The Milgram obedience experiments demonstrate that the
willingness of individuals in our society to obey authority figures
regardless of the consequences is surprisingly strong. One context
for this obedience dynamic is the airplane cockpit. The situation
of a captain with too much authority who is in error can have
disastrous consequences. Dangerously high levels of obedience to
erring captains have been noted by the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB). In fact, as will be discussed later, a review
of airplane accidents in the United States by the NTSB indirectly
suggests that destructive obedience causes up to 25% of all plane
crashes.
