ADM
Aeronautical Decision Making
Larry Prentiss, Safety Program Manager
Dallas Flight Standards District Office
James B. Brownfield, Manager
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ADM References
• AC 60-22 Aeronautical Decision Making
(from www.faa gov/avr/afs)
• ADA 182549 Aeronautical Decision
Making for Student and Private Pilots
(from National Technical Information
Service Library, 1-800-759-4684)
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AERONAUTICAL DECISION
MAKING
• Essential To Flight Safety
• Special Emphasis Item
• Careful Evaluation Throughout Practical
Test
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AERONAUTICAL DECISION
MAKING
ADM is a systematic approach to the
mental process used by pilots to
consistently determine the best course
of action in response to a given set of
circumstances.
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GOOD JUDGEMENT
• Once believed to be gained only as a natural
by-product of experience.
• Good judgment can be taught.
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ADM
Builds upon the foundation of
conventional decision making
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Steps For Good Decision Making
• Identifying personal attitudes hazardous to safe
flight.
• Learning behavior modification techniques.
• Learning how to recognize and cope with stress.
• Developing risk assessment skills.
• Using all resources in a multicrew situation.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of one’s ADM skills
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OPERATIONAL PITFALLS
All experienced pilots have fallen prey
to, or have been tempted by, one or
more of these dangerous tendencies or
behavior patterns in their flying
careers.
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Peer Pressure
Poor decision making based upon
emotional response to peers rather
than evaluating a situation objectively.
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Mind Set
The inability to recognize and cope
with changes in the situation different
from those anticipated or planned.
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Get-There-Itis
Clouds the vision and impairs judgment
by causing a fixation on the original goal
or destination combined with a total
disregard for any alternative course of
action.
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Duck-Under Syndrome
Tendency to sneak a peek by descending
below minimums during an approach.
Based on a belief that there is a built in
“fudge” factor or an unwillingness to
admit defeat and shoot a missed approach.
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Scud Running
Pushing the pilot and aircraft capabilities
to the limit by trying to maintain visual
contact with the terrain while trying to
avoid contact with it.
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Continuing VFR into IMC
Often leads to spatial disorientation or
collision with ground/obstacles. It is even
more dangerous when not instrument
rated or current.
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Getting Behind the Aircraft
Allowing events or the situation to
control your actions rather than the other
way around.
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Loss of Situational Awareness
Another case of getting behind the
aircraft which results in not knowing
where you are, an inability to recognize
deteriorating circumstances, and the
misjudgment of the rate of deterioration.
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Operating Without Adequate Fuel
Reserves
Ignoring minimum fuel reserve
requirements, either VFR or IFR, is
generally the result of overconfidence,
lack of flight planning, or ignoring the
regulations.
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Descent Below the Minimum
Enroute Altitude
The duck-under syndrome
(mentioned earlier) manifesting itself
during the en route portion of an IFR
flight.
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Flying Outside the Envelope
Unjustified reliance on the (usually
mistaken) belief that the airplanes high
performance capability meets the
demands imposed by the pilot’s (usually
overestimated) flying skills.
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Neglect of Flight Planning,
Preflight Inspections, Checklists
Unjustified reliance on the pilot’s
short and long term memory, regular
flying skills, repetitive and familiar
routes, etc.
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HAZARDOUS ATTITUDES
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Antiauthority (don’t tell me!).
Impulsivity (do something quickly!).
Invulnerability (it won’t happen to me).
Macho (I can do it).
Resignation (what’s the use?).
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STRESS AND FLYING
Stress is a term used to describe the
body’s nonspecific response to
demands placed on it, whether those
demands are pleasant or unpleasant in
nature.
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HOW MUCH STRESS IS IN
YOUR LIFE?
Major and minor stressors have a
cumulative effect which constitutes
your total stress-adaptation capability
which can vary from year to year.
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IS STRESS BAD?
Stress is an inevitable and necessary
part of life that adds motivation to life
and heightens a pilots response to
meet any challenge.
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HANDLING STRESS
IN FLYING
Accidents often occur when flying
task requirements exceed a pilot’s
capabilities.
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HANDLING STRESS IN FLYING
• Stress is insidious.
• Stress is cumulative.
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Signs of Inadequate Coping
• Emotional
• Physical
• Behavioral
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Life Stress Management
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Become knowledgeable about stress.
Take a realistic assessment of yourself.
Take a systematic approach to problem solving.
Develop a lifestyle that will buffer against the
affects of stress.
• Practice behavioral management techniques.
• Establish and maintain a strong support
network.
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Cockpit Stress Management
• Avoid situations that distract you from flying
the aircraft.
• Reduce your workload to reduce stress levels.
• If an emergency does occur, be calm.
• Maintain proficiency in your aircraft.
• Know and respect your own personal limits.
• Do not let little mistakes build into a big thing.
• Don’t let flying add to your stress.
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Personal “Go/No-Go” Checklist
• Do I feel well?
• Have I taken any medication in the last 12 hours?
• Have I had as little as one ounce of alcohol in the
last 12 hours?
• Am I tired?
• Am I under undue stress?
• Have I eaten a sensible meal?
• Am I dehydrated?
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• Do I have proper personal equipment?
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RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk management is the responsibility
of everyone involved in aviation.
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THE DECIDE MODEL
• Detect. The fact that change has occurred.
• Estimate. The need to counter or react to the
change.
• Choose. A desirable outcome for the flight.
• Identify. Actions which successfully control
the change.
• Do. Take the necessary action.
• Evaluate. The effect of action countering the
change
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IDENTIFYING THE ENEMY
Most preventable accidents have one
common factor: human error, rather
than a mechanical malfunction.
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Flying Is Rapidly Changing
• ADM is designed to reduce the extremely
long and sometimes painful process of
learning how to make good judgment
decisions based on experience alone.
• Mistakes in judgment can be fatal.
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Personal Checklist
• Flight while under the influence of alcohol
or drugs is a never.
• Flight with a known medical deficiency is
never expedient or legal (FAR 61.53).
• Flight outside the certified envelope is
never safe.
• Flight with less than the required minimum
fuel is never reasonable.
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Personal Checklist, Continued
• VFR flight into instrument meteorological
conditions is never justified.
• Descent below the applicable minimum
enroute altitude is never justified.
• Casual neglect of any applicable checklist
is never justified.
• Aircraft accident statistics show that pilots
should be conducting preflight checklists on
themselves as well as on their aircraft.
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The “I’M SAFE” Checklist
• Illness. Any Symptoms?
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Medication. Prescription or OTC drugs?
Stress. Psychological, money, health, family?
Alcohol. Within 8 hours? Within 24 hours?
Fatigue. Adequately rested?
Eating. Enough proper foods for nourishment?
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HOW TO BE A SAFE PILOT
A pilot does not have to be a genius
to be a safe pilot.
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HOW TO BE A SAFE PILOT
• A pilot should be an emotionally stable
person.
• An experienced, mature pilot will accept
and follow the rules and procedures which
will benefit the aviation community.
• Some pilots break rules simply for the
gratification of some emotional need.
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HOW TO BE A SAFE PILOT
• Existing rules would go a long way to
remedy the accident rate.
• Exhibiting one or more of the five
hazardous attitudes or irrational behavior
also exposes emotional weaknesses in
personality.
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Developing
Good Decision Making Skills
The development of good decision
making skills is far more difficult
than developing good flying skills,
but it can be done.
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Developing
Good Decision Making Skills
• Many pilots fail to make proper decisions
when they really want to do something.
• Not following safety-oriented information
is similar to not following the advice of a
doctor or lawyer.
• The most important decision a pilot will
make is to learn and adhere to published
rules, procedures, and recommendations.
• Aviation has reached a new plateau.
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QUESTIONS?