How Can an Ab-Initio Pilot Avert a Future Disaster: A Pedagogical Approach to Reduce The Likelihood of Future Failure

Abstract

Safety is the primary concern of the civil aviation industry. This study aimed to explore the importance of learning from failures and improving the future performance of students by teaching this notion during an undergraduate course in the curriculum of the pilot training program. A questionnaire study was conducted with students of the pilot training program of the Faculty of Aviation and Aeronautical Science after the completion of a newly introduced elective undergraduate course, Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation. Furthermore, for the first time, the contributing factors in accidents and incidents were analyzed and classified in an undergraduate pilot training program by using the Human Factors Classification and Analysis System (HFACS) as an analytical framework. The objective of the study was to find out if the “aspects of the accident investigation course at universities” were effective on “Technical Pilot Skills,” “NonTechnical Pilot Skills” and “Program-Specific Outcomes.” Correlation and Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted for this purpose. In the regression analysis, the variables were entered into the model and controlled. The results showed that the aspects of the accident investigation course improved technical and non-technical skills of the students, as well as their program-specific outcomes, and they were actively encouraged to extend their knowledge and skills beyond that required for the Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). It was revealed that this new undergraduate course does not only help learn the importance of non-technical skills (Crew Resource Management, Situational Awareness, etc.) but also develops and improves the technical abilities of ab-initio pilots.