reducing "Crew-caused"
approach and landing
accidents 

Pilot-in-charge Monitored Approach

Pilots using PicMA find that  

It's easier to see mistakes when you aren't the one making them. It gives the best possible chance to get your most critical decision right
It's easier to sort out problems if you're not flying the aircraft. It's easier to make sure "junior" gets it right, than for "junior" to take control from you if YOU're wrong.

The detailed material on this site shows how safety is enhanced by using PicMA procedures, but here are the bullet points........

In all conditions, approach management is improved through  

  • Better crew interaction and teamwork in descent and approach planning
  • Increasing the Pilot's capability to maintain situational awareness
  • Providing better protection against "tactical errors" and "errors of omission".
  • Reducing monitoring /challenging errors
  • Better readiness and preparation for threat and error management
  • Improving communication effectiveness between crew and ATC
  • Reducing plan continuation errors
  • Providing a "fail-safe" mental model for the PF
  • Reducing "startle factor" if an unexpected go-around is needed.
  • Providing additional safety measures to encourage practicing manual flying on highly automated types.

In poor weather, approaching Decision Height 

  • Overall command capability is enhanced.
  • The Pilot's situational awareness is better maintained.   
  • Premature transfer to misleading visual cues is minimised.
  • There is more certainty of a positive decision AT Decision Height   
  • Unbroken monitoring of instruments can be assured
  • In a continued approach to landing, the PM's callout reliability is enhanced.
  • In a Go-around from DH, the PF is attuned to instrument flying and "primed" for the go-around. 

In all conditions, Monitoring Effectiveness is enhanced by

  • Procedurally eliminating the "co-pilot's dilemma" 
  • Recognising the many factors in the cross-cockpit authority gradient
  • encouraging a conservative mind-set
  • discouraging risk-taking 
  • Minimising undesired mitigation in communications 
  • Accepting that "monitoring" implies "supervision"
  • Associating monitoring with accountability and authority
  • Promoting monitoring as a fundamental active command role
  • Building on strengths of both "authoritarian" and "individualistic" cultures.
  • Reinforcing weaknesses in both "authoritarian" and "individualistic" cultures. 
  • Addressing multiple other cultural factors. 

Pilots collectively need to act on this problem, and find the safety benefits of changing their normal way of working.