Question Authority

As you know from reading my articles and posts, I am highly fascinated with cultural pressures and social trends.  This of course led me to further investigate the Asiana Airline crash that occurred on July 6th in San Francisco after originating in China and stopping in South Korea.  Asiana is one of South Korea's two major airlines.  

Our hearts first and foremost go out to the families of the two girls who lost their lives in the crash, and of course there is much to be thankful for considering that 307 people were on board.  In the wake of any fearful tragedy we naturally want answers, explanations, and assurances that nothing like this will ever happen again.  While these may not always be possible, there are many questions surrounding this accident that still remain to be answered.   

The main question rests on why the more experienced co-pilot Capt. Lee Jung-min, who was the lead pilot and flight instructor for the training pilot Lee Hang-kook did not question the decisions or intervene until  seconds before the crash.  There were in fact four pilots on board the airline; the pilot, co-pilot, and two back-up pilots for the long flight.    

There were no engine or mechanical problems with the plane.  This leads to the question of competency of the pilots and particularly their lack of communication with each other and officials.  Esteemed author Malcolm Gladwell wrote a chapter in his book Outliers on cultural connections and plane crashes, particularly in cultures with authoritarian governments in which people are taught not to question authority under any circumstances.  Korean Air, the largest carrier in Korea has a poor safety record and several fatal crashes, due according to Gladwell to the hierarchical nature of the culture.  

"Aviation safety studies have documented that in certain cultures junior pilots are reluctant to question authority, which violates the whole concept of cockpit management," said Najmedin Meshkati, an engineering safety expert at USC.  "You are obliged to be deferential toward your elders and superiors in a way that would be unimaginable in the U.S.". That's dangerous when it comes to modern airplanes, because such sophisticated machines are designed to be piloted by a crew that works together as a team of equals, remaining unafraid to point out mistakes or disagree with a captain."Whether or not this accident occurred due to cultural connections, it is certainly interesting and worthwhile to explore further as Gladwell has done.  There are assuredly instances when a certain submission to authority is necessary, but as Gladwell points out, there are also instances when the lack of challenging and even disagreeing with authority can be equally as dangerous and even fatal.

For more on this:
Asiana pilots'lack of communication puzzles crash investigators
San Francisco plane crash: Lead pilot was first time flight instructor 
Could Malcolm Gladwell's Theory of Cockpit Culture Apply to Asiana Crash?
One Minute Interview: Malcolm Gladwell on Culture and Airplane Crashes