Normalization of Deviance Can Cause Problems for Pilots

Breaking the chain of accepting the unacceptable is imperative in flying.

Friday, October 04, 2024 at 09:10 AM ET

Verified

The normalization of deviance was discussed often at the Spring to Proficiency 2024 IFR Clinic put on by Community Aviation at the EAA Pilot Proficiency Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The "normalization of deviance" is a phenomenon where individuals gradually accept substandard practices or "cutting corners" until these behaviors become the adopted norm, often justified by a lack of immediate negative consequences.
This gradual acceptance creates a "chain of deviance" that can lead to a downward spiral of declining performance standards, increased risk, and ultimately contribute to adverse outcomes or accidents.
Flight instructors (CFIs) play a critical role in perpetuating or preventing this cycle, as their own shortcuts, rushing, or allowing underprepared learners to proceed directly teach students to normalize deviant practices, leading to a lack of fundamental skills.
CFIs are encouraged to be positive role models, uphold rigorous certification standards, and prioritize thorough instruction and skill development over expedience to break the chain of deviance and foster true pilot proficiency.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Have you ever cut a corner, perhaps not using a checklist, or skipping a preflight, and then caught yourself doing it again? Nothing bad happened the first time, but that was the beginning of the normalization of deviance.

The normalization of deviance is a phenomenon in which individuals deviate from what is known to be an acceptable performance standard—basically, accepting less than the acceptable in terms of performance or cutting corners—until the deviant behavior becomes the adopted practice. It’s often defended with phrases like “it wasn’t too bad” or “almost” or “close enough” or “we’ve never had a problem before,” and at the flight school level, “my CFI said I didn’t need to know that.”

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.