The tragic circumstances surrounding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s disappearance is in many ways incomprehensible. The lack of evidence after nearly a month of global searching confounds investigators and torments families of passengers. As we continue to watch this mystery unfold, what can we learn from how this investigation and search can help the industry do better and be more adequately prepared in the future?
While I am not a professional accident investigator, I have been involved in responding to more than a handful of commercial airline accidents during my career. Some were relatively minor incidents with no injuries; others resulted in massive search and rescue operations and sadly, significant loss of life. My involvement included initial accident scene response, family and next of kin handling, post crisis debriefing for affected employees and crew, media management and accident investigation. From these diverse experiences, I have developed a personal and professional perspective on how to effectively approach managing aviation accidents, improve communication and safety for all passengers and crew, and enhance the accident response and investigation process.
Aviation Crises Are Increasingly More Complex
Airline accidents are by nature, one of the most complex and challenging crises to manage. They are not like a train derailment that is in a relatively contained area, a massive building explosion, or a devastating tornado that cuts a swath of destruction. With these types of crises and natural disasters, there is a certain amount of predictability and most likely an identified location for the response, rescue and recovery. While there are still countless unknowns, at a minimum there is a starting point. The more unique, complex and complicated crises are the ones that will place undue stresses on the industry, relatives and families, and responding entities and organizations because it is a response that requires patience, flexibility and coordination among several countries.
We can never underestimate the complexity and variables of an aviation crisis, the distance, location, circumstances, multi-national agencies, first responders, local and international news media, cultural differences, power struggles, responsibilities and decision-making capabilities.
It’s not the more commonly accepted types of aviation accidents we have to prepare for – like take-off and landing accidents, a hijacking, bombing or possibly a suicidal pilot. Today, we must be prepared for the most unthinkable events – the multi-aircraft tragedies of 9-11 or the total disappearance of a huge passenger jetliner without a trace.
Time is the Enemy
As we have seen from MH 370’s disappearance, the prolonged agony for families and loved ones of not knowing, vacillating between hope and despair, and lacking any solid evidence creates unbearable mental and emotional anguish that builds over time and overloads coping mechanisms. And this process also affects airlines, airports, emergency responders, international agencies and to some degree the general public who anxiously follow the daily developments. The protracted timeframe takes a tremendous toll emotionally, physically and cognitively and many of those affected are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorders months and years afterwards.
No Answers to Anything Initially
The relatives’ need for answers is emotionally all consuming and eclipses the time consuming, orderly accident investigation process. The systematic assembling of facts and data is diametrically opposed to what families need and demand as they try to cope with the unimaginable. We have learned that delaying the inevitable only causes more pain. When communicating in daily family briefings, managing expectations is best done in a compassionate manner and in a timely way.
When Malaysian officials’ issued a statement nearly three weeks after that the plane’s disappearance that it went down in the Indian Ocean and that they stated that none of the 239 passengers and crew members survived, despite not having a shred of tangible wreckage to prove the crash. That infuriated the families and caused more psychological suffering.
In this case, I feel that about a week after the disappearance of the aircraft families should have been advised that their relatives are ‘presumed dead,’ which is a reasonable and expected assumption that can be made before finding any wreckage. Although that is the most painful news any family member can receive, it is actually the start of the grieving process and the eventual acceptance of the circumstances.
Had that been communicated earlier, the emotional toll on some families could have been lessened since every family member has their own individual coping mechanisms. The goal is to provide timely and appropriate information in a compassionate and respectful manner, and prepare the families for what may most likely be a worst case situation.
Sparse Information and Sporadic Details Fuel Speculation
Global media reports and speculations from several continents have been dominating the news about the mysterious disappearance of the MH 370 which has continued, results in a series of hope/despair emotional reactions for families of victims. Understandably, with multiple countries involved in the search for answers, highly sensitive satellite data reports, and no exact location for the plane or wreckage, the effort was overwhelmingly complex and challenging.
Every day, as new details were uncovered, new speculations about the whereabouts or fate of the plane and its passengers surfaced. There were plenty of red herrings that singularly focused the attention of the public and families: stolen passports, hijacking theory, and countless other speculations.
Investigations Take Time
Each detail is just a small part of the overall investigation and anything taken in isolation undoubtedly results in flawed conclusions. The National Transportation Safety Board when charged with an investigation does this exceptionally well, as law enforcement does when investigating a homicide. Media, experts and agencies need to reinforce to the public that whatever is found, it just a small part of the puzzle and not conclusive. CNN seems to do credible reporting by engaging experts to provide insight and interpretation of the facts, without drawing conclusions.
However, as accident investigators know, it is the totality of all the pieces that can eventually lead to a probable cause finding. And those findings often take months and years to be developed, after the aircraft wreckage is discovered, recovered and a full investigation is conducted by experts.
In conclusion, we cannot underestimate a well-developed and practiced crisis management plan that considers not only expected, but totally unexpected situations and places heavy emphasis on human factors. The plan has to be broad enough and include global coordination and response, so that when the inevitable happens, there is a basic framework in place that can help guide the response and recovery, and ultimately the explanation of what happened. We cannot have detailed plans for every type of crisis, but at a minimum, we need to be open to possibilities that are outside the realm of normal operations.
Our hearts go out to the families and relatives of MH 370 and hope that soon there will be some definitive answers to our prayers. There is no worse emotional suffering than that of not knowing what happened. May every lesson we learn help others in the future.
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Agnes Huff, PhD, has more than 25 years of experience providing specialized strategic public relations and marketing, crisis management and business consulting to a diverse group of clients in the aviation industry. In 1995, she founded Agnes Huff Communications Group (AHCG) an integrated marketing and PR consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Clients include national and international airports and airlines, government entities, travel and tourism organizations, and transportation companies, among other high-profile industry clients. She welcomes feedback and will respond to comments at [email protected]. More information is available at www.ahuffgroup.com.
