“Flight controller accidentally sends jet on course toward Mt. Wilson after LAX takeoff” (LA Times), especially coupled with this LiveATC recording, might make a good case study for a human-/user-interface class. The controller is trying to steer a Boeing 777 using her voice and two human actuators (the pilots).
Related:
This was not an interface problem. The interface worked perfectly – the plane steered in the direction that was commanded by the controller.
Maybe this was the problem:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/affirmative-action-lands-in-the-air-traffic-control-tower-1433283292
The problem was the controller, who literally didn’t know left from right.
Uh oh – sounds like the controller was African American female. What a shame, it’s just going to reinforce racial stereotypes…
Uh oh, sounds like the guy who just drove a truck thru a crowd in Berlin was a Muslim male. What a shame, it’s just going to reinforce racial stereotypes…
Before you worry about tomorrow’s backlash, shouldn’t you worry about today’s lash first? Several hundred people almost just died and the thing you are most worried about is reinforcing racial stereotypes? It’s possible that her mistake had nothing to do with either her race or her gender but the fact that the FAA, under pressure from the Obama administration, is intentionally giving preferences to minorities doesn’t give me a lot of confidence.
I’ve watched and listened many times to:
Normal craziness for LAX. We have a busy controller and a foreign speaking (Taiwanese?) pilot of EVA015. The controller is actually stepped on when she gives the instruction that starts the action, so I can’t tell if she says left or right turn to 180 and climb to 7000. But she does give correct instructions within 10 seconds.
But the pilots of EVA015 get the brunt of my blame. Not only do they not have situational awareness (don’t know if this was IMC) to realize that there are mountain ahead, but their turn to 180 (whether it was left or right) is not made. 180 is a direct south heading, yet EVA015 turn slightly north and meanders.
After confirming “turn right heading 180” at around 2:00, EVA015 does nothing and continues on a 334 heading.
Controller seems professional, but a little flustered by EVA015.
Contrary to @Jackie’s take on this I don’t think the pilots knew their left from their right.