When Are Pilots the Most Dangerous?

Complacency can often get the best of you, so do your best to avoid it.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 10:58 AM ET

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There appear to be a few times in aviation careers where pilots might get a little too complacent. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are often most dangerous shortly after private certification due to complacency, leading to degraded skills, or when focused training for advanced ratings causes neglect of fundamental skills like landings or basic pilotage.
Overconfidence can manifest at various experience levels, prompting pilots to attempt maneuvers or conditions beyond their capabilities or to take unnecessary risks, especially around perceived milestone metrics.
Flight instructors face unique challenges, including skill degradation from not actively flying, increased risk-taking around specific hour milestones (e.g., 750 hours), and potential burnout from the tedium of hour-building.

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When are pilots the most dangerous? This is a topic of discussion at many flight schools and anytime you get a group of seasoned CFIs together. Based on anecdotal evidence, there appear to be a few times in their aviation careers where pilots might get a little too complacent, or too cocky and overconfident, resulting in an accident or incident.

50 Hours After Private Certification

An experienced CFI once told me: “They are at their sharpest when you sign them off.” I share this knowledge with my learners, and I caution them to work hard to maintain their skills. It is not uncommon for the private pilot—as they gain more hours and experience—to become more relaxed, and procedurally, they may start to get sloppy. It starts slowly. Maybe it’s forgetting to use the checklist during the preflight inspection or engine run-up. Or maybe it’s using the “look out the window” technique to check the weather.