The Role of Risk in Aviation Decision Making: How Pilots Perceive and Manage Flight Risks

The current direction in CRM training is threat and error management. In order to manage threats and to prevent them from leading to unsafe situations, pilots must first assess the risks associated with them. Risk assessment feeds into decision making in two ways: during assessment of the precipitating event (or threat) that requires a decision to be made, and in evaluating potential courses of action. Survey data were collected from over 100 airline pilots concerning their everyday experience with five types of risk: economic, physical, productivity, professional, and social. These risks may be pitted against each other, creating goal conflicts and decision dilemmas. Data from this study are helping us to understand what risks are salient to pilots in everyday flight and how pilots manage those risks when making decisions.