Bodil
Beyond Pilot Error: Human Performance, Automation, and Systemic Failure in Modern Aviation
Globally, plane crashes are extremely uncommon, with the rate per million being so close to zero that the results are driven more by chance than by any factor. However, the leading cause of plane crashes is human error, accounting for 50-80% of accidents. Often, the media and large companies place the blame solely on the pilots. However Human error encapsulates the whole industry run by humans, not just the person in the cockpit. A software developer's mistake or a mechanical issue will also fall under the category of human error. With a global market focused on economic prosperity over safety, and the major players being deeply intertwined with their respective governments, the system becomes a perfect political bargaining chip and a perfect stage for displays of power. This financially focused market creates a hostile environment for pilots: they become passengers to automation and, within an instant, are forced to recover from automation's mistakes with hundreds on board. This sudden shift from low stress to high stress creates the worst conditions for human performance, and yet our humans must be perfect for the sake of everyone on board. The pressure of responsibility for hundreds of people, irregular work schedules, and inadequate mental health resources, pilots are put in the worst conditions possible and still expected to perform at peak. Given that the topic of mental health is taboo and could end a pilot's career and income, it’s often ignored by pilots and their employers, only worsening the problem. The aeronautical industry is so much more complicated, corrupt, and callous than it first appears, especially when it comes to the conditions the system puts pilots in. So while human error is the leading cause of plane crashes, as Alexander Pope would say, “to err is human.”
WATCH HERE
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Globally, plane crashes are extremely uncommon, with the rate per million being so close to zero that the results are driven more by chance than by any factor. However, the leading cause of plane crashes is human error, accounting for 50-80% of accidents. Often, the media and large companies place the blame solely on the pilots. However Human error encapsulates the whole industry run by humans, not just the person in the cockpit. A software developer's mistake or a mechanical issue will also fall under the category of human error. With a global market focused on economic prosperity over safety, and the major players being deeply intertwined with their respective governments, the system becomes a perfect political bargaining chip and a perfect stage for displays of power. This financially focused market creates a hostile environment for pilots: they become passengers to automation and, within an instant, are forced to recover from automation's mistakes with hundreds on board. This sudden shift from low stress to high stress creates the worst conditions for human performance, and yet our humans must be perfect for the sake of everyone on board. The pressure of responsibility for hundreds of people, irregular work schedules, and inadequate mental health resources, pilots are put in the worst conditions possible and still expected to perform at peak. Given that the topic of mental health is taboo and could end a pilot's career and income, it’s often ignored by pilots and their employers, only worsening the problem. The aeronautical industry is so much more complicated, corrupt, and callous than it first appears, especially when it comes to the conditions the system puts pilots in. So while human error is the leading cause of plane crashes, as Alexander Pope would say, “to err is human.”
WATCH HERE
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