Exactly 26 years ago, The Washington Post reported that increasing automation was threatening to overwhelm pilots and naval crews with what psychologists termed ‘glass cockpit syndrome’ in reference to the proliferation of computer screens.
The combination of a flood of technical information, poor communication and stress could lead to major errors in judgment, the article concluded.
Fast-forward a quarter of a century, and one former master, now managing a fleet of boxships and tankers, says he is dismayed to see crews ignoring bridge system alarms because they do not know what they are for, or believe they go off unnecessarily.
