Aviation Situational Awareness

         What is Situational Awareness?                

 

Situation Awareness or (SA) is the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning. It is also a field of study concerned with perception of the environment critical to decision-makers in complex. Situation Awareness (SA) involves being aware of what is happening around you to understand how information, events, and your own actions will impact your goals and objectives.

Deficient SA or having inadequate SA has been identified as one of the primary factors in Aviation Accidents attributed to human error.

Situational Awareness is the Key Component of a Safe Flight in all type of phases during flights, takeoff, cruise or landing. Anyway of where or what you fly, pilots will perhaps find themselves involved in acknowledged good training  to  helping GA and Airline Pilots achieve and maintain high-level Situational Awareness in the cockpit.

Always consider Where am I?" and "What's going on around me?" This develops a principal concern.

So, if we review a list of recent aircraft accidents you quickly find Situational Awareness-related aviation accidents like the American Airlines Flight 965 that crashed near Cali, Colombia, on Dec. 20, 1995.

In my personal view and interpretation some accidents related in the past are good to recall, I just want you to share with all pilots to learn many things why these accidents happen and how we can prevented in the future.

After I read and study the final reports of the accidents, I continuously like to share knowledge’s with the aviation community to learn more why accidents happened. The American Airlines final report, reported that a confusing list of way points led to an incorrect data entry, which programmed the flight management system to incentive and directed the B-757 into a mountain. Distractions and misplaced priorities prevented the crew from noticing that the FMS had changed their intended routing until it was too late to escape and avoid the accident.

Not only this accident, there are several more where Situational Awareness are involved.

Researchers have studied Situational Awareness for years in fatal accidents; we must always be alert at all times not to lose Situation Awareness.

So, we need to understand that pilot distractions, doubts, poor communications, automation-induced complacency, fatigue, etc, to avoid incidents and accidents in General and Commercial Aviation .

The key in Aviation Safety is to maintain a good training programs work severe to help all GA and Airline Pilots achieve high-level Situational Awareness and to participate their Situational Awareness tools and knowledge into the overall group of professional skills to maintain high parameters in Safety.

Tips for keep Situational Awareness.

ü  Develop a plan and assign responsibilities for handling problems and distractions.

ü  Decide Crew roles for high-workload phases of flight and follow your company SOPs.

ü  Ask contribution from all the Crew Members including your entire team flight attendants,  maintenance staff, ATC, etc.

ü  Monitor and evaluate your flight all the time, focus on continue a good CRM workload. Be a conservative pilot.

ü  Speak up when you see something bad if you think you are dropping your Situational Awareness breaking down.

    

      These clues can warn of an "Error Chain" in progress that can contribute to an accident if you don’t pay attention to identify, also there are more tips you as a Pilot can evaluate during your flights. Anybody with some flying experience can be involved in lost Situational Awareness.   

      Safe Pilots, Safe Skies. Always Fly Safely .