Why "The Checklist"?
I selected "The Checklist" as the title of this blog because I value checklists. To be embarrassingly honest, I am a bit of an obsessive compulsive. I believe that, to a certain degree, this is a good thing in many fields. We all hope that any individual we put our trust in (pilot, doctor, design engineer, etc.) pays close attention to details. An oversight, even a seemingly insignificant oversight, can have disastrous consequences. Checklists have been shown in numerous studies to greatly reduce the risk of “accidents”. They have proven invaluable in many fields including medicine, but were initially developed for use in aviation by pilots. Checklists enhance safety in a simple manner. They do not add complexity.
The following is a description of the birth of the checklist, adapted from chapter 2 of Atul Gawande’s New York Times Bestseller, The Checklist Manifesto. How to Get Things Right. It will also be found in numerous historical accounts of the event.
On October 30, 1935 at Wright Air Field in Dayton Ohio, the U.S. Army Air Corps held a flight competition for manufacturers vying to build the military’s next-generation long range bomber. Many felt it was only a formality. The Boeing Corporation’s model 299 was the superior aircraft. It could fly faster and farther than previous bombers with 5 times the bomb capacity requested by the military.
With a small group of Army brass and corporation executives observing, the sleek and impressive model 299 test plane with a 103 foot wingspan and 4 engines (versus the usual 2), taxied into position. It roared down the runway, smoothly lifted off and sharply climbed to three hundred feet. Then it stalled, turned on one wing and crashed. Two of the five member crew were killed, including the pilot, Major Ployer P. Hill.
The accident investigation concluded there was no mechanical failure. The crash was attributed to “pilot error”. This new plane was more complex than previous aircraft. The pilot was required to attend to multiple tasks including each of the four engines, retractable landing gear, wing flaps, electric trim tabs requiring adjustment to maintain stability at different airspeeds, constant speed propellers requiring their pitch be regulated with hydraulic controls, and more. While performing all these tasks, Major Hill forgot to release a new locking mechanism on the elevator and rudder controls. The model was deemed by many as “too much airplane for one man to fly”.
Even so, the army purchased a few from Boeing. Some insiders remained convinced that the airplane was flyable. A group of test pilots set about the task of finding a solution.
What they decided against doing is almost as interesting as the solution they came up with. They decided against longer pilot training. They reasoned that few pilots, if any, had more experience and expertise than Major Hill, the air corps’ chief of flight testing. But this new plane was too complicated to be left to the memory of any one person, regardless of experience or expertise.
The simple, yet ingenious, solution they did come up with was……the pilot’s checklist! They designed checklists for each phase of flight….take off, flight, landing and taxiing. They were simple, brief, to the point and short enough to fit on an index card.
http://static.thisdayinaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/tdia/2012/08/472x352xBoeing-299-rollout-16-July-1935.jpg.pagespeed.ic.tm-1qKTLzi.jpg
As aircraft (and spacecraft) have become more complex, the checklists have become even more important.
For those readers interested in a more detailed and in depth study of the impact checklists have had in all areas of human endeavour, I strongly recommend The Checklist Manifesto--How to Get Things Right (2009) by Atul Gawande.
Everyone has personal experiences and everyone has a story to tell. We learn from experience. When it comes to bad experiences, it is wise to learn from the experience of those who have gone before us and heed their advice. This is why pilots have adopted the use of checklists and others have wisely followed.
If you would like to share your knowledge and experience with the community in general, and the aviation community in particular, I welcome your contributions.
Stay well. Stay safe.
Armando
For those readers interested in a more detailed and in depth study of the impact checklists have had in all areas of human endeavour, I strongly recommend The Checklist Manifesto--How to Get Things Right (2009) by Atul Gawande.
Everyone has personal experiences and everyone has a story to tell. We learn from experience. When it comes to bad experiences, it is wise to learn from the experience of those who have gone before us and heed their advice. This is why pilots have adopted the use of checklists and others have wisely followed.
If you would like to share your knowledge and experience with the community in general, and the aviation community in particular, I welcome your contributions.
Stay well. Stay safe.
Armando
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