Aeronautical Decision Making

Aeronautical decision making (ADM) is a decision-making system used by pilots and flight crews, with the goal of minimizing accidents and following procedures of maximum safety. The official definition given in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) document AC 60–22, which introduces the FAA's guidelines for ADM, is “a systematic approach to the mental process of evaluating a given set of circumstances and determining the best course of action.” Most avoidable aircraft accidents are the result not of equipment failure but of pilot error, and the chain of events leading to these accidents is called the error chain or bad judgment chain, which ADM is intended to break. ADM takes the knowledge acquired in primary flight training, especially pertaining to maneuvering in and responding to weather conditions and strong winds, and applies it to the understanding and avoidance of potential hazards. Many of these decisions must be weighed according to the conditions of the flight, which include not only ambient circumstances like the weather but also the pilot's understanding of his or her own ability and experience, and the design limitations of the aircraft. The best decision in one aircraft is not necessarily the best decision in another aircraft in identical circumstances; likewise, the best decision for one pilot is not necessarily the best decision for another pilot in identical circumstances. Ideally, ADM involves making flight decisions that avoid the circumstances, such as low fuel reserves, necessitating the most difficult decisions. Situational awareness and competent risk management are key.

Remaining aware of and responding to circumstances appropriately may mean avoiding certain situations entirely. Many aviation accidents involve small craft, which do not require pilots of the same experience and skill as pilots of large commercial aircraft, and the most important decision a pilot who is limited in skill or experience can make is to land the aircraft rather than continue in uncertain or dangerous conditions. For instance, the FAA's regulations differentiate between visual flight rules (VFR), which govern flight in weather conditions clear enough for the pilot to see where he is going, and instrument flight rules (IFR), in which the aircraft's instruments provide the necessary information that the naked eye cannot due to weather. Most flights in class A airspace, where jets spend most of their flight time, are IFR flights Because of the weather conditions that prevail at high altitudes. All such pilots are instrument rated, meaning they have received additional training and experience specific to IFR flights, as well as relevant instruction in meteorology.

The pilot license or commercial pilot license of pilots of smaller craft does not require instrument rating, and one of the most dangerous decisions such a pilot can make is to continue into IFR conditions, when weather has occluded visibility, without being instrument rated. Many aircraft accidents occur when this is unavoidable, which is one reason flights are grounded at times of imminent heavy weather. Further, the transition from VFR to IFR is more stressful and difficult than many non-instrument-rated pilots or even inexperienced instrument-rated pilots may realize, and switching from visual cues to instrument readings frequently disorients the pilot—which is especially dangerous [Page 20]when the switch is in response to unplanned circumstances. Similarly, the desire to avoid the transition to IFR because one is not instrument rated or is more comfortable with VFR, while also avoiding turning around or terminating the flight, can lead pilots to continue VFR even when visibility conditions have degraded beyond the point of safety. The FAA's rules list specific requirements of visibility and weather conditions for VFR, but a determined pilot may end up “scud running”: straining to keep the terrain visible without flying too close to it.

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