Analysis of Pilots’ Monitoring and Performance on an Automated Flight Deck

In order to understand the role of pilot monitoring in the loss of mode awareness on automated flight decks, we studied 20 Boeing 747-400 line pilots in a simulated flight. We developed a set of scenario events that created challenges to monitoring. We measured automation use, eye fixations, and pilot mental models. The results showed that, at an aggregate level, pilot monitoring patterns were consistent with those found in the few previous studies. However, mode awareness was affected by both failures to verify mode selections and an inability to understand the implications of autoflight mode on airplane performance.