Left Seat: The Psychology of Safety

J. Mac McClellan

Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 05:36 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

General Aviation safety has stagnated for decades, with traditional metrics like advanced pilot ratings or total flight hours proving ineffective at predicting serious accident risk.
Avemco's research suggests that while basic flying skills and experience help prevent minor incidents, major (fatal/injury) accidents are primarily linked to pilot psychology, stress management, and decision-making under pressure.
The study identifies two pilot groups: "experts" who demonstrate methodical, conservative decision-making under stress, and "non-experts" who tend to take increased risks and become easily overwhelmed.
The best hope for improving GA safety lies in modifying training standards to address pilot psychology, risk management, and decision-making, rather than focusing solely on skill or experience.

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JUNE 2010 — THE GENERAL AVIATION safety record has changed very little in decades despite continuous efforts by regulators and the industry. On the other hand, the major airlines and corporate flight departments have made great progress in reducing the number of accidents. There are many reasons for the divergence in results for the two types of flying, but it’s clear that what we have been doing to improve general aviation safety isn’t working.

The insurance company Avemco has a very specific interest in reducing the number of general aviation accidents because those are the only airplanes it insures. The company covers only piston airplanes and, with this focus plus a solid financial position and a reputation for excellent claims service, has been able to earn a big share of that market segment.