Plain English Meaning

Things that pull your focus away from flying the airplane. A distraction splits your attention; an interruption stops what you were doing. Either one can cause you to miss a step or make a mistake, so pilots are trained to handle them safely.

Full Definition

In aviation instruction, distractions and interruptions are events that pull a pilot's attention away from the primary task of flying the aircraft. A distraction divides attention while the pilot continues the original task; an interruption stops the original task entirely so that attention shifts to something else. Both are recognized contributors to errors such as missed checklist items, deviation from assigned altitude or heading, and loss of situational awareness, and instructors deliberately introduce them during training so students learn to recognize and manage them.