ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an account of the author's experience as a chief engineer in an intercept aircraft squadron where he was responsible and accountable for the performance and safety of about 100 engineers and technicians, and the availability and airworthiness of military aircraft and their supporting tools and equipment. The author asserts that whatever the training, the formal approaches, tools, techniques, and other means to assess safety risks are based on the assumption of rationalism and sufficient resources. However, many safety-critical decisions are made in the field where the preconditions for a rational risk evaluation do not always exist, while, at the same time, there are factors, such as emotions and relationships, that cannot be inserted in the risk equation beforehand.