Blundering Through the Authority Gap

Read the close-call Blundering through the Authority Gap from the Flight Safety Australia website where one pilot describes, as a young pilot, their passenger stepping into the role of co-pilot and navigation expert in a bad weather situation.

I was recently studying the Risk Management chapter of the FAA’s Aviation Instructor’s Handbook, according to which, one of the principles of risk management is

Make Risk Decisions at the Appropriate Level

Anyone can make a risk decision. However, risk decisions should be made by the person who can develop and implement risk controls. In a single-pilot situation, the pilot makes the decision to accept certain levels of risk, so why let anyone else—such as ATC or your passengers—make risk decisions for you?

I had a vague thought of trying to imagine scenarios where that could happen when, a day or two later, the following close-call experience popped up in my RSS reader: Blundering through the Authority Gap. The pilot describes a close-call where they unintentionally handed over their risk-decision responsibilities in the presence of a passenger willing to push past VFR limits to get to their destination. It’s worth a read (and Flight Safety Australia is worth subscribing to if you’re interested in aviation-related safety matters)