Communication breakdown between a Brazilian pilot and a New York controller
This recording (made by REAL ATC) illustrates why safe, efficient R/T communication is a SHARED responsibility,
Some thoughts:
1) 'Are you cleared to the ramp?'
This is not the first time the we have seen confusion because of JFK airport's disconnect between ramp and ground control. (See Air China 981 here and Etihad 503 here).
In most airports, the ground controller already knows if the pilot’s gate is available or not and if the aircraft can taxi in. This is not the case at JFK. At JFK the taxiways are controlled by the FAA controllers, but the ramp is controlled by the Port Authority. It seems that the two sides do not communicate and the pilots are required to be on two radios at the same time.
2) ‘Left Golf, left turn on 4 Left, hold short Fox’
The TAM pilot seems to misunderstand / resist the instruction to enter runway 4L.
How unusual is it to taxi via a runway?
3)
GROUND: OK, then left Golf, left turn on 4 Left, hold short Fox
PILOT: Via Golf and turning right … left
This readback is not corrected or clarified by the controller.
4) The TAM pilot clearly has English language issues:
He mistakenly thinks an instruction to another aircraft (Jetblue 411) is for him.
Also, when the controller asks: ‘Tam8180 Heavy, are you cleared into the ramp?’, the pilot replies : 'Are we cleared to ramp, Tam 8180'
5) The controller’s patience breaks:
‘You’re not even listening, Sir. You’re talking while I’m still talking.’
And a few seconds later: ‘I have no idea what you’re saying, Sir.’
6) In my opinion, the controller makes little adjustment to his language in order to help the pilot. He simply repeats the same words, at the same speed, with no change to his pausing or emphasizing specific information.
7) ‘Left Golf, left turn on 4 Left, hold short Fox’
If taxiing via a runway is unusual, would it not have been clearer to add the word RUNWAY?
For example:
‘TAM8180, turn left on taxiway GOLF, clear to enter runway 4L via GOLF, turn left and hold short taxiway FOXTROT on the runway.’
8) In a situation like this where the non native English speaker knows his English is not strong, my advice is:
a) Don’t rush or be intimidated. Speak more SLOWLY. Hopefully this will encourage the native speaker to speak more slowly too.
b) Avoid using any colloquial language like ‘nope’ (if that is what he said?). This will only make the controller think your English is better than it is.
c) Do not be afraid to say something like: ‘My English is not perfect. Please speak more slowly’.
d) Consider asking for ‘progressive’ (step-by-step) instructions.
9) Would Follow-Me cars help at JFK?
10) It amazes me that we are still so dependent on voice-only radio communication between humans who often don’t share the same first language. Presumably DATALINK is a step in the right direction but how far away are we from ATC being able to send the taxi route directly to the aircraft’s computer systems and the pilot simply following the route on the display?
In the meantime, can JFK not implement a system where controllers can at least see ramp clearances in real time?
Comandante E190 en Aerolineas Argentinas
1 年Sadly , some controllers , loose their "situational awareness" , fast talking , unreadable and getting worst , by the time they instructed again . Take the chance to change positions , and recive instructions in portuguese. Really unesessary
Aviation Photojournalist and Airport Operations and Safety Consultant
1 年Interesting read. I’ve flown out of JFK a lot, and was once based there with AA. Good analysis, but there a couple of suggestions that are non-starters. Follow-me cars? Nope. You’d have to train all the drivers in airport movement area operations and it would just be another point of failure in the chain, plus it would be impossible for the controllers to control the cars PLUS track all the aircraft. Data link? I don’t think so. It could never work in the real-time rapid pace of an airport environment. Data link is incredibly useful for transmitting enroute clearances, but that’s about its limit.
Ricardosl
1 年ICAO Standard Phraseology A Quick Reference Guide for Commercial Air Transport Pilots. Unnecessary chatter must be avoided. "Always short and sharp" will prevent ambiguity. Speak word by word if necessary and must be clear and precise to the point.
IFATCA Representative
1 年From international perspective (ICAO) quite a few things seem to be going wrong at JFK: Apart from the evident lack of coordination between Ground ATC and Apron (about the possibility to enter the RAMP/APRON - or not) it is kind of illogical to say "are you cleared to the ramp" (as by definition the ramp is Movement Area - so, not subject to ATC and ATC-clearance). Cleared or Clearance is clearly reserved for ATC. From a safety point of view to let incoming jets hold on taxiways (which are subject to ATC - part of the maneuvering area - is a clear safety hazard/risk (increasing the likelihood of....)). Finally - to let waiting arriving aircraft "taxi back" via a Runway to another intersection, even if this runway is currently not used for operations (take-off and landing) is kind of playing with the devil, especially in a country where they are currently looking (with a high degree of urgency and with a special high-level expert commission) at the alarming rate of airport incidents and ground mishaps that are occurring in the US in 2022/2023. Of course, we all know that JFK is very, very tight and very busy, but some things that happen at JFK day-in and day-out are far from IDEAL and clearly looking for improvement....