See the most common pilot errors and how to avoid them
09.11.2015
What are the most common pilot errors? And what can we do in order to reduce the risk? If you are interested in the causes that lead to errors you should read about the theory behind it. If you already studied ATPL Human Performance you would have heard about the “Swiss cheese model”. This model shows several layers between management decision-making, and accident and incident. An incident or accident occurs where the holes in these layers align.
Here are some of the most commons pilot mistakes:
Paying poor attention to briefings - Some trainee pilots, as well as experienced airline pilots just read out loud the briefings or memorize it without paying attention to it.
Weather - Misunderstanding the weather briefing and poor knowledge can lead to tremendous consequences. 80% of the VFR flights that ended up in IFR weather conditions are fatal.
Poor cockpit management - Once the pilots get experience, they tend to be more confident and relaxed. They start to do more than one task at once, like doing paperwork before levelling off. We should never forget the golden rule of aviation “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate”. Misinterpreting ATC calls “Say again, please”, this is what we should say when we are not sure about an ATC clearance.
Poor airmanship - Training Development Support Unit 2000 had stated, that “Airmanship is effective decision making to support a sequence of actions”. The correct sequence of actions, is what can save your life, and is only given by experience and knowledge.