Human Factors in a Military Plane Crash- United States Air Force (USAF) WC-130H weather reconnaissance transport plane crashed, Singapore

Human Factors in a Military Plane Crash

On 2 May 2018, at about 11.30 am, a United States Air Force (USAF) WC-130H weather reconnaissance transport plane crashed onto a public highway shortly after take-off from Savannah International Airport in Georgia, USA. All nine members aboard the plane perished in the accident and the plane was completely destroyed. The aircraft was on its last flight to an airbase in Arizona to be decommissioned from military service. The aircraft had been in
Savannah for about a month for scheduled maintenance and unscheduled servicing on the leftmost engine, Engine Number 1.

During the take-off, Engine Number 1 malfunctioned and did not provide the required thrust but this was not recognized by the crew until the aircraft lifted off from the runway when the pilot observed the aircraft veered left significantly just before it achieved flight. The pilot called for engine shutdown for Engine Number 1 but the crew failed to follow the emergency procedure and the after take-off checklist procedures with the flaps left at 50 percent.

The pilot banked left into the inoperative engine instead of turning right as stipulated in the Flight Manual to keep the left-wing (with the engine problem) up in order to maintain lift for the aircraft. At about 900 feet and 130 knots, the pilot applied left rudder which caused the aircraft to skid and resulted in the stalling of the left-wing. The aircraft departed from controlled
flight and nose-dived into a highway about 2.5 kilometers from the airport at two minutes after the take-off.

The USAF investigation using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System found cockpit crew error as the cause of the accident and failure of the maintenance crew to properly rectify the Engine Number 1 performance issue as the cause of the engine malfunction. The investigation also found organizational culture issues concerning low morale and complacency
of the unit involved in the accident. Refer to the official USAF investigation report for details. (You may download the USAF investigation report from the HFS376_JUL19_L01 course site on Canvas, under “modules”.)

You are tasked to conduct a review of the Human Factors analysis in the investigation report with the objective to propose solutions to prevent a similar accident in the armed forces. Using this accident as a case study, examine human capabilities and limitations in operating combat
machine and operating in a high-stress situation, identify the possible safety and risk management issues in defense and security operations, and examine design principles to reduce human errors both in the operations and maintenance of combat equipment. You may refer to other reliable news reports or commentaries in your review.