Definition
A set of five recognized mental states identified by the FAA that can lead pilots to make poor decisions in flight: anti-authority ("don't tell me"), impulsivity ("do something quickly"), invulnerability ("it won't happen to me"), macho ("I can do it"), and resignation ("what's the use"). Each is countered by a specific antidote thought the pilot consciously applies when the attitude is recognized.
Plain English
Five common mindsets that quietly push pilots toward bad choices. Knowing the five lets you catch yourself thinking that way and pull yourself back before it affects a decision.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA discussions of pilot decision-making, situational awareness, and training conversations about why safe pilots sometimes make unsafe choices.
Derivation
"Hazardous" comes from the Old French hasard, meaning a game of chance or risk. "Attitude" here is used in its mental sense — a settled way of thinking — not the aircraft-pitch sense. So the phrase literally means "risky ways of thinking," which is exactly what the FAA is pointing at.
Why Pilots Care
Unrecognized hazardous attitudes are a leading contributor to pilot-error accidents; identifying them allows pilots to apply corrective thinking and fly more safely.
Grounding Statement
A pilot who thinks, “That rule does not apply to me,” or “I have to prove I can do this,” may already be under the influence of a hazardous attitude.
Intuition Check
Hazardous attitude does not mean the pilot is a bad person or simply in a bad mood. It means a specific pattern of thinking that can pull a flying decision away from safety.
Example Sentence 1
When the instructor noticed the student pressing on into worsening weather, she paused the lesson to talk through the hazardous attitudes and which one might be driving the decision.
Example Sentence 2
A pilot who spots a hazardous attitude can stop, reassess the situation, and choose a safer course of action.