Human factors in air force aircraft accidents

Advances have been made in the design and reliability of Air Force aircraft; however, there continues to be materiel failure accidents. The design of man has not changed, although training programs have been improved to reduce accidents caused by human error. This study was conducted to determine the human factors causation of aircraft accidents. A review of 545 aircraft accidents revealed that over 50% were caused by human error. These errors involved supervision, limited experience, and errors in judgment. Since materiel factors in accidents have remained relatively constant, more emphasis must be placed on training and selection of our aircrews and supervisors.