Plain English Meaning

Having more to do in the cockpit than you can keep up with, so things start falling through the cracks.

Full Definition

The condition in which a pilot's perceived or actual workload exceeds the mental and physical capacity available to manage it, causing performance to degrade and important tasks to be delayed, missed, or done incorrectly.

Context Anchor

Seen in human factors training, especially during busy phases of flight, abnormal situations, or high-workload cockpit moments.

Derivation

Saturation' comes from the Latin saturare, meaning 'to fill up completely.' A saturated sponge cannot absorb more water. A task-saturated pilot cannot absorb more workload — anything new pushes something else out.