Command Decisions

Humans make mistakes. A fellow pilot I once worked with would frequently state; “Don’t like this mistake? Then wait five minutes because there is a fresh one brewing…”

Recently, I was dealing with a family funeral and the burial was happening at a graveyard I sadly know too well. I have two good friends [more like brothers] resting there and one is Chris who was a pilot flying in Papua New Guinea.

Looking at his grave got me thinking about Command Decisions and the ramifications in life and Aviation.

Personally, I have made epic bad decisions [that first wife…] and outstandingly good ones [that second wife…] and if you wait five minutes a fresh mistake is coming. However, nothing really compares to the outcome of a poor decision when flying.

At the same moment I was looking at Chris's grave a couple of pilots from FlyDubai were shooting their third approach into Rostov-on-Don in Russia. They never made the landing phase. Chris died a similar way. During a fateful third approach in foul weather, his DH6 Twin Otter clipped a wing and spun into the Highland jungle of PNG.

Neither Chris, his co-pilot or the crew and 62 passengers of FlyDubai made it out. Sad business. 

When I fly IFR and train IFR we operated to an unwritten rule – fly the approach and if required go missed. Regroup, talk about it and most likely fly the second approach. If you go missed again then the 3rd approach never happens. That is why you carry an Alternate Airport and you should willingly depart to that ASAP. Time and time again the 3rd approach [whether VFR or IFR] has been the one that kills and despite it being coincidence or luck, the evidence backs up the rule.

We should all keep our head in the game and avoid repeating mistakes behind the controls.