How to Manage Human Error in Aviation Maintenance? The Example of a JAR 66-HF Education and Training Programme

Abstract:

While maintenance is not a frequent cause of accidents in aviation, maintenance-related accidents tend to be very serious. Thus there is a great potential for improving safety in the maintenance area. In the aviation maintenance domain, the Joint Aviation Authorities have specified a training programme aimed at maintenance technicians called JAR 66 (JAR = Joint Aviation Requirements). This regulatory text encompasses 17 chapters. While most of these chapters address technical matters, Chapter 9 concerns Human Factors. The chapter is itself divided into nine modules ranging from physiology to cognitive and social psychology, and to hazards management. In 1999, in order to comply with this new regulation, De´dale and Air France have jointly developed a three-day training programme on Human Factors for certifying staff maintenance. The course has since become the first JAR 66 certified HF course in France. This paper has two complementary objectives: the first one is to present the method by which the courseware was developed to fulfil the JAR requirements, and the second one is to discuss ‘Error Management’, a central issue of the course, and how error management may be tackled by training and practical approaches (e.g., incident reporting) within a organisation.