The primary goal of this study was to determine whether pilots report dealing with in-flight events by rule or procedure following, or by recall of previous cases. The secondary goal was to examine the nature of the reported remindings by examining the characteristics of the events that triggered them and the nature of the associated cases. The authors also collected data on the pilots' opinions about the nature of remindings and the role of personal experience. The study included both an Internet-based and a conventional survey with printed questionnaires. Results showed that more than half of the 1,081 pilots who responded could provide details about utilizing a previous case in responding to a critical flight event (these events were most likely to involve weather or equipment failure). The authors conclude that case-based remindings play an important role in expert pilot decision making and that a training system that incorporates case-based learning would be a useful means of improving pilot decision making.
Abstract