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) is defined as an aircrew's perception of facts and conditions affecting a safe flight, and its degradation is a common factor in aviation accidents, even for experienced pilots.
- Six key clues signaling a loss of SA include failing to meet targets, feeling rushed, inadequate planning, mission fixation, ambiguity in information, and an intuitive "bad feeling."
- To regain or maintain SA, pilots should pause to assess, utilize checklists, plan thoroughly, clarify any ambiguities, consider alternatives, and avoid over-reliance on advanced cockpit technology by maintaining manual cross-checks and comprehensive training.
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