Agostino Headlines GWBAA Safety Standdown

Pilots must remain vigilant against biases that come into play when they encounter stressful flight situations, warned Bob Agostino, credited as father of the business aviation safety standdown concept. The keynote speaker at the 10th annual Greater Washington Business Aviation Association Safety Standdown, Agostino told attendees that even well trained professional pilots harbor biases that will affect their decision-making in critical situations.

One such bias is the “confirmation bias,” which causes people to process information in ways they already believe to be true and reject ideas to the contrary, he said. This becomes more entrenched the more emotionally charged the situation, affecting decision-making. Further, he explained, “normalcy bias” comes into play when people face disaster. With normalcy bias, he said, a pilot could underestimate the possibility of disaster and fail to prepare adequately. The result is an inability to cope during critical times, he said.

“The brain can take up to 10 seconds to process information when it is calm. Stress slows that process,” he warned. But a pilot may have only a few seconds to react. Agostino added that when the brain cannot find an acceptable response it will fixate on a single default that “may or may not be correct.” He emphasized the importance of preparation, both in training and before every flight, to overcome biases. “Anything that has to do with aviation is an intellectual exercise,” he stressed. “It’s not just hand-eye coordination.” That makes preparation all the more important.

Agostino also listed a number of steps pilots must take in handling emergencies, including the issuance of clear directives, clearly understanding at what stage contingency plans will be necessary, and recovering and returning to normal after the event.

Pilot Professionalism

Agostino, the former Bombardier executive who is director of flight operations of Group Holdings Aviation, spoke at GWBAA as Bombardier’s Safety Standdown approaches its 20th anniversary. Bombardier’s own standdown began in 1996 with six people Agostino assembled to discuss safety before an accident happens rather than afterward. At the time, safety actions had been far more reactive.

The standdown has become deep rooted: Bombardier’s last event drew 500 people, but 12,500 more logged on afterward to listen to recorded broadcasts of the sessions.

The Bombardier standdown has spawned numerous others, such as GWBAA’s annual event and other regional efforts around the U.S. and elsewhere. Agostino expressed a belief that such standdowns have helped changed the dialog about safety to a more proactive, data-driven approach and elevated professionalism. The dialog also shifted to new but critical forms of training such as upset recovery and high-altitude training.

Agostino told AIN that his primary concern now is that the people who attend are a self-selected group of the most proactive about safety. He stressed the importance of reaching a broader audience.

GWBAA’s safety standdown drew about 75 leaders from the Washington, D.C. region. The event also featured Jason Karadimas, Bombardier Business Aircraft safety officer, who speaks at Bombardier’s Safety Standdown. Noting that human factors play a role in about 80 percent of business and corporate jet accidents, Karadimas discussed the importance of building safety culture and stressed that “safety is never finished.” Safety is dynamic and there is always something new to be learned. He endorsed the concept of “just culture” but advised that it should not be a “get out of jail free” ticket. The culture, however, should encourage reporting; the more the reports, the more information that can be extrapolated to improve safety, Karadimas added.

Honeywell’s Jeff Holt provided an overview of new avionics requirements both in the U.S. and elsewhere. He outlined the major mandates for ADS-B and datalink requirements of Fans 1/A and ATN B1 in Europe. Holt further discussed the growing attention on cold-weather restriction airports.

Jesse Moyer from the Potomac Tracon, meanwhile, underscored the importance of effective communication between the pilot and controller and advised pilots to question any communication that is not clear.

 Also on the slate of speakers was Mark Larsen, NBAA’s senior manager for safety and flight operations, who provided an overview of the association’s top safety concerns: the single-pilot accident rate, loss of control in flight (LOC-I), runway excursions and airport ground collisions.