Statistically, travel by air is one of the safest forms of transportation. Yet we
continue to experience aviation tragedies. Do we fully understand flight safety or is
there another way of looking at the problem? In this work a new way of approaching
the question of flight safety is developed, justified and illustrated. Traditional
methods are shown to be insufficient for a full understanding of flight safety. They
do not provide an adequate explanation of the context of aviation safety.
The issue is approached from a new perspective with a methodology based on
a philosophical understanding of explanation. For the examination of the context of
aviation safety traditional modes of scientific explanation are rejected in favor of a
paradigmatic explanation. A framework for explaining the context of accidents and
safety, in general, is synthesized from four broad paradigms which characterize its
patterned nature: the cognitive paradigm, the paradigm of normal accidents, the
paradigm of technology, and the paradigm of organizational complexes. The
development of the framework is supported by a wide diversity of literature from
philosophers, psychologists, social scientists and engineers. It is explicated with
numerous examples throughout. The framework is then compared with the traditional
mode of explanation through an extensive pedagogical case-study of a specific
accident.
The new framework is complementary to traditional approaches and new
insights are pointed up. Finally, some broad recommendations are made for the
community of professionals concerned with improving aviation safety. / Graduation date: 1991
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37472 |
| Date | 26 April 1991 |
| Creators | Routledge, Garry L. |
| Contributors | Funk, Kenneth H. II |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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