accident prone, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  oversaw an extensive research study on the similarities and  dissimilarities of pilots who were accident free and those  who were not. The project surveyed over 4,000 pilots, half  of whom had “clean” records while the other half had been  involved in an accident.  crew coordination and resource management. Three distinct  subgroups of flight crew member personalities have been  isolated: right stuff, wrong stuff, and no stuff. As the names  imply, the right stuff group has the right stuff. This group  demonstrates positive levels of achievement motivation and  interpersonal behavior. The wrong stuff group has high levels  of negative traits, such as being autocratic or dictatorial. The  no stuff group scored low on goal seeking and interpersonal  behaviors. Five traits were discovered in pilots prone to having accidents  [Figure 2-4]: These groups became evident in a 1991 study, “Outcomes  of Crew Resource Management Training” by Robert L.  Helmreich and John A. Wilhelm. During this study a subset of  participants reacted negatively to the training–the individuals  who seemed to need the training the most were the least  receptive. The authors felt that personality factors played a  role in this reaction because the ones who reacted negatively  were individuals who lacked interpersonal skills and had not  been identified as members of the “right stuff” subset. It was  surmised that they felt threatened by the emphasis on the  importance of communications and human relations skills.  In contrast, the successful pilot possesses the ability to  concentrate, manage workloads, monitor, and perform  several simultaneous tasks. Some of the latest psychological  screenings used in aviation test applicants for their ability  to multitask, measuring both accuracy and the individual’s  ability to focus attention on several subjects simultaneously.  The influence of personality traits can be seen in the way  a pilot handles a flight. For example, one pilot may be  uncomfortable with approximations and “guesstimates,”  preferring to use his or her logical, problem-solving skills to  maintain control over instrument flight operations. Another  pilot, who has strong visual-spatial skills and prefers to scan,  may apply various “rules of thumb” during a instrument  flight period. The first pilot’s personality is reflected in his  or her need to be planned and structured. The second type  of pilot is more fluid and spontaneous and regards mental  calculations as bothersome.  No one ever intends to have an accident and many accidents  result from poor judgment. For example, a pilot flying several  trips throughout the day grows steadily behind schedule due  to late arriving passengers or other delays. Before the last  flight of the day, the weather starts to deteriorate, but the  pilot thinks one more short flight can be squeezed in. It is  only 10 minutes to the next stop. But by the time the cargo is  loaded and the flight begun, the pilot cannot see the horizon  while flying out over the tundra. The pilot decides to forge  on since he told the village agent he was coming and flies  into poor visibility. The pilot never reaches the destination  and searchers find the aircraft crashed on the tundra. In this scenario, a chain of events results in the pilot making  a poor decision. First, the pilot exerts pressure on himself to  complete the flight, and then proceeds into weather conditions  that do not allow a change in course. In many such cases, the  flight ends in controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Research has also demonstrated significant links between  pilot personality and performance, particularly in the area of  Figure 2-4. Pilots with hazardous attitudes have a high incident  rate of accidents. 1.  Disdain toward rules 2.  High correlation between accidents in their flying  records and safety violations in their driving records 3.  Frequently falling into the personality category of  “thrill and adventure seeking” 4.  Impulsive rather than methodical and disciplined in  information gathering and in the speed and selection  of actions taken 5.  Disregard for or underutilization of outside sources  of information, including copilots, flight attendants,  flight service personnel, flight instructors, and air  traffic controllers 2-4 VIOLATION CODES CITATION No. YOU ARE DIRECTED TO APPEAR WITHIN 14 DAYS READ INSTRUCTIONS ON BACK OF CITATION X ON  AT NORTH RICHLAND HILLS MUNICIPAL COURT 10000 N.E. LOOP 820 AT RUFE SNOW DR. NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS 76180 Office Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday-Friday MONTH DAY YEAR LAST NAME: FIRST, MIDDLE NAME: ADDRESS: CITY:  STATE:  ZIP: HOME PHONE: BUSINESS PHONE: BUSINESS ADDRESS: HAIR EYES HEIGHT MONTH DAY YEAR RACE SEX DOB DRIVERS LICENSE # STATE CO NUMBERS EXP. DATE MODEL VEHCLE COLOR DAY MAKE LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS YEAR STATE VEH. REG. 1. VID CODE 2. VID CODE 3. VID CODE 4. VID CODE VIOLATION LOCATION VIOLATION LOCATION VIOLATION LOCATION VIOLATION LOCATION MPH In ZONE OFFICER/BADGE #: ASSIGNMENT P T M O ACCIDENT VIOL 10  11  12  13 OL 4  5  6  7  8  9 AUTO Pilotin g AUTO Pilotin g ERROR ERROR ERROR ERR OR