Avianca 52 from Bogota to New York crashed after running out of fuel , a problem caused by language and cultural barriers . Both crew spoke Spanish as their primary language , but the first officer had better proficiency in English . " Colombia is a highly masculine , high power distance , and collectivist country " , which might have led to the crew 's reluctance to ask for help from the New York controllers when they knew they were in trouble . In 1977 , a cargo aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Anchorage en route to Tokyo , killing all 3 crew . The captain was a US national , with the other two being Japanese . Neither Japanese pilot mentioned the captain 's intoxication or stopped him from flying the plane . They were reluctant to do so , and given Japan 's moderately high power-distance index , their deference to authority could have been a major contributing factor . Had they done so , it would have humiliated the captain , who was clearly their superior , and from there on , it was impossible " to prevent the captain from taking control of the aircraft , even at the cost of an accident . " Although crew resource management ( CRM ) can improve safety in the aviation industry , it is not widely accepted across all cultures . This is likely due to differences in uncertainty avoidance , or " the need for rule-governed behavior and clearly defined procedures " . Standard operating procedures are more easily accepted in high uncertainty avoidance cultures , such as Greece , Korea , and some Latin cultures . In the United States , however , where flexibility is emphasized , pilots may not be as accepting of CRM culture
Avianca 52
Avianca Flight 52
Impact of culture on aviation safety