Plain English Meaning

Five common mental traps that lead pilots to make bad decisions in the cockpit. Each one has a short mental phrase a pilot can say to themselves to snap out of it.

Full Definition

A set of five recognized mental patterns identified by the FAA as common contributors to poor pilot decision-making and accidents. The five attitudes are: 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 attitude has a corresponding antidote — a short corrective thought a pilot is trained to use the moment they notice the attitude in themselves.

Context Anchor

Seen in aviation decision-making training, especially when how pilots recognize and correct unsafe thoughts before they become unsafe actions.