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## Learning from Past Mistakes 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) generates accident reports any time a reportable glider accident occurs. This information is open to the public and can be found at www.ntsb.gov/ntsb. Once on the accident query page, enter the term “glider,” which retrieves all reports pertaining to gliders to include tow plane accidents. It is important for pilots to review NTSB accident reports and learn what the common errors and hazards are that apply to glider operations. Learning from others mistakes helps reduce future accident rates. 

An NTSB query from November 1, 2010, through October 31, 2011, shows 27 glider accidents. Shown in Figure 13-2 are some of the accidents reported during that time to include the type of aircraft, injuries, and the probable cause of the accident (if given). 

## Recognizing Hazardous Attitudes 

It is important that pilots ensure their flight is safe by following procedures and checklists rather than hope for a safe flight and doing things they know are not right. As technological advances have contributed to fewer mechanical failures, which in turn has created a much safer air space, human error remains a constant factor in aviation accidents. There is a wealth of information available that focuses on unsafe behaviors and attitudes. For the purpose of this chapter, three 

common behaviors are addressed: complacency, indiscipline, and overconfidence. While complacency, indiscipline, and overconfidence share a common theme (each stem from experience), it is necessary to further delineate on the contributions of attitude-behavior linkage. To do so, we must further explore each term respectively. 

## Complacency 

Often glider operations can seem less stressful than other modes of flight for no other reason than the “meditative silence” that accompanies gliding through the air. This is why complacency can easily materialize. Complacency is when a person has a sense of security about one’s surrounding yet fails to recognize or lacks awareness of possible danger. As pilots accrue flight time, their experience increases and, while one might view this as positive, their experience complacency may emerge. All too often, with experience comes boredom, a desire to cut corners, distractibility, feelings of content, minimal performance, and intentionally overlooking basic safety precautions (i.e., “I’ve done this a million times, it is not necessary to follow a checklist.”). 

A few countermeasures include: 

• Never assume all facets related to the flight will go smoothly. 

• Always prepare and expect the unexpected. 

