Command and Control: The Influence of Flight Crew Role Assignment on Flight Safety in Air Transport Operations

Compared with other team settings, flight crew in air transport present a unique situation where the leader or supervisor regularly engages in active control. When the captain is assigned cognitively demanding pilot flying duties, the subordinate and often less experienced first officer must perform equally crucial monitoring and support duties. Using a systematic review methodology, this study reviews the reported effect of crew role assignment on flight safety outcomes. Our review identified 18 relevant studies and suggests crew performance factors linked to flight safety are affected by crew role assignment. Findings suggest a greater number of inherent obstacles may exist for optimal crew performance with the captain as pilot flying, raising the need for further specific research and policy review in this area.