by Jeff Goin | Oct 14, 2020 | Airline Safety, Covid-19 Coronavirus, Recent
In most regards, I’ve been lucky during the Covid Curse. Both Tim & I have been. We’re healthy were not impacted by unemployment, and had plenty of options for entertainment. Plus, we saw a few close friends regularly so never felt isolated....
by Jeff Goin | May 11, 2019 | Airline Safety
Our goal is reducing runway incursions and other “undesirable states” — a euphemism for hitting something or going off the taxiway. Airport diagrams are going electronic which is an immense improvement for situational awareness. Airline pilots will...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 29, 2019 | Airline Safety
This accident hit home a bit since I’ve been working on improvements to airport diagrams and other areas. News reports tell of the horror that is always imbedded in such tragedies. And the human toll is indeed horrific when so many, so suddenly and so...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
In so many ways humans behave predictably. If you respond to a stimulus often enough, the response becomes automatic and the relationship very powerful. We’ve all heard of Pavlov’s famous dog which exemplifies the principle (actually, it goes a bit...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) typifies an expensive technology that cumulatively cost billions but dramatically improved safety. Several “saves” have already been scored that kept flesh and aluminum intact. That alone probably paid for...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Greek airline accident involving the Boeing 737 Pressurization system. | See why this was predictable According to preliminary reports (Aviation Safety Network) a Helios Airways Boeing 737 crashed in Greece with an incapacitated crew. During the preflight...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Airport diagrams let pilots understand their taxi route, runway, and limitations (hold shorts). At present there are many shortcomings. Go here to see design principles that were incorporated to make the charts below. We brief an expected route before landing but...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Observations of a SWA Line Captain Airline safety is a continual defense against multiple threats: interruptions, weather, apathy, complacency, fatigue, mechanical failures, difficult personalities, stress, system design and more. We build armor in levels: pilot...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Improving safety means improving the odds with an understanding of human behavior All humans make mistakes. Pilots are human. Pilots makes mistakes. And they do so at surprisingly predictable rates on aggregate. Managers and designers who fail to recognize this...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 28, 2019 | Airline Safety
Improvement potential for US civil aviation U.S. civil airlines move humans with less risk than any mode ever devised. But there’s still room for improvement. In pursuit of safety we must be careful not to price us out of reach which would lower overall...
by Jeff Goin | Apr 12, 2019 | Airline Safety
This great article addresses the myths of brushing off accidents as “Pilot Error,” a conclusion as useless as saying a death was caused by “gunshot wound.” While true, it sure doesn’t shed much useful light on what we’re really...
by Jeff Goin | Jan 28, 2016 | Airline Safety
Seconds are frequently all we have. When things start going bad on a flight deck, pilots may waste precious seconds denying that it’s happening. It doesn’t have to be. Most pilots say that it won’t happen to them but accident data suggests otherwise....
by Jeff Goin | Dec 5, 2009 | Airline Safety
Most days my day job is pretty unremarkable. But sometimes it rises to the level of recording as was the case last night. I still admit that, if you gotta work, this gig is sweet, especially for those of us lucky enough to still enjoy it. Thursday afternoon a call...
by Jeff Goin | Nov 18, 1997 | Airline Safety
Original: VoicelessComm.doc 11/18/97 The worst-ever aviation tragedy was two 747’s that collided on the ground in the Canary Islands. It was caused by a communications failure. A great improvement in aviation safety would arise from reducing or eliminating problems...
