A taxonomy of decision problems on the flight deck

Examining cases of real crews making decisions in full-mission simulators or through Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports shows that there are many different types of decisions that crews must make. Features of the situation determine the type of decision that must be made. The paper identifies six types of decisions that require different types of cognitive work and are also subject to different types of error or failure. These different requirements, along with descriptions of effective crew strategies, can serve as a basis for developing training practices and for evaluating crews.