When I read the
chapter about the ethnic theory of plane crashes, I was very surprised that
this book deals with the story of Korean Airline, which I always use whenever I
go to my home, Jeju Island. Before reading this chapter, I didn’t know that
Korean Air had the higher flight accident rate than any other airlines in the
world. Behind the fatally high rate of flight accidents of Korean Air, there
were cultural and ethnic factors that led to these series of accidents during
flight.
There might be
some minor factors that led to the accidents, such as bad weather conditions,
late flight schedules, or minor plane malfunctions. But this book suggests that
one of the reasons why flight accidents happen, especially in the cases of
Korean Air specifically for several years, is the lack of intimate interaction
between the captain and co-captain during flight. It comes from Korea’s
cultural and traditional factor that stays between captain and co-captain, or
worker and his boss.
Let’s analyze some
quotes introduced in the book. “Captain
hit First Officer with the back of his hand for making the error” implies
the very rigid and strict relationship between the captain and the first
officer. Imagine how it would be difficult for the officer to comment something
about flight or suggest his opinions to his boss, captain, considering that the
captain hit him with his hand for making the error. Another line “It’s first time to meet you” implies
the unfriendly relationship between captain, officer, and engineer. This book
says that right before the flight, the three workers meet first time without
fully knowing each other. Considering that 44 percent of the flight accidents,
according to the book, occur when the two pilots have never flown together
before, this implies a huge possibility of miscommunication and lack of interaction
among flight workers – captain, officer, and engineer – which can lead to
flight accidents. Frequent occurrences of the flight accidents of Korean Air
support this claim.
After reading
this chapter, I thought that this type of mistakes and errors may occur even in
other cases, even if they are not flight accidents. I think everything we work
on together in the society requires some sorts of teamwork and collaboration,
and the rigid ambience between members may be the most harmful factor in the
teamwork. The leader of the team or project should establish a collaborative
atmosphere in which the members can freely share their opinions with eagerness.
