Common Ground in Coordination: The Case of the 1977 Tenerife Runway Collision

Over a century has passed since humans took to commercial flying and the pursuit of safe operations continues today. The need to better understand the human factor as part of sociotechnical systems has become clear in recent times. In this paper, we focus on human coordination through a case study of a runway collision at Tenerife airport in 1977. We formalize coordination using theoretical frameworks and mathematically model it using agent-based techniques. For validation, we use LEADSTO simulations and perform a variability analysis. We identify coordination mechanisms that play an important role in identifying and repairing loss of common ground. Ultimately, we aim to add to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to the understanding of human cognition in complex sociotechnical systems in order to support resilient system operations.