Presentation: Aviation Stressors

An Air Safety Investigator of Aviation Forensics, LLC, will give a presentation on how decision-making and awareness is compromised under stressful events. "Stressors", or the human response to sudden events, or even life's daily pressures of family or work can compromise one's ability in cognitive focus or make decisions while driving or flying an airplane. Memory of events are lost. The recognition of hazards are lost. Communications from others (or by radio in the case of pilots) are not registered. In the case of pilots, bad decisions and loss of awareness results in accidents. It's often referred to as "cognitive tunneling."

The presentation will use a recent aviation accident and others as "case studies" to illustrate the phenomenon. Recorded voice communications anomalies will emphasize cognitive failures as a result of "stressors" in the flight and the pilot's life.