| Safety In The Air vs. On The RoadNo. 9 in a series on global problems |
February 1988
Accident statistics will tell you that 85 % of aircraft crashes are caused pilot and/or controller error. Less than 10 % are said to be due to mechanical or electrical failure.
I venture to doubt this verdict. Assuming an analogy between modern day psychologists' ways to analyse the cause of crimes and pilot errors, one could probably trace the ultimate cause of pilot errors back to some fault in a system. If a non-digital 3-pointer altimeter is misread by a pilot, then any ensuing accident is as much the pilot's responsibility as an act of violence traced to misguided youth is the responsibility of the criminal.
The files on so many fatal accidents are closed with "pilot error" on the bottom line because the accused, having arrived first at the scene, is no longer here to defend himself.
Apart from spacecraft, airplanes are potentially the most lethal means of transportation ever devised by humans. The fact that they are actually among the safest is owed to the dedication, discipline and diligence of pilots, air traffic controllers, flight instructors, maintenance mechanics and accident investigators.
Where so many things can go wrong as in a modern aircraft, Murphy can only be tricked out by a very professional attitude of all involved.
Were it possible to follow a similarly stringent scheme in road traffic, two effects would be observed: