This sounds funny first, but i have read about this in a book i can't recall right now.

Especially asian countries have a extreme passive and submissive language. The receiver is responsible to interpret the language.

In this fatal example, the lower ranked pilot said something like "our altimeter was very fortunate in the past" and what he tried to communicate was "look at the altimeter, we are to low". He was so afraid to speak up to his tired captain that they died. Another change after that incident was to make a new flight team every time.

I know this is a bit late, but I just wanted to mention that you most likely read that in Malcom Gladwell's Outliers. There's a whole chapter about aviation.