Electronic Checklists: Implications for Decision Making

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Abstract
Checklists are a way of life on the flight deck, and, undoubtedly, are indispensable decision aids due to the volume of technical knowledge that must be readily accessible. The improper use of checklists, however, has been cited as a factor in several recent aircraft accidents (National Transportation Safety Board, 1988, 1989, 1990). Solutions to checklist problems, including the creation of electronic checklist systems which keep track of skipped items, may solve some problems but create others. In this paper, results from a simulation involving an engine shutdown are presented, and implications of the electronic checklist and “memory” checklist are discussed, in terms of potential errors and effects on decision making. Performance using two types of electronic checklist systems is compared with performance using the traditional paper checklist. Additionally, a “performing from memory” condition is compared with a “performing from the checklist” condition. Results suggest that making checklist procedures more automatic, either by asking crews to accomplish steps from memory, or by checklists that encourage crews to rely on system state as indicated by the checklist, rather than as indicated by the system itself, will discourage information gathering, and may lead to dangerous operational errors.

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