A quantitative investigation on criminalization of airline pilots: Consumer and pilot perspectives

•Increasing criminalization after aviation accidents is a current safety concern.•Quantitative study of consumer and pilot perceptions of accident criminalization.•Consumers more in favor of criminalization than pilots.•Consumers were less supportive of criminalization when pilots were not at fault.•Pilots were against criminalization in all cases. The foundation of many safety programs within the aviation industry relies on voluntary safety reporting. The premise of these programs is for participants (usually all members of the organization) to feel comfortable submitting voluntary safety reports whenever there are accidents, incidents, or a safety hazard is perceived. However, around the world, the last decade has seen a rise in the calls for the criminalization of those who are perceived to be responsible for accidents. This trend is a growing concern for those in the safety profession as the short-term demand for perceived justice may be a significant detriment to long-term safety goals. Flight crewmembers fearing criminal prosecution for unintentional actions may severely reduce the number of voluntary reports they are willing to submit. The purpose of these two studies was to examine perceptions of both consumers and pilots to determine their level of agreement with the criminalization of pilots in a series of cases. Using a sample of 3,000 participants across two studies, we found significant differences in attitudes toward criminalization between consumers and pilots, along with a significant interaction. In Study 1, pilots indicated less support for criminalization in all cases compared to consumers, and consumers were less supportive of criminalization in cases where it appeared the circumstances were beyond the pilot’s control. In Study 2, pilots provided additional measures on two select cases to include the level of severity and willingness to file voluntary safety reports on themselves and others.