+    checklist procedures must reflect those
+    detailed in the AFM.}~\cite{caa:design}
+  }).
+  The QRH is often
+  used as an alternative name for the
+  Emergency and Abnormal Checklist.~\cite{caa:design}}
+
+However, checklists themselves can have design flaws as noted by researchers at
+the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) where checklists
+can be misleading, too confusing, or too long to complete, as a result
+having the potential of compromising the safety of the aircraft.~\cite{nasa:design}
+An example of this is what happened on Swiss Air Flight 111, where an electrical fault
+was made worse by following the checklist, resulting in the aircraft crashing in the ocean.
+This was as the flight crew was unaware of the severity of the fire caused by the
+electrical fault. Following the steps in the checklist, one of the steps was
+to cut out power to \enquote{non-essential} systems, which increased the
+amount of smoke in the cockpit.
+Simultaneously, the checklist itself was a distraction as it was found to take
+around 30 minutes to complete in testing during the investigation.~\cite{tsb:SWR111}
+This incident shows that checklists need to be tested for these flaws, and considering
+the original checklist for Swiss Air Flight 111 would have taken 30 minutes
+to theoretically complete, this could be time-consuming for checklist designers,
+and this would be something to note whilst working on this project.
+
+There are other potential problems with checklists,
+noted by the CAA, where the person running through the checklist could skip a step
+either unintentionally, by interruption, or just outright failing to complete the
+checklist. Or the crew may also not be alerted to performance issues within the aircraft,
+which would be a result of running the checklist.~\cite{caa:design} Therefore,
+this would be useful to add for features when testing checklists, such as
+adding the ability to intentionally skip a step of a checklist or gathering
+statistics on how the performance of the aircraft has been affected as a result
+of using the checklist.
+
+Another problem to note about checklists is the human factor where the crew
+may fail to use the checklist, like in the case of Northwest Airlines Flight 255,
+where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an investigatory board
+for aviation accidents in the United States, determined that
+\enquote{the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure
+to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff.}~\cite{ntsb:NWA255}
+This shows that even though checklists have shown to improve safety of the aircraft,
+there are other measures that aviation regulatory bodies are required implement, to avoid
+situations where the crew may completely ignore safety procedures and systems.
 
 
 %%%%% FORMAL METHODS %%%%%

pub/dissertation/dissertation.tex

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 \usepackage{csquotes}
 \usepackage{babel}
+\usepackage{parskip}
 
 \usepackage{xcolor}
 

pub/dissertation/references.bib

@@ -22,6 +22,21 @@
   url = {https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR8805.pdf},
 }
 
+@report{tsb:SWR111,
+  author = {{Transport Safety Board of Canada}},
+  shortauthor = {TSB},
+  number = {A98H0003},
+  title = {Aviation Investigation Report
+    In-Flight Fire Leading to Collision with Water
+    Swissair Transport Limited
+    McDonnell Douglas MD-11 HB-IWF
+    Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia 5 nm SW
+    2 September 1998},
+  year = {2003},
+  month = {02},
+  url = {https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1998/a98h0003/a98h0003.pdf},
+}
+
 @article{nasa:checklist,
   author = {Burian, Barbara},
   year = {2006},