What is Pilot Error?

J. Mac McClellan

Monday, July 16, 2001 at 08:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article argues that "pilot error" is often a misnomer, especially in personal aviation, and should be replaced with the more accurate term "pilot decision."
True pilot errors are rare and primarily confined to transport-category aviation, where extensive redundancy, rigorous training, and strict procedures address virtually all foreseeable events.
In contrast, personal aviation, with its lack of redundancy and less stringent operational rules, involves pilots making conscious "pilot decisions" where they inherently balance risk and reward.
Focusing on "pilot decisions" provides a more accurate understanding of accidents in personal flying, promoting better risk assessment and learning rather than simply attributing blame.

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I’m sick of the term “pilot error.” A true pilot error is a rare event. But what is so often labeled a pilot error is actually a pilot decision that didn’t result in the outcome expected by the pilot, the regulators or the public.

Real pilot errors can only occur in transport-category airplanes that are being flown to the FAR Part 121 standards that govern the major airlines. This type of flying is the safest that we know how to do, or at least is the safest tradeoff our society is willing to make when it compares risk to financial costs and convenience. Business jet operators may choose to fly their transport-category airplanes to an even higher safety standard than the airlines, and many do.