ABSTRACT
There are some pilots who are exceptionally skilled and cautious. What sets these particular pilots apart is that these combinations of events and circumstances occur very rarely; their attributes, including attitudes, personality, psychomotor coordination, aeronautical knowledge, skills, experiences, and a host of other individual characteristics, make them less likely to experience hazardous situations and more likely to survive the situations if they occur. This chapter explores some research that has attempted to explain, from the perspective of human psychology, how these groups of pilots differ, why accidents occur, and what might be done to reduce their likelihood. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), causes of accidents may be broken down into three categories: Pilot-Related, Mechanical/Maintenance, Other/Unknown. The "Swiss-cheese" model of accident causation is a system for categorizing accidents according to the sequential theory. The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is a taxonomy that describes the human factors that contribute to an accident.
