Cognitive and Linguistic Challenges in Controller–Pilot Communication

Controller–pilot communication is a key safety barrier in flight operations, yet miscommunication can still occur in some cases. The aim of the study was to examine how a miscommunication can emerge across interactional turns and persist despite repeated attempts at clarification, showing how language-related factors and human factors operate together under operational constraints. An instrumental case study design was adopted using a publicly available air–ground communication recording. The analysis indicates that the breakdown was shaped by interacting mechanisms. Phonological interference supported lexical misidentification, and a low-frequency word was mapped onto a more frequent operational item, illustrating how speech intelligibility, lexical expectations, and attention interact in communication. Schema-driven perception then guided subsequent listening and sustained an elevated risk interpretation through expectation and confirmation bias. At the same time, mitigation in plain language produced mixed pragmatic signals because expedited handling was requested while emergency status was avoided, complicating risk calibration and repair. Narrative explanations and idiomatic wording further reduced conciseness and limited repair efficiency. The case shows how shared situational awareness can drift when language choices and cognitive processes do not align.