Social, technical and cultural factors must be considered when studying error and its amelioration on the flight deck. To determine the acceptability of a new technology and approve its implementation from studies conducted in laboratory settings seems presumptuous, if not downright dangerous. Requiring equipment with questionable effectiveness to remedy accidents whose main causes lie in the social use of information, rather than equipment use, has the potential to mask, rather than treat, the real factors that cause accidents. CFIT begins with a chain of events that manifests itself in the dynamic environment of the flight deck. Through careful consideration of the multitasking environment and the temporal nature of the information ecology of the flight deck, systems developers can begin to understand proper information processing and display.
Pilots often fail to detect or respond correctly to warnings.
Equipment is not a replacement for poor communication, poor procedure or inadequate training. It is recommended that situated studies of the information ecology of the flight deck, specifically as it relates to the use of terrain warning equipment, be performed. Only then will it be understood exactly how the information from terrain warning devices is used, and only then can recommendations regarding the regulation of such devices be considered. Cognition in the Wild .