Outliers Journal

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.