Over 20 years ago, collision with high ground was identified as being the single most significant cause of fatalities among air travellers worldwide (Smith, 1968), and some human factors responsible were highlighted. The three factors most commonly found to be present during major civil aviation accidents were: (i) pilot's visual flight in instrument meterological conditions (IMC); (ii) navigational error by the crew and'; (iii) pilot's failure to react correctly to new circumstances resulting from air traffic control (ATC) instructions or advice – sometimes made in a language foreign to that of the aircrew. The latter factor will be tested here to see if it still applies to recent cases in the UK.
