Situational awareness, or “SA,” is sometimes used to explain why someone suffered an accident. “He had bad situational awareness” is supposed to describe a scenario in which a pilot does the unthinkable, and it results in tragedy. As with most Monday-morning quarterbacking, theres an element of “I would never do that” in applying the “bad situational awareness” label, a comforting thought for the next time we launch into the blue or descend into the murk. But knowing that the other pilot had “bad” SA does not ensure that somehow we will have “good” SA in similar 288
SA, Lost And Found
you need to find out why and then decide how to fix it. Sometimes
Key Takeaways:
- Situational awareness (SA), defined as an aircrew's perception of facts and conditions affecting safe flight, is crucial, as even highly experienced pilots can suffer a loss of SA, leading to accidents.
- Pilots can recognize a degraded SA through common clues such as not meeting targets, feeling rushed, inadequate planning, mission fixation, ambiguity, or a general "bad feeling."
- Regaining SA involves actively pausing to assess the situation, using checklists to re-establish a methodical approach, seeking clarity for any ambiguities, and mastering advanced cockpit technology rather than over-relying on it.
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