Definition
Crew resource management is the structured use of all available resources — people, equipment, information, and procedures — to achieve safe and efficient flight operations. It covers communication, task delegation, workload distribution, decision-making, situational awareness, and the effective use of crew members and outside support such as ATC, dispatchers, and maintenance.
Plain English
Using everyone and everything available — the other pilot, the autopilot, ATC, checklists, written guidance — to fly the aircraft safely, instead of trying to handle everything alone or letting tasks slip through the cracks.
Context Anchor
You will see CRM discussed in resource management, decision-making, emergency handling, and any situation where pilots must coordinate tasks and use available help effectively.
Derivation
Originally called 'cockpit resource management' when introduced by NASA in the late 1970s after accident investigations showed that crews were losing aircraft despite all the equipment working. It was renamed 'crew' resource management to include flight attendants, dispatchers, and ground personnel as part of the safety system.
Why Pilots Care
It directly reduces errors and improves decision-making in the cockpit, lowering the risk of accidents caused by poor communication or overlooked resources.
Intuition Check
CRM is not just being polite or getting along with other crewmembers. It is the active, practical use of all available resources to run the flight safely.
Example Sentence 1
Good CRM in the cockpit meant the first officer caught the altitude deviation before the captain did and called it out immediately.
Example Sentence 2
During the diversion, strong CRM allowed the first officer to suggest an alternate airport the captain had overlooked.