reducing "Crew-caused"
approach and landing
accidents 

Pilot-in-charge Monitored Approach

Descent and approach management.

It's well established that many "crew-caused" approach and landing accidents are due to inadequate planning and preparation, poor workload distribution, and faulty crew coordination. Despite a huge amount of emphasis in training, such accidents continue to occur.

In its investigation of the 1997 Guam Korean Airlines accident, the NTSB specifically referred to this problem, recommending the adoption of monitored approaches [ i.e. PicMA - author] and noting that these procedures "decrease the workload of the flying pilot and increase flight crew interaction, especially when experienced captains monitor and prompt first officers during the execution of approaches." Why this should be so is explored in the following pages.