Training Interventions for Reducing Flight Mishaps

Increasing numbers of preventable mishaps across all military services led Secretary Rumsfeld and all Service Chiefs to call for a reduction in such events by 75% from 2003 levels. Most were attributed to human error. The highly task-loaded training and combat missions flown by fighter pilots place particularly high demands on effective management of cockpit resources for safe and successful mission accomplishment. While every flight training program already includes some form of resource management training, there is surprisingly little evidence regarding the effectiveness of varying training approaches to reduce flight mishaps. This paper describes a project to help the Air Force reduce preventable mishaps by determining the specific root causes of fighter and unmanned aerial system mishaps, developing behaviorally-based training objectives, identifying promising training media alternatives, and defining specific measures of effectiveness. Presented at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), held in Orlando, FL, on 1-4 Dec 2008, Paper No. 8042. Prepared in cooperation with Anacapa Sciences, Santa Barbara, CA, and with Air Force Research Laboratory, Mesa, AZ.