Written by and Procedures for Unexpected events
Unexpected events in aviation disrupt crews’ expectations, increase stress and workload, and require rapid sensemaking rather than simple checklist use. This paper argues that safe outcomes depend less on knowing more procedures and more on resilience: the ability to anticipate, monitor, adapt, and recover when things do not go as planned. Effective crews actively gather information, communicate, re-prioritize tasks, and flexibly share roles to regain control of the situation. Because not all failures can be trained or scripted, scenario-based training should deliberately include surprise and ambiguity to practice adaptive decision-making. The authors conclude that developing and training these adaptive skills is essential for handling real-world, unexpected events safely. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/57074/dot_57074_DS1.pdf