Rank Structure In George Gladwell's 'Outliers'

Gladwell makes a very interesting argument in chapter 7 of Outliers (2008). He claims that the flight crew and their inability to communicate effectively is the number one cause of plane crashes. He supports his argument with studies on different cultures and their ability to communicate with persons in authority or of higher ranks. This inability for the “second in command” to communicate with the pilot, leads to information not being heard or in some cases said, and can have a fatal outcome.
I think it is important to have a clear understanding of rank structure while reading this claim. Being an active duty Staff Sergeant, rank structure is something I am very familiar with. Having this same hierarchy, we do not run into the same issues