Published Paper Details:

In the field of aviation, maintenance of aircraft is an important process which has a direct bearing in ensuring safe operations. Aircraft maintenance personnel mainly comprise of aeronautical engineers as well as Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) who are imparted with requisite knowledge and technical skills for carrying out aircraft maintenance. The maintenance of aircraft is mainly based on preventive maintenance concept which involves various scheduled activities to be carried out by maintenance personnel at regular time periods as laid down by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). In spite of carrying out periodical maintenance of highly reliable modern generation aircraft, there is inherent risk in aviation as ��To err is Human� is an unavoidable aspect in maintenance practices. The consequences of any error on the part of maintenance personnel can be catastrophic resulting in loss of aircrew, passengers and may be disastrous depending on the nature of accident. In most of the aircraft accidents, investigations have revealed that the main causes are attributable to lapses in maintenance activities. Such lapses cannot be eliminated completely as per Murphy�s Law which says that �If anything can go wrong, it will�. However, study on behavioural aspects of maintenance personnel and regular audits of workplace have revealed the criticality of Non-Technical Skills (NTS) such as communication, situational awareness, problem solving and adaptability to working under stress. These skills are as vital as the �hard� technical skills which are required to be developed by the maintenance personnel to ensure operational and maintenance safety at workplace.