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Item ‘All Four Engines Have Failed’: A qualitative study of the health impacts, reactions and behaviours of passengers and crew onboard flight BA009 which flew through a volcanic ash cloud in 1982(Elsevier Ltd, 2025-06-15) Meach R; Horwell CJ; de Terte IThis study investigated the experiences, health impacts and behaviours of passengers and crew onboard British Airways flight BA009 which flew through a volcanic ash cloud from Mount Galunggung, Indonesia, in 1982. In addition to secondary data sources, including a book published by one of the passengers, 18 semi-structured interviews were completed (14 passengers, 2 flight crew and 2 cabin crew) which were video recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to examine the experiences, behaviours, and actions of those onboard, and the health impacts of exposure to volcanic emissions. Our analysis identified five key themes which explain how people onboard flight BA009 responded: 1) Responsibility, 2) Airmanship and prior knowledge of aviation, 3) Upbringing and cultural background, 4) Faith and 5) Behaviour of the crew. Our study found few physical health impacts associated with the exposure to the ‘smoke’ and, despite individual cases of distress, there was no mass panic onboard the aircraft. Our findings highlight valuable information on passenger and crew behaviour in aviation crises, the risks of volcanic ash clouds to aviation, and have practical implications for aviation disaster management, planning and communication.Item Investigating the relationship between three-dimensional perception and presence in virtual reality-reconstructed architecture.(Elsevier B.V., 2023-01-13) Paes D; Irizarry J; Billinghurst M; Pujoni DIdentifying and characterizing the factors that affect presence in virtual environments has been acknowledged as a critical step to improving Virtual Reality (VR) applications in the built environment domain. In the search to identify those factors, the research objective was to test whether three-dimensional perception affects presence in virtual environments. A controlled within-group experiment utilizing perception and presence questionnaires was conducted, followed by data analysis, to test the hypothesized unidirectional association between three-dimensional perception and presence in two different virtual environments (non-immersive and immersive). Results indicate no association in either of the systems studied, contrary to the assumption of many scholars in the field but in line with recent studies on the topic. Consequently, VR applications in architectural design may not necessarily need to incorporate advanced stereoscopic visualization techniques to deliver highly immersive experiences, which may be achieved by addressing factors other than depth realism. As findings suggest that the levels of presence experienced by users are not subject to the display mode of a 3D model (whether immersive or non-immersive display), it may still be possible for professionals involved in the review of 3D models (e.g., designers, contractors, clients) to experience high levels of presence through non-stereoscopic VR systems provided that other presence-promoting factors are included.Item Modelling pilot decision-making errors in New Zealand general aviation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Sciences at Massey University(Massey University, 1992) Pitham, ClaireAccident statistics indicate that the rate of mortality and financial loss associated with general aviation accidents is comparable with that of passenger transport operations. However, general aviation appears under represented in literature pertaining to the development of safety interventions. In this thesis, this apparent disparity is addressed in an investigation of pilot error in New Zealand general aviation. Using the precedent of accident modelling developed in industrial safety research, accident models taken from aviation, road transport and industrial settings are reviewed for their representation of human error. The Surry Model (1969), a twelve point sequence representing operator decision making processes, was selected for generalization to aviation. The selection of this model was congruous with research literature identifying poor decision making as a primary causal factor in air accidents. Each of the points in the model represents an opportunity for accident avoidance if certain information processing requirements are met. The model presents accident avoidance as the result of three processes: the correct recognition of stimuli, the correct cognitive processing of avoidance options, and the correct implementation of physiological responses. The accident sequence within which these processes occur is divided into two cycles: the build-up of danger in the system, and its subsequent release. The model was applied to a data base of 84 cases involving fixed wing aircraft engaged in general aviation, selected from 1980 to 1991. The point at which an error in pilot decision making occurred was identified and coded using the twelve points of the Surry Model. These data were combined with information concerning biographic characteristics of the pilots, and the number of passengers on board the flight. All pilots in the sample were male. Two research questions were investigated. The first questions whether the Surry Model is a useful tool in the analysis of information about accident sequences. The model was used as a template, and laid over the time line of accidents, as they had been determined by air accident investigators. The second research questions sought to determine whether the format of the model could be used as a protocol for developing time lines and questioning pilots during accident investigations. A small final sample size resulted in a general dichotomizing of the variables for non-parametric Chi Square statistical analysis. The power and utility of the analysis was limited and could only show that, beyond chance effects, there were no biographic characteristics of pilots that influenced the cycle of the model in which the accident inducing error occurred. No quantitative examination of the twelve error types identified by the model was possible. A low level of inter-rater reliability showed that the model was not as self-contained as anticipated. Raters appeared to use the model in a consistent manner, but modes of use varied between individuals. It is suggested that this may be a function of non-standardised presentation of human factors information in air accident reports, coupled with non standardised interpretations of ambiguities in the model. On the basis of the inferential interpretation of the data, two main areas of discussion arise. The first is concerned with 'ambiguities': the structural characteristics of the Surry Model that influenced the fall of data onto the twelve error types. It became apparent that the typical sequence of events in aircrashes differed from the temporal sequence depicted by the model, and that assumptions made in the model about the configuration of the pilot- aircraft interface were inaccurate. Accordingly, modifications to the model are proposed. The second area of discussion is centred on 'antidotes': corrections for pilot errors identified as causal in aircrashes. The results indicate that some aspects of in-flight behaviour could be targeted for intervention. It is suggested that it may be useful to encourage pilots to engage in active information search from external sources in order to ensure that they supplement information available from the aviation system. Self-monitoring before flight may induce voluntary self removal from aviation activities. It is possible that some pilots may abstain from flight if they become aware that their performance has become impaired as a result of their physical or emotional condition. It is also suggested that risk communication techniques could facilitate the development of worst case thinking by pilots who are confronted by potential hazards. Rather than a more traditional emphasis on the implementation of strategies after contact with danger, these antidotes may encourage the active avoidance of danger.Item Creative capacity building : enhancing participatory design with rural Cambodian farmers: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Drain, Andrew RolfThe development of technology to address challenges faced by underserved communities in developing countries has become the focus of many engineers and designers in the Western world. However, to date, such technologies have not had the level of positive impact and long-term adoption predicted. Research shows this is due to contextually-driven factors not being taken into account, such as a lack of locally available materials and skills, harsh environmental conditions and a lack of buy-in from the community. Projects which include the community in the process of identifying and prioritizing the challenges they face, generating ideas and building prototypes, have been proven to be more effective at creating solutions that are accepted and maintained. This process, known as Participatory Design (PD), is growing in popularity. However, PD practitioners still struggle to facilitate true collaboration with communities with documented challenges focusing on communities having a lack of understanding of design, problem solving and creativity as well as a lack of confidence and motivation to contribute to a long-term PD project. This study aims to resolve this challenge by utilizing knowledge from the field of Creative Capacity Building (CCB); an education-focused field that looks to improve an individual’s ability to independently problem solve and innovate through structured, hands-on training sessions. Based on literature, a CCB programme was designed, to be completed at the beginning of a long-term PD project. This aimed to be succinct, engaging and socio-culturally appropriate to the specific community. A six-month, multi-case study was undertaken with several partner organizations in rural Cambodia. The study aimed to collaborate with rural people with disability, to create technology that improved their ability to engage in agricultural practices. Results showed that the implementation of CCB positively affected the community’s ability to contribute contextual insights to the project as well as their understanding of the design process and motivation to contribute. CCB was not found to improve the community’s ability to critique existing designs or their ability to create prototypes, competencies that were already strong; nor their ability to generate ideas, a competency that was weak. Other findings included a positive relationship between the use of making-style activities and community motivation, an inverse relationship between group size and community ability to express opinions and a new conceptual model to describe the collaborative partnership between designer and community. Keywords: participatory design; capacity building; agriculture; developing context; humanitarian technology development; humanitarian engineeringItem Cleared to disconnect? : a study of the interaction between airline pilots and line maintenance engineers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation at Massey University, Manawatũ, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Fisher, Tahlia JaneAccurate information regarding the maintenance status of an aircraft is essential for safe and efficient airline operations, yet there is evidence to suggest that pilots and line maintenance engineers do not always communicate effectively with each other. To date the majority of this evidence has been anecdotal, and formal studies have focused primarily on the shortcomings of the aircraft logbook as a communication medium. Despite the notion that poor communication between these two groups can potentially have undesirable consequences, there has been little discussion about how this might manifest within an airline environment. The studies undertaken for this research examined three distinct aspects of the pilot-maintenance interface: 1) the intergroup relationship between airline pilots and line maintenance engineers, 2) operational radio communications between airline pilots and line maintenance engineers, and 3) the effects of deficient pilot-maintenance communication on aircraft operations and flight safety. Thematically analysed discourse from a series of focus groups held at a large New Zealand airline, found that communication difficulties are primarily the result of an interrelating set of organisational, physical and psychosocial barriers, all of which influence the nature of the intergroup relationship between pilots and line maintenance engineers. The use of Interaction Process Analysis (IPA) to examine radio calls between pilots and maintenance personnel identified that while the two groups share similar communication patterns and styles, indications of these barriers were present within their communication exchanges. The effects of deficient communication were then examined using data from the United States Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). Using Correspondence Analysis (CA) to map associations between deficient pilot-maintenance communication and adverse outcomes, evidence was found that poor communication can be associated with both schedule disruptions and potential safety ramifications. Ultimately, this research has important implications for airlines, particularly given the degree to which organisational factors can influence the efficacy of communication between these two groups. In light of the findings which suggest that problematic interactions between pilots and maintenance personnel can have both commercial implications and pose a threat to flight safety, it is recommended that airlines give consideration to facilitating joint Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for these two groups.Item Making the cabin safer : a study of crew resource management training for cabin crew : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Aviation at Massey University(Massey University, 2005) Zhu, XiaoliCrew Resource Management (CRM) is a widely implemented strategy in the aviation community as a training countermeasure to human error. The two most accessible criteria for CRM training evaluation are behaviour on line operation and attitudes showing acceptance or rejection of CRM concepts. The purpose of this research is to investigate CRM training effectiveness for cabin crew, achieved by assessing cabin crew's attitudes toward CRM and their performance during a the training drill. A questionnaire was created for assessing attitudes toward CRM and CRM training from the flight attendants' perspective at Air New Zealand. Comparing attitudes prior to and post the training suggested that the joint CRM training had a positive effect. The joint CRM training improved cabin crew's confidence in safety operation and commitment to their safety role. As some factors, such as job position, gender, age, work-year, aircraft type were likely to affect crewmembers' attitudes toward CRM, the survey also tried to test and finally disclosed that at least job position and gender had an effect on cabin crew attitudes. A series of behavioural markers were developed to measure cabin crew performance during a fire fighting drill. The observation results showed such behavioural markers were useful for assessing flight attendants' CRM skills and indicating the strength and weakness of cabin crew CRM skills showed in the fire fighting drills. In general the study suggests the overall CRM training in Air New Zealand is successful. It is advised that joint SEP/CRM training needs further concern about the balance of CRM and SEP training. It is also suggested which kinds of CRM skills are critical for cabin crew emergency control.Item Emotion-centred design : a human factors approach in affective web design : a thesis for fulfilment of a Master of Philosophy degree, College of Design, Fine Arts and Music(Massey University, 2002) Smith, Warren DavidThis thesis hypothesised that a major factor in the failure of many e-Commerce ventures was the lack of emotion imparted into the design, with trust barriers still being to the fore, and a lack of affective human factors like fun, pleasure and joy in the user experience. The human brain often acts emotionally before rationally and this affects initial reactions to experiences and the propensity to purchase online. A key to understanding human-computer communication is that form should follow emotion (as well as function). A wide range of design concepts and theories are analysed for linkages to human emotion due to the exploratory nature of this thesis. Aspects of New Media design such as video, sound, images, colour and virtual reality are covered along with previous research into affective human factors; transferability of emotional elements from other products; and the importance of trust and prevention of negative emotions. Case examples are provided throughout via screenshots and commentary, including a special section on the way that the Nike site has met many emotional design criteria. Research into the opinions of designers and users is undertaken via questionnaires to verify literary findings and measure views on emotional appeal within Websites. It was found that there are misunderstandings of human-computer communication - with designers not meeting user expectations in some areas, even though many designers agree that emotional design is important. In particular, there needs to be a better understanding of how to integrate fun, social contact, colour, trust and sound into designs. Emotion is core to human function, and evolution has seen the emotional parts of the brain grow long before rational areas arose. Given the importance of emotion it is only natural that an emphasis should be placed on it in design philosophies. Whilst some designers are realising the importance of this in consumer products this concept needs to be further emphasised in the world of e-Commerce. Designers surveyed in this thesis were nearly all following a form follows function or a subjective/intuitive design philosophy. However, it was found that there was a good level of support (70%) for emotional design. A gap was established from this fact because only 45% believe they are currently using a high level of emotional design in practice. Chi-square tests showed that there were a number of significant relationships between the level of education and other questionnaire variables such as the importance of colour and recontextualising from car and game design. Establishing trust helps to overcome the core human emotion of fear. Branding, seals of approval and high quality navigation are amongst the elements that can assist in bridging human-computer distrust. Predispositions and previous experiences can also affect initial trust values. Questionnaire results found that designers still believe that lack of trust is a major psychological barrier to purchasing online. Major trust dimensions from previous empirical research were all deemed important. It was also found that users and designers rated trust near the top of emotional themes to concentrate on in Web design. Negative emotions (anger and frustration) can also arise if the design is not inherently usable. Usability was the top-rating design theme amongst designers. There has to be a good balance between the rational and emotional sides. Further negative emotions can be evoked if the site is slow or if there are delays. Speed of loading was amongst the top emotional design elements for both users and designers. It is a difficult line for designers to tread - on one hand using speed to prevent negative emotions, but on the other hand balancing the need for other design elements that generate positive emotions through fun and pleasure characteristics (that might slow things down). Designers involved in this study were very much in agreement with the importance of choosing colours to match the emotions they wanted to evoke in visitors (based on understandings of colour-emotion stereotypes and 'temperatures'). Colour can achieve harmonious interactions or cause rejection by the human brain depending on its application. The survey of users revealed that almost half of the respondents counted colour in their top 5 emotional themes, whereas designers did not think, it was as important as other emotive dimensions. Different cultures may respond differently to metaphorical images, colours, and dimensions such as power-distance and masculinity. Nearly all designers believed that empathising with target users (a part of emotional intelligence) was very important, as was involving users in the design process (usercentred design). Only 50% of users felt that designers were respecting their demographies and culture, so there is still a large number of people who feel they could be more satisfied in this sense. It is proposed that more user testing be carried out in conjunction with frameworks that rate cultural dimensions based on target audiences. The use of video and streaming media was portrayed to be a proposition requiring careful consideration and application by previous non-empirical references. Streaming video can connect with people on an emotional level, bringing in a degree of surprise and variation, and fully highlight the appealing characteristics of the product(s) trying to be sold online. Other New Media technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and 3D have been around for quite awhile (in computer games and scientific applications) but are yet to achieve widespread usage in Website e-Commerce. Some literature is against the use of VR and 3D on the Web but several companies have been receiving accolades in this area because of the ability to bridge an emotional gap between brands and consumers. Questionnaire results showed that most design respondents did not think streaming media, 3D and VR were important in order to gain emotional connections. However, higher bandwidth speeds that will facilitate more use of streaming media and 3D are deemed favourable by designers in terms of increasing emotional appeal. The need for social contact, familiarity and recognition of expressions and gestures led to the proposition of using virtual shop assistants and agents. Contact in the form of live text chat can also fulfil some social needs and plays a big part in portraying trustworthiness since a real person is being interacted with. Designers surveyed in this study were reasonably evenly distributed amongst those in favour, unsure and in disagreement with the use of agents. Surprisingly, given that users would not have had much exposure to virtual agents and characters online, they actually deemed them amongst the highest rating emotional design elements - creating a gap between user expectations and designer actions. Resources revealed that sound can account for a large part of an overall experience. Sound creates mood and atmosphere, and is present in the physical retail environment. Although literature stresses the importance of sound to Web design, designers in this study were of quite the opposite view. Sound was not deemed to be an important experience (near the bottom of ranked emotional dimensions). Users, however, rated sound amongst the middle group of emotional elements. More use of sound is an opportunity for the future. Two broad product ranges - automobiles and computer games - were investigated to see what made them such emotion-centred items. Cars and games evoke feelings of pleasure, fun, flow and fantasy because of their design. Designers favoured interactivity, colour use and fun as gaming elements best applied to Web design. More than half of designer respondents believed that the design of cars and games can be recontextualised into Web design, and most users were definitely in favour of seeing emotional elements they like about cars and games placed into Websites. Dimensions and potential mechanisms for measuring or assessing the emotional intelligence of Websites are proposed, and these include the use of semantic maps to position and compare Websites based on their performance against dimensions such as fun, warmth, trustworthiness, use of colour and the ability to engage users on a social level. The capability of building emotion into a Website is then balanced with the need for high-quality navigation, functionality and usability - as poor efforts in these 'rational' areas can lead to negative emotions and distrust. The design also has to keep in line with the demands of the company wanting the Website built. This study was exploratory - with the aim of bringing out into the open some aspects of New Media e-Commerce design that could he better utilised in order to match the emotions and feelings of customers - potentially leading to higher degrees of sales success. This thesis is therefore hoped to be a catalyst for further study in this area.</Item Global positioning system (GPS) : human factors aspects for general aviation pilots : a thesis presented in partial ...(Massey University, 1996) Nendick, Michael DeanThe allied disciplines of psychology and human factors within aviation are well established. Moreover, the benefits that their research efforts have brought to the underlying theoretical and practical application of technology within aviation are well documented. The introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a new technology in this context that has not yet received much attention in terms of its human factors implications. GPS is a satellite based navigation system, available as a non-standardised "add-on" navigation system for General Aviation (GA) aircraft. While GPS has been established within the military environment for some time it has only recently been made available to the civil aviation market. To date there has been little human factors research conducted on its use by pilots, especially in the GA industry where it has rapidly become an extremely popular navigation aid. This study aimed to utilise the fundamental principles of psychology and human factors to examine GA pilots' use of GPS. Particular reference was made to the equipment design ergonomics, the psychological attitudes and behaviours displayed when using GPS, and the implications GPS has for flight safety. The study sought information to determine whether formal training was required and to suggest the format for such training. A survey of 172 GA pilots using GPS in New Zealand was carried out to investigate five research questions proposed to provide a basis for future research. The results found that GPS was rated highly for its design and ease of use, however specific areas of GPS design needing improvement were identified. GPS was rated in a similar fashion by pilots irrespective of their individual demographic sub-groupings. While the majority of pilots were found to have positive attitudes and behaviours using GPS, some users had developed negative attitudes previously associated with automation such as over-confidence, reliance, and complacency. This had resulted in certain inappropriate behaviours. These included operating without backup means, discarding standard navigation procedures such as maintaining reference to maps and charts, and navigating with GPS before gaining an acceptable level of knowledge and competency with its use. The results appeared to be generalisable to the wider pilot population. The results suggest that formalised training incorporating human factors was required for operators to use GPS to its full potential and to avoid committing errors with possible hazardous consequences.Item Pilot error : cognitive failure analysis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Aviation at Massey University(Massey University, 1997) Zotov, Dmitri VictorovitchRasmussen (1982) suggested that there was a need for a taxonomy of human errors based on the operator performing the task, rather than upon the task itself; the "internal human malfunction" (p. 323). This proposal was adopted by O'Hare, Wiggins, Batt & Morrison (1994) in a study of pilot errors derived from the New Zealand official Accident Reports. O'Hare et al. (1994) found differences in the types of errors that led to major and minor accidents. These differences were at variance with the proposition by Billings and Reynard (1981) that the errors in accidents and incidents came from a common population, the outcome being due to chance. The results of O'Hare et al. (1994) cast some doubt on the validity of investigating incidents as a means of forestalling accidents. Some of the accident reports used by O'Hare et al. (1994) had not been the result of independent investigation, but were self-reports by the pilots involved. The inclusion of these reports had the potential to produce the apparent dichotomy between the distributions of error types in major and minor accidents, found by O'Hare et al. (1994). It was therefore decided to revisit their work, using as a database the entire population of New Zealand official Accident Reports since 1965, which had been the subject of official investigation. With the large database available, variability in the distribution of error types was also examined between different classes of aircraft, and between pilots of different levels of experience. Some variability between major and minor accidents was found, but not enough to be of practical significance. No variability was found between pilots of different levels of experience. There was little difference between classes of aircraft, except in the case of fixed-wing agricultural aircraft. In the latter case, the difference in the distribution of error types from other classes of aircraft was marked, and further study to identify the reasons might assist in reducing the accident rate for agricultural aircraft.Item The role of experience in the susceptibility to confirmation bias in pilots : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2012) Rowntree, JaimeConfirmation bias refers to the tendency of an individual to prioritise and seek out evidence that confirms their theory or hypothesis and avoid or place little importance on disconfirming information. In the field of aviation, confirmation bias can have disastrous consequences and has been implicated in several aviation disasters. Despite the potentially fatal consequences, little research has systematically explored the underlying causes of confirmation bias in pilots. The following research examined the role of experience in the susceptibility to confirmation bias in pilots utilising an aviation themed location discovery task. To assess the relationship between flying experience and susceptibility to confirmation bias, 53 participants (23 non-pilots with no prior flying experience, 13 novice pilots with between 0-200 hours of logged flight time, and 17 experienced pilots with between 220-15000 hours of logged flight time) were asked to complete an online map-based location discovery task, which required participants to imagine that they were unsure of their location in four aviation themed scenarios. They then had to select, out of three features given, which feature would be the most useful for helping them to decide on their current location. Two out of the three features provided incorrect confirming (positive) tests of the pilot’s hypothesised location and one feature provided the correct disconfirming (negative) test of their hypothesised location. Results indicated that overall, participants primarily utilised a hypothesis-confirming strategy on the task. No relationship between experience and a participant’s susceptibility to confirmation bias was identified. A thematic analysis of the comments provided by participants was completed, which illustrated that participants were fairly consistent in the decision-making strategy that they used when reasoning about their location across each of the four scenarios. Interestingly, non-pilots and novice pilots primarily utilised a hypothesis-confirming approach most regularly in their feature selection. By contrast, it appears that the experienced pilot group primarily utilised a strategy that favoured the selection of manufactured objects and large objects. Future research should focus on discovering the mechanisms underlying confirmation bias and the identification of groups of people who are less susceptible to it. This information can then be used to create a model of confirmation bias outlining interventions that can be used to reduce or eliminate its effects.