Aviation education especially on safety is an important consideration for pilots. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), pilots lose 80% of their gained knowledge within six months. Though, they are knowledgeable enough to take charge of their job responsibilities, they still have to refresh what they have previously learned by attending some seminars. By attending the required conferences or seminars, they would be able to retain their basic knowledge regarding their expertise.
Accidents, by definition are unexpected events that could happen anytime, even at the most unforeseen moments. They can be avoided with extra care, but there are really certain instances when accidents are just part of the nature of the event, like that of the aviation. Aviation accidents could occur anytime, before, during, or after takeoff. It could also occur when landing. Statistics record shows that there are 40,000 deaths since 1978 caused by driving alone. An out of the 500 tallied death cases is aviation-related, 83% is constitute by pilot-related factors. This means that pilots are oftentimes responsible for most of accidents in the airplane. Flying can actually be safe as long as the pilot wants it to be. Thus accidents in flying can be avoided when the pilots basically take precautions seriously.
Extra care should always be the concern of every pilot flying an aircraft. According to Pat Shaub, the presenter, there are top five mistakes being done by most pilots. These are things pilots have to be aware of in order for them to be paying attention every time they are on a flight. “In 2005, there were 242 pilot-related fatal accidents.” About approximately 21% of this is cause by the top five most common mistakes pilots make. This should alarm every pilot to ask themselves what they have being doing during flight. Simple mistakes that are often committed repeatedly could cause risks of death of many people including the passengers, crews and themselves as well. Forgetting to put on seat belts is a simple but serious habit some pilots have taken for granted.
Maneuvering flight is the first of the top five accident causes. The presenter called this as the SPT (Stupid Pilot Trick). Other people call this ‘buzzing’, wherein pilots make some aerial acrobatic tricks before they take completely take off. This is 33% of all the causes of the fatal pilot-factor accidents.
There are natural causes that could cause any accident in flying. Some of these are thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, etc. However, the decision of taking the flight is still the responsible of the pilot. The best for the pilots to stay away from trouble due to these weather conditions is to stay away from them. If in the first place, these conditions are detected prior to setting off, then it would be more advisable to cancel the flight rather than risking and reaping the blames and regrets afterwards.
Before taking off, the principal thing the pilot should consider is the condition of the engine of the plane. By missing this suppose-to-be routine work, it is as if the pilot is saying ‘hello’ to accidents. While in the sky, there is no other way to go but down. And if setting off is already a mess, then there is no way that flying is considered safe.
The bottom line of all the factors relating to the pilots’ mistakes causing aviation accidents is carelessness. Since, flying an airplane against gravity in the first place is entwined with risks. This implies that those responsible of flying should always make sure that safety is part of the important routine even more important than the fuel.
The pilot is directly responsible for everything that might happen during the flight. Safety is the most important concern in flying an airplane. There are risks at stake when safety measures are overlooked. Therefore, it is appropriate for the pilots to update their stored knowledge and be completely well-informed in their area by attending to recurring seminars as often as possible.
References:
Shaub, Pat. “Mistakes Pilots Make: Top 5 Accident Causes”. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/safetycasts/topFiveMistakes.html