Culture and Flight Safety in Military Aviation

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study into military aviation accidents using data on total losses per 10,000 flying hours for 14 NATO air forces. Compared to national cultural scores, as found by Hofstede (1984, 1991), significant relations evolved among accident rates, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. These relations were also found when controlled for the contribution of technical failures as a cause of the accidents. These findings support earlier findings of this type in civilian air traffic. This article ends with recommendations to deal with the impact of cultural dimensions on flight safety in military aviation.