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 a pilot's perception of facts and conditions affecting flight safety, is crucial for preventing accidents, yet even highly experienced pilots are susceptible to losing it.
- Key indicators of degraded SA include failing to meet targets, feeling rushed, insufficient planning, mission fixation, experiencing ambiguity, or having "bad feelings" about the situation.
- To regain SA, pilots should pause, review checklists and available information, clarify ambiguities, plan alternatives, and objectively reassess their situation, even when flying Technologically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) which can introduce new distractions and risks of over-reliance.
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