ABSTRACT
Cockpit crews make decisions all the time, from the captain's acceptance of the aircraft and flight plan prior to departure to docking at the gate after landing. The aviation industry and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are both concerned with improving the quality of decisions made in the cockpit. The importance accorded cockpit decision-making is reflected in its inclusion as a recommended topic in the revision of the FAA Advisory Circular on crew resource management (CRM). While various types of decisions can be distinguished for analytical purposes, in practice any given flight situation may require use of several different decision strategies. Making one decision or taking the prescribed action may present a new set of conditions requiring a different type of decision. To an observer, these may appear as a smooth flow of action, although decisions are hidden behind the actions.
