The Hungry Pilot

Here you can find a list of tips for your training. Once again the goal is to make you a better pilot, so I’m going to write also about mindset and attitude topics here. I will expand this from time to time, whenever I can think of something worth discussing here.

Contents

• Mistakes and how to deal with them
• Why you should read accident reports

Mistakes, and how to deal with them

When it comes to this topic I keep repeating myself, I know. Let’s face it: We are humans and we will always make mistakes. There is no flight in my book during which I have not made a mistake.

“I never make mistakes“

Some people out there really believe that, and some will tell you. I cannot take them seriously, because such a statement is utter garbage.

Science does not know one single term or definition for the reluctance to admit errors. Even in the face of clear evidence humans have a tendency to blame external factors for their mistakes, while success comes from one’s own qualities.

We are all wired like that, but especially in aviation this attitude can be problematic, as an incident or accident often means serious injury and death of those who are involved. Incidents and accidents are usually not caused by only one single error, but several of them. We also call it a chain of errors, and in the worst cases they all remain undetected and pile up until it is too late.

Therefore, admitting those mistakes, rectifying and learning from them is always the right thing to do, but in the beginning it will not be easy. In time you will become comfortable with this concept and in the end it will give you peace of mind as well as the respect and appreciation of your colleagues and superiors. I suggest to try it immediately, and to take it seriously already during your flight training.

Why you should read accident reports

Even though flying is the world’s safest mode of transportation, accidents happen all the time and nowadays human error is the most common cause. You will dive deeper into this topic during your pilot training. Whenever someone gets harmed or perishes, an investigation is launched to determine the cause of the accident.

Depending on the nature and severity of the situation, such an investigation may last between a few months and several years. In the end there will always be a report which states all the facts and figures as well as the most plausible reasons that caused the accident, in the eyes of the investigators. Usually there will also be a preliminary report issued one month after the accident.

Further to what I wrote at the top of this page, the idea is to make aviation safer by learning from the mistakes we make. And this is exactly why we do these lengthy and expensive investigations. Let’s leave politics and the agendas (if there are any) of the various involved stakeholders (such as big aircraft manufacturers, for example) aside, and let’s assume these reports are being made with the greater interest of the public in mind. Let’s also assume that the pilots are not always the ones causing the accidents, as it was done sometimes in the past. If they are among the victims their version of the story cannot be told anymore, even though we have technical means to reconstruct what they said and what they did.

So whenever there’s an accident let’s keep these things in mind. You will find plenty of information, reports, rumors, accusations, judgements and outright bullshit on the media, especially on the internet. Unfortunately, nowadays outrage, misery and anger sell a lot better than anything else. Please try not to be part of it. If the case interests you, wait for an accident report and read it, and try to learn from it.

Update 29.10.2025:

On 21st of September 2025 two Airbus A320 nearly collided in Nice. Here’s what happened in a nutshell: One aircraft was lining up for departure on Nice’s runway 04R. The other was flying a visual maneuver to runway 04L, but the crew lined the aircraft up on final 04R by mistake, and they overflew the aircraft on the runway with only a few meters of separation. The preliminary report from the French accident investigation unit BEA was released just recently and can be found here.

This is a highly interesting case and a great example, as multiple factors come together which were contributing to the almost catastrophic outcome. You might argue that it is clearly human error which caused the incident. I do agree, but the factors leading to this error are yet to be examined, and conclusions will be drawn in the final report.