Definition
In aviation human factors, mistakes are errors that occur when a person's plan or intention is wrong, even though the actions carried out match that plan. The pilot does what they meant to do, but what they meant to do was incorrect because of faulty knowledge, misjudgment, or a flawed decision. Mistakes are distinct from slips and lapses, which involve correct intentions carried out incorrectly.
Plain English
A mistake happens when you do exactly what you planned, but the plan itself was wrong. You weren't careless or distracted -- you just made the wrong choice based on what you thought was right at the time.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation human-factors discussions, especially when separating a wrong decision from a simple slip in handling or memory.
Derivation
From Old Norse 'mistaka,' meaning 'to take in error' or 'take wrongly.' The sense of 'taking the wrong thing' carries into the aviation meaning: the pilot took the wrong course of action while believing it was the right one.
Why Pilots Care
Mistakes and slips need different fixes. A slip is solved by reducing distraction or improving attention; a mistake is solved by better training, knowledge, or decision-making. Confusing the two leads to the wrong corrective action and the same error happening again.
Intuition Check
Do not use mistakes here to mean every kind of small error. In this context, a mistake means the pilot’s chosen plan or decision was wrong, even if the pilot performed that plan correctly.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot's decision to continue into deteriorating weather was a mistake -- the plan was carried out exactly as intended, but the underlying judgment was flawed.
Example Sentence 2
During debrief the instructor pointed out that the mistake came from assuming the weather would remain clear for the entire route.