Safer Flight Maneuvering

In this series first installment ("The Problem With Flight Training," March 2008), we identified a few of the systemic errors and omissions committed during flight training, and how they feed into typical aviation accidents. We dealt primarily with issues pertaining to the mechanics of flying an airplane. In this second of three articles, well look at some of the psychological aspects involved. A lot of educational material has been generated in recent years on aeronautical decision making, hazardous attitudes and cockpit resource management. The FAA has been actively promoting the Perceive-Process-Perform (P-P-P) risk management decision path as well. Perceiving risk in the P-P-P model is aided with the PAVE checklist; processing levels of risk is facilitated with the CARE checklist; and performing risk management is prompted by the TEAM checklist (see the sidebar on page 6 for more).

Key Takeaways:

• Aviation safety is significantly impacted by psychological factors, including inherent human biases that lead pilots to make high-risk decisions, often prioritizing perceived minor losses over maximizing survivability.
• Maneuvering flight, particularly low-altitude turns and turnbacks after engine failure, presents substantial risks and frequently results in stall/spin accidents due to these cognitive biases and poor judgment.
• Inconsistent advice and training regarding critical maneuvers like the "impossible turn" further confuse pilots and contribute to preventable fatalities.
• Effective risk management requires better pilot training to overcome these biases, enhance situational awareness, and promote three-dimensional thinking.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

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