Imaginethat it's 0820 and you have justsigned on for a three-day pattern of

flying, which involves a few shortsectors up and down the East Coast. As a

Captain you have spent the previous

three days off duty at home and shouldbe well rested. After completing the first

sector from MEL-OOL, you are departing

OOL, when you mistakenly retract the

flaps from 5 to 1 when "gear up" is called.The aircraft altitude is in excess of 400

feet and the speed in excess of V2 + 15knots. You ascertain that no flight

path degradation has occurred and the

configuration is left unchanged. You

monitor the flight path and carry out

normal clean up procedures after theaircraft reaches 1,000ft.

This scenario was a premature flapretraction incident that was self-reported

by the crew of a Qantas aircraft in June1999. It is interesting to note that theaircraft involved in the incident was not

equipped with a Quick Access Recorder.The subsequent inquiry commended

both pilots for self-reporting thisincident, in the interests of flight safety.

Flight crew should be mindful of Flight

18 Flight Safety

Operations policy in regard to self

reporting. In a letter to all flight crew last

year from the Chief Pilot and General

Manager Flight Safety, this policy was

clearly stated:

"The success of a "self

reporting" regime in turn

depends heavily on the

adoption of a "no-blame"

philosophy. That is, where acrew is involved in an error

or mistake and "self reports"the incident then no blame

will be apportioned to that

crew and no disciplinaryaction will be taken".

Investigation of the incident found thatthe aircraft taxied for RWY 14 to conduct

a radar departure, with some showers inthe area. There was no inducement by

ATC to expedite the departure and the

crew recall being in the lined up position

and determining the assigned heading

that would keep them clear of weather tothe left. The First Officer (PF) conducted

the take off and upon hearing "positive

climb" called for "gear up". The Captain

recalls placing his hand on the flap lever,

checking that the airspeed was in excess

of V2 + 15 and moving the Flaps to 1.

Approaching 1,000 feet it was realised

that the gear was still down and the

remainder of clean up was completed.

The Captain revealed that a number of

life stress problems may have affected his

performance on the day. He had recentlysuffered significant financial loss from a

bad investment. In addition, he reported

that in the 24 hours prior to sign on, he

had received very little sleep because of

his disruptive young son. He said that

his best sleep is often achieved during

over nights.

It is clear from this event that a

combination of fatigue and the stressassociated with financial concerns had a

significant impact on flight crew

performance and mental health inside

BY DR GRAHAM EDKINS, MANAGER SAFETY ANALYSIS AND HUMAN FACTORS aDANIEL FOWLER, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY-

the cockpit. Often stress in the cockpit isonly recognised in terms of the cognitivestresses, such as a high mental workload,caused by piloting modern transportaircraft in congested airspace. This helpsto perpetuate the myth that we cancompartmentalise our professional andprivate lives, trying to quarantine onefrom ever impacting the other.

Any changes in personal circumstancessuch as divorce, marital separation,difficult family affairs or financialdifficulties can be a source of life stress

and can form part of any pilots emotional

"carry on baggage". Flight crew areparticularly susceptible to these stressors.For example, long periods away fromhome and the feelings of job insecuritycaused by regular medical andproficiency checks. In addition, there are

constant commercial pressures, real orimagined, such as the need to stick todeadlines, be economically conscious,and always project the right 'image'to passengers and other operationalstaff. This cocktail of issues, when

not dealt with properly can leadto job dissatisfaction, reduced work

effectiveness, behavioural changes,health damage and in somecases depression.

To complicate matters further,

admitting to suffering from thesestresses is often viewed by peers and

society at large as an admission ofweakness or failure. Therefore early

telltale symptoms such as depression or

sleep disruption are often denied bythe individual or even worse, the

individual resorts to unhealthymechanisms such as aggressiveness or

drug or alcohol abuse as a means of

coping with stress. Such behaviourgenerally leads to a further reduction

in performance and severe careerimplications. Therefore, it is important

that individual flight crew and companymanagement are aware of this potential

problem and the effects it can have onoperational performance.

In light of this, it is not surprising that

several studies over the past few yearshave examined whether there are

particular stressors that are more likelythan others to precipitate an aircraftaccident. Robert Alkov, an aviation

psychologist, studied flight related

mishaps in the US Navy during the

early 1980's. Alkov investigated thepsychological background of over 500

US Navy flight crew members involved

in aircraft incidents or accidents. The

study showed that various situational

factors, such as recently getting

engaged, or being involved in disputeswith loved ones, peers or authority,

significantly predisposed aircrew toinvolvement in accidents where human

error was a contributory factor. While

his findings indicated that there aresubstantial differences in the abilityof pilots to cope with stress, the

study concluded that many of the

errors com m itted by fligh t crewwere symptoms of inadequate stress

coping behaviour.

Alkov based his study on work

conducted by two psychiatrists, ThomasHolmes and Richard Rae, who found

that many diseases in their patients werecaused by changes in life events. By

testing thousands of people, Holmes

and Rae were able to identify 43 eventsthat seemed to be especially stressful

and rank them according to theirdisruptive impact. A severity level (stress

points) was then assigned to each event.The stressful life events scale has been

modified over to produce a stress quiz ­follow the instructions to see how

stressed YOll are.

Flight Safety 19

How stressed do you thinkyou are?This quick quiz may make you more

aware of the impact of significant life

events on your level of stress.

The following table lists a number oflife events, which the average person

could expect to experience. Go downthe list and note which events you

have experienced in the last twelve

months (except where otherwise

stated). Total up the points allocated

to each of these events in the righthand column.

(Adapted from tile "Social Readjustment

Rating Scale" by Thomas Holmesand Ricllard Rae. This scale was

first published in tile "Jounlal of

Psycllosomatic Researcll", Copyrigllt

1967, vol.11 p. 214.

What your score meansAlthough different people have

different capacities to cope with stress,for the average person, a score of 250

points or greater may indicate that

you are suffering from high levels ofstress. Studies revealed that peoplewho had become ill had accumulated

a total of 300 stress points or more in

a single year.

You were asked to look at the last

twelve months of changes in your life.

It is important to understand that

'ripples of stress' can circulate a long

time after the actual change has

taken place.

High stress levels will adversely effect

your immune system and lead tomental or physical illness if something

is not done about it. It is very

important to lighten your stress loadand develop mechanisms to cope with

the stress before something gives.

20 Flight Safety

Life events

1. Death of spouse2. Divorce

3. Menopause

4. Separation from living partner5. Jail term or probation

6. Death of close family member other than spouse

7. Serious personal injury or illness8. Marriage or establishing life partnership9. Fired at work

10. Marital or relationship reconciliation11. Retirement

12. Change in health of immediate family member13. Work more than 40 hours per week

14. Pregnancy or causing pregnancy15. Sex difficulties

16. Gain of new family member17. Business or work role change

18. Change in financial state

19. Death of a close friend (not a family member)

20. Change in number of arguments with spouse or partner

21. Mortage or loan for a major purpose

22. Foreclosure of mortage or loan

23. Sleep less than 8 hours per night

24. Change in responsibilities at work25. Trouble with in-laws, or with children

26. Outstanding personal achievment

27. Spouse begins or stops work

28. Begin or end school

29. Change in living conditions (visitors in the home,

change in roommates, remodeling house etc)30. Change in personal habits (diet, exercise, smoking, etc.)

31. Chronic Allergies32. Trouble with Boss

33. Change in work hours or conditions

34. Moving to new residence35. Presently in pre-menstrual period

36. Change in schools

37. Change in religious activities

38. Change in social activities (more or less than before)39. Minor financial loan

40. Change in frequency of family get-togethers

41. Have been or are about to go on holiday

42. Presently in Christmas Seasons43. Minor violation of the law

Points CumulativeScore

10060

60

60

60

60

45

45

4540

40

40

35

35

35

35

3535

30

3025

2525

25

25

25

2020

20

20

20

20

15

1515151515

10101010

5

The stressful life events scale suggeststhat the effects of life changes are

cumulative. For example, the death

of a spouse at the top of the scale yields

100 points while experiencing a divorce

yields 60 points. If you accumulate a total

of 300 stress points or more in a single

year then the likelihood of illness isincreased. You will notice that not all the

events in the scale are unpleasant.

I

Have you ever felt tired, restless alld

had problems extemal of the compally,

coupled with the mix and match of

early alld late starts, together withlollg

duty days? Soulld familiar!

A recellt evellt has prompted me to

write about a First Officer alld myself

who fell illto this category. We were

tired at tile elld of a lr!llg duty day,

retumillg to Adelaide from Perth, the

last of 4 sectors. We had all ullevelltful

day with plenty to talk about our

mutual involvement ill a failed

illvestment group.

We were admirillg the splay of city

ligllts 011 our descellt illto Adelaide all a

fine evenillg and were lookillg fonvard

to a quiet night, as we had all early

start the lIext momillg. Air Traffic

COlltrol asked that we collduct a high

speed descent to facilitate arrivillg

traffic from ti,e east. At approximately

18 miles al/(l havillg been radar

idelltified, Air Traffic Control cleared

us direct for a 5-mile filial approach to

RUllway 05, with descellt to 1000 feet.

We reconfirmed the cleared level, as it

was my understalldillg from past

experiellce that the cleared level is

normally 1500 feet. Still on auto fligllt

we colltillued our descent to 1000 feet

in order to facilitate the deceleratioll of

the aircraft ill level flight for the

approach. It suddenly became apparelltthat this descent clearallce was IlOt the

Marriage (45), buying a house (25) andChristmas (10) are all on the list but are

supposed to be enjoyable activities!

Having 10 life events happen to you in

one year does not necessarily mean that

you are going to be struck down withillness. This is because individuals

perceive and therefore cope with life

events very differently. For example,

'lIorm' with the sudden activation of the

Ground Proximity Waming System at 13

miles as the aircraft balloolled through the

cleared level by 13 feet. 1 immediately

discollllected the autopilot and climbed to

1500 feet and continued a normal stable

approach alld lallding for RUllway 05.

What happelled? 1 feel we sometimes push

ourselves too close to the edge of the

operating envelope in order to save time alld

please Air Traffic Control. This event saw us

succll/llb to outside pressure, which has

givell me a wake up call. III this case the

First Officer and myself had forgotten the

clearance would take us outside cOlltrolled

airspace (aCTA) for approx 3 miles in

darkness. Durillg the hours of daylight, the

CTA. steps colltillue dowlI tu sea level on

this approach

However, all tllilt aside, 1 shuuld have been

more vigilallt with the cumpallY SOPs by 1I0t

descending below 1500 feet until we were

within the circling area alld established 011

the filial approach. 1guess at the end of the

day, with my frame ofmilld at the time, being

while divorce is near the top of the scale

(60), the event may be seen as positive if

the split is amicable and does not

involve children. However, the message

for flight crew is clear. If the stressors

that are brought on by life events are

not well managed, and are added to the

stressors of operating an aircraft, it may

create a severe burden and effect your

radar idelltified and cleared to 1000

feet, as well as tryillS to please Air

Traffic Control, one 'III/st realise you are

notgoillg to save allY more time by goillg

fast inside 30 miles.

1 feel that there are several factors that

other flight crew lIeed to be aware of, in

order to avoid fallins illto a similar trap:

• Due to illcreased collllllitmC!l/ts,

1 decided 1I0t to contillue the time

consuming task of hand writins

annutatiolls alld cues un my

approach plates at the last major

amendmellt service. (ie CTA. steps)

The combinatiun of two crew

flyillg together and brillgillg

extemal problems uf a sigllificallt

nature to wurk.

• A deceptive descent clearance.

The mentally draillillg effect of the

challenges faced over the previous

several days with a rejected take

uff, unserviceable aircraft, crewing

challges and MELs ete.

Flight Safety 21

performance. This was illustrated by a

recent event self reported by a Qantas

B737 Captain, as recorded on an article

on the previous page.

This event demonstrates how fatigue,

coupled with the stresses of disrupted

sleep patterns, financial worries, and

pressure from ATC conspired in the

cockpit to produce a temporary loss ofsituational awareness in the form of a

departure from controlled airspace.

The experiences of this crew serve

to highlight the importance ofdealing with life stresses in healthy

and constructive ways before

they precipitate into something

more dangerous.

Coping with stressEach individual should develop stress

coping mechanisms that work for

them. These may be as simple as a

regular exercise routine, a massage, or

talking issues over with a friend or

loved one. However, if you are unable

to deal with daily stress in an informalway, or have experienced a life

changing event such as a death or

family break up which you feel you arenot coping well with, there are a

number of other avenues currently

available for Qantas pilots.

At a corporate level, Qantas has

an employee welfare policy designed

to ensure the well being of its

employees and promote a safe working

environment. The Qantas Employee

Assistance Program (EAP) is available to

all employees and their immediate

family members and aims to 'assist in

resolving problems arising from work

related or personal incidents and/or

traumas'. The EAP is a professional,

confidential, short term counselling and

management advice service dealing with

issues such as work related problems,

emotional, gambling, alcohol or drugproblems, trauma recovery, abuse, grief,

and financial or legal difficulties.

Employees who seek the use of, or are

referred by management to the EAP,are

referred on to outside providers forappropriate short term counselling. Forfurther information on the EAP talk to

your manager or simply call the QantasEAP coordinator on (02) 9691 4170.

Apart from company resources, there are

two other independent associations that

can help. For long haul crew the Family

Liaison and Peer Support (FLAPS) andfor short haul crew the Pilots Assistance

Network (PAN) provide a completely

independent and confidential support

structure for flight crew and their

families. Both organisations are

supported by volunteer flight crew who

have enhanced listening skills and

provide the information necessary for

referral of flight crew members to

professional help where appropriate.

FLAPSand PAN endeavour to operate at

arms length from the company and

have the complete support of AlPA. Both

organisations have similar objectives, the

only difference being emphasis on the

various problems that relate to the

different lifestyles of long and shorthaul crew.

Short haul crew should contact the

coordinator of PAN, Captain JohnGoodlet on 03 9714 8894 or mobile 0414

436 737 and long haul crew can contact

FLAPSvia Captain Bill Baynes, the AlPAWelfare Director on 02 9489 4576 or the

AIPAoffice on 02 97 000 777.

While the resources discussed here do

not pretend to provide all of the

support you may require in a time of

need, they do, at least provide a starting

point for referrals to other services

and all of the organisations mentionedabove maintain links with relevant

community organisations.

If nothing else, this article should at leasthave reinforced the need to deal with

stress in healthy ways, before it is

allowed to adversely affect your personal

or professional life. What's important is

not the source of stress, but how you as

an individual choose to respond to it. We

all have the option, to consciouslychoose to deal with our stress in

proactive and constructive ways.

While it is often very important to talk to

peers, if you notice sudden changes in

their personality or behaviour, be aware

22 Flight Safety

that in helping that person to deal

with unresolved problems, the ultimate

responsibility for personal mentalhealth rests with the individual. It

is useful to look at the Fitness to

Fly responsibility in the FlightAdministration Manual (FAM):

'Responsibility for deciding whether to

fly or not in the event of illness is with

individual crew members, though they

will be guided by medical advice. The

onus of ensuring fitness to fly rests withcrew members themselves. CASA and

the company look to crew members to

apply this rule responsibly.'

Maintain a balance in

your professional and

private lives. Exercise and

eat well. Take regular

opportunities to 'unwind'.

3

Daniel Fowler is studying aerospace engineering at the University of Sydney and

has conducted research project work for Qantas Flight Safety.

About the author: Dr Graham Edkins has a Masters and PhD degree in psychology

and is a qualified air safety investigator. He currently manages the development

of human factors/CRM activities within the Qantas group and represents the

company on the CASA human factors advisory panel and Australia on the lATA

human factors working group.

Try and minimise thosestresses which are self

imposed. Formulate

strategies to cope withthose that aren't.

Three Steps to managing stress

• How to Survive Unbearable Stress

http://www.teachhealth.com

A light hearted and easy to read treatment of the mechanisms behindstress; and ways of dealing with overstress.

• UK Homepage of the International StressManagement Associationhttp://www.isma.org.uk

Provides a comprehensive set of links to other stress related homepagesas well as a list of useful books and publications.

• Mind Tools - How to Master Stress

http://www.psychwww.com/mtsite/smpage.html

A comprehensive site on understanding and managing stress.

Identify and

acknowledge thesou rces of stress

in your life.1

It is important to remember that this

responsibility applies not just to

physical wellbeing, but also mental

wellbeing. Currently the FAM expressly

forbids crew members from flying

without approval after the death of a

spouse, partner or child. Similarly, it is

very important at other times of

personal upheaval to stop before

entering the cockpit and ask yourself

"Am I really Fit To Fly?".

Flight Safety 23