Identifying Industry and Own Airline Needs

Defining the Scope of the Needs Analysis
The CRM needs analysis is used to identify the most important crew performance problems, and then determine what form of intervention will best correct those problems. For training departments that do not have data pointing to specific problems, it is useful to review industry-wide reports to learn where other airlines have crew performance problems. Industry sources of information can help locate those general problem areas more likely to be accepted by an airline that might otherwise be defensive about its own pilot population. The next subsection presents some sources that can be used for this purpose. Then, when several general areas have been identified, the airline can look at its own safety and training reports and start pinpointing its own specific problems in those areas.
If an airline has crew performance and trend data for the last few quarters or years or has good safety and incidents information, it does not have to spend much time at the industry level. Such airlines can focus on their own documented problem areas. Once the problem areas have been identified at the industry or own airline level, the airline can perform a preliminary analysis to better identify the source or sources of the problem. Once the problem or problems have been pinpointed, possible solutions, in the form of CRM procedure and/or training, should be evaluated.
The needs analysis can be planned based on an understanding of the airline’s background, data, and endorsement of CRM performance. If an airline has good data and a strong CRM program, the needs analysis should require a smaller level of effort. If, on the other hand, the airline has no data and/or little experience with CRM, the needs analysis may require a substantial effort so that the results can be understood and accepted by the organization.
It should be remembered that the identification of CRM problem areas is ongoing, and it is vital that the airline identifies operationally significant problems at the start of the process. Once procedures to address those problems have been implemented, the airline should be alert to new crew performance problems that point to the need for additional procedures.

Reviewing NASA and NTSB Data, Reports, and Studies
Airlines may want to obtain a snapshot of industry performance problems before concentrating on their own airline. A number of sources provide general accident trends as well as specific incident information. Airlines that do not have detailed CRM performance data can use accident analysis reports to identify general problem areas, and then use specific aircraft accident and incident reports to obtain the details.
In 1994, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published a Safety Study that reviewed major U.S. airline accidents from 1978 through 1990 (see NTSB, 1994). The study was based on an analysis of performance and operational environment characteristics associated with 36 accidents and 1 incident, and their analysis showed patterns that can help an airline identify some crew performance problem areas. For example, in about 80% of the accidents the Captain was the pilot flying. In addition, where data was available, Captains had been awake on average 10.5 hours, and First Officers about 10 hours. The safety study analyzed both priory errors, such as aircraft handling, communication, and situational awareness, and the secondary error of monitoring/challenging. A review of the Safety Study can help airlines identify a number of problem areas related to their own operations.
　
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