Flight Deck Safety Management: Crew Resource Management and Line Operations Safety Audits

Failures in CRM still remain the fourth most common causal factor in fatal aircraft accidents and the third most frequently cited contributory factor (CAA, 2008). The evolution of the abbreviation of CRM itself exemplifies the change in culture in commercial aviation in the last 20 years. When CRM was first introduced, the abbreviation stood for Cockpit Resource Management and applied only to flight deck crew. Subsequently, the concept evolved to encompass all flight crew (i.e. including the cabin crew) and became known as Crew Resource Management. Further evolution of the approach has seen CRM extend beyond the aircraft to ramp operations and maintenance, and even beyond the airline (e.g. to ATC).