Seat belts save lives; however, their purpose differs between aeroplanes and cars. Seat belts on aeroplanes are primarily designed to prevent injuries arising from in-flight turbulence, not sudden deceleration in the event of an accident.

Discover the impact of negative commands on pilot performance and aviation safety. Learn how cognitive biases like negativity bias contribute to real-life aviation incidents and how clear, positive communication can prevent disasters.

66% of pilots who participated in the survey responded that they have inadvertently dozed off in the cockpit without informing the other pilot.

Safety matters, a non governmental organisation based in India conducted a Safety Culture Survey beginning 16th Sept 2022 with the objective of assessing the prevailing safety culture in Indian aviation with the focus on pilot fatigue. The main aim of Safety Matters is to establish a generative safety culture. Fatigue poses an important safety risk to civil and military aviation. In addition to decreasing performance in-flight(chronic) fatigue has negative long term effects. Possible causes of fatigue include sleep loss, extended time awake, circadian phase irregularities and work load. A prescriptive flight and duty limitation does not address the effects of fatigue as well as a fatigue management system and countermeasures.

Advaita Katha In its simplest form, storytelling remains a powerful element of learning, with the narrative being equally as compelling as books and presentations. They humanize learning. It offers us the opportunity to connect to like-minded characters, or see the world literally from within someone else’s skin. Stories touch our emotions and help develop empathy.Plus, no matter how organized or detailed a textbook might be, there’s something about the shape of a narrative—the exposition, the problem, the quest for a solution, the resolution—that resonates with our mental makeup.Storytelling has been an integral part of Indian culture for generation, with each region developing its own unique style of narration.Let the worldly wise, who have seen the skies share and give others a short respite.On that note, let the words flow …..www.advaitakatha.com 

The fuselage of the Aloha Boeing failed, despite the fact that it was designed and built to well proven rules. Why? The whole industry had become complacent about maintenance and particularly about the durability of old aircraft. To put this in perspective the accident aircraft was nineteen years old, older no doubt than the cars driven by most of the passengers. The aircraft had operated for 35,496 hours, in other words it had actually been up in the air for a total of four years. The aircraft had taken off 89,680 times, that means each flight had averaged only about 25 minutes. Every 25 minutes the skin, the frames and the joints had been stretched as the fuselage had been pumped up to maximum pressure. How could the airlines and their mechanics have become complacent about their planes while treating them like this?

Boeing was concerned about its old aircraft in general terms, it too was complacent about the fuselage. This was because of a naive faith in a concept called the "lead crack". Boeing engineers believed that if the fuselage did crack anywhere, a single "lead crack" would grow along the skin until it reached a fuselage frame, then it would turn at right angles and a triangular shaped tear would blow out and safely dump fuselage pressure. Boeing is a close knit company and when an idea like this takes hold it becomes accepted as gospel. It went unchallenged by most of the FAA. The British and Australian authorities never accepted the concept but needed an accident to prove them right.(Lessons from Aloha: Martin Aubury)

I am a true believer that society and culture cannot be separated from work and training. However best the training may be, it is under a controlled environment and the performance indicators needed to be achieved are briefed before hand. The crew undergoing training works together to achieve their objective and they are driven by performance indicators required to be achieved to declare them competent. In the real world, the motivation, drive and targets are not briefed as well as they are in a training environment. There are a lot many distractions and personal cultures and behavioral influences are lot more active as compared to a training environment.

“Looking without seeing” is the most common error that most humans make daily. Our attention is distracted or preoccupied with other thoughts. The obvious in front of us is sometimes missed whereas the reaction to the situation or the call out is as per SOP. Pointing and Calling refreshes our attention to the specific point that we intend to look. This activity involves pointing at target objects by stretching your arm and stating out loud. Calling out “Such and such is OK” at important points in the work ensures work is carried out safely and correctly. Read the blog here SFnSq0DKQAKwtw2EFulc

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The Runway Overrun Protection System (ROPS) is designed to alert the flight crew in the case of potential runway overrun situation. The overrun warning (ROW) function automatically arms at 400ft AGL and works until start of braking. The Runway overrun protection (ROP) works from start of braking until the aircraft stops. The surprising part is that the ROW/ROP LOST fault which is triggered when the ROW/ROP is lost is inhibited below 800feet on the final approach till the aircraft decelerates to 80 kts speed. Effectively, the pilot is unaware of any fault in the system when the system is expected to be deployed and functioning. Isn't this giving the flight crew a false sense of safety whereas the system could be functioning or not functioning. I am sure that a lot of though must have gone behind the logic but definitely worth a discussion.

Listen to the congress sub-committee hearing on the 5G issue. The 5G mess in the USA has exposed the corporate culture in the USA where lobbies decide on the course of action. Is it the $81 billion which is shaping the policy or aviation safety? Safety is always a balance between production and protection. Too much of anything is bad.

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Becoming a pilot is an expensive proposition due to the high training costs without an assurance of a job and on the other hand can be a lucrative business for some. Every year hundreds of youth train to become pilots at flying schools in India and abroad having borrowed huge sums in loans or mortgage. A pilots profession not only pays well but increases the social standing of an individual. The youth is desperate for jobs and the airlines need pilots, but do airlines have a moral and social responsibility of not making pilot training into a business which works towards maximising profits and at some stage even insensitivity?

Interactions between aircraft and wildlife are frequent and can have serious financial and safety consequences. Birds are the most common threat to aircraft, with a host of terrestrial animals also implicated. This podcast is about the Wasps building mud nests in Pitot Probes of Aircraft. These can cause blockages and lead to aircraft instrumentation displays errors.

Hey there! Have you heard about the latest developments in the aviation industry? We have a great video that sheds light on the current situation and shares some exciting survey findings. Let's stay positive and hopeful about addressing potential safety concerns in the Indian skies!

Read the final report here

The aircraft was departing from Runway 26 at London Luton Airport, but when the PF made a normal aft movement of the side stick control at rotation airspeed, the aircraft did not pitch up. The PF increased the side stick input close to the maximum deflection. When the aircraft still did not pitch up, the PM selected TOGA thrust. The aircraft responded and a climb was commenced but then the pilots forgot to retract the landing gear till about 5000ft.

Watch the animation , click here!

When the plane was on final for runway 25 at Orly, a Runway Incursion Monitoring and Collision Avoidance System (RIMCAS) warning was activated due to the presence of a bird-control vehicle in the vicinity of the runway safety area. However, the bird-control vehicle was behind the holding point and outside the runway safety area. The erroneous activation of the RIMCAS warning was due to the relocation of the holding point, after work, not being taken into account in the system parameters. Due to the RIMCAS warning and the absence of a reply from the driver of the vehicle, the controller ordered the crew to perform a go-around after they had passed through the decision altitude (DA). The crew carried out the go-around by initially displaying a thrust and a pitch attitude which resulted in a high vertical speed. They then engaged the auto-throttle (A/T) although the autopilot (A/P) was disengaged. The left turn was started late and the high bank angle triggered the “BANK ANGLE” warning. The missed approach altitude was exceeded during the turn. Under the combined effect of a nose-down input from the PF and the A/T reducing the thrust, the plane next re-descended below 2,000 ft. The controller then cleared the crew to climb to 3,000 ft. The crew’s selection of this altitude caused a V/S mode reversion with the instantaneous vertical speed taken as the target speed (-1,100 ft/min).

A serious incident caused by a combination of operating factors in a complex system interacting in a manner which had neither been designed nor predicted. If passenger and cargo distribution on an aircraft leads to an undetected out of trim condition, the potential outcome could be unexpected handling qualities or control limitations.

Airbus and Boeing have had their share of the center of gravity issues due to placing the bigger engines under the wings. This was an opportunity to build a new medium range aircraft but the existing ones were selling like hot cakes, so it didn’t make much business sense. They now have to deal with basic issues like the center of gravity.

An emotional & inspiring farewell letter written by the residents of Dhariwal, Gurdaspur, Punjab. He established the 1st D.A.V. School in Dhariwal at the age of 24years and fought against Proselytism.

RASE is an open platform mobile application  where the users can share experiences/information that they normally write down in notes or remember at the back of their mind while flying an airplane or operating to an airport. Those unique features that are not normally found in company documents but are crucial or helpful.

RASE app is available in iOS download here

                                     Android  download here

Comair accident in the USA and 2 other incidents have highlighted the issue of spatial orientation of the human brain. While pilots remain heads down in order to conclude tasks, they are losing their orientation. The chain of errors can only be broken by a brief pause to reorientate before a takeoff.

My Grand Father, Chaudhari Prakash Chand was working at the New Egerton Mills in Dhariwal, Gurdaspur, Punjab. Protested against proselytism by the Britishers in 1920 & subsequently lost his 1st job for establishing the DAV school. Survived attempts on his life at the age of 20 yrs. The residents of Dhariwal, Gurdaspur wrote this touching farewell letter for his contributions to the society.

Read by Mariam.

Self awareness is the sense of an ongoing attention to one's internal states. In this self reflective awareness mind observes and investigates experience itself, including the emotions.

Air India Express IX1344 accident at Calicut airport where the aircraft plunged 35 meters killing 21 people including the pilots. The victims were transported to various hospitals in ambulances and private vehicles. While ambulances are equipped with life saving medical equipment, the Co-Pilot was rushed to a hospital 25km away an hours drive on the backseat of a private car thereby depriving him of the critical life saving equipment.

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In 2019, as per ILO/WHO report, 745,000 deaths have ocurred due to stroke and heart conditions linked to duty over 55hrs per week.

Pilots are permitted 60 hrs of flight duty period.

A Qatar Airways newly acquired Airbus A350-1000 series aircraft had a close call over Iran on 12th April when it came into close proximity with another crossing aircraft. The airliner equipped with the state of art technology and traffic collision avoidance system was seen climbing by about 500ft while cruising at 34000ft on a flight from Doha, Qatar to Los Angles, USA.

When does fear set in and the different categories of near misses.

McCurdy observed during the bombing of London in the World War that there were 3 categories.

1. Those who dies and those who were injured

2. Those who missed narrowly

3. The remote misses

The behavior varied and so was their definition of fear.

The IATA Travel Pass is a solution for both. It is built it in modules as an industry solution based on open-source standards. It can be used in combination with other providers or as an end-to-end solution. The most important thing is that it is responsive to industry needs while enabling a competitive market.

Be skeptical about claims for effectiveness of training methods. Always ask questions and on implementation of these techniques.

COVID19 crisis has crippled the aviation sector which has witnessed salary cuts and job losses to stay afloat. In this time of crisis the civil aviation ministry has managed to overlook utilization of budgetary allocation of a staggering INR1450 Cr FY 2020-21.

The Committee felt that the administrative jurisdiction of AAIB under the Ministry of Civil Aviation go against the tenets of impartiality and equality, since it may raise the genuine question of conflict of interest.

1. The DGCA has issued an AIC dated 20th April 2021 which states that The operation of B737 Max aircraft will not take place from/to Indian airports & transit or enter Indian airspace effective 13th March 2019 till further notice.
2. The Watchdog Faults FAA For 'Significant Misunderstanding' Of Flight System

RASE is a repository of safety experiences. The USP of this mobile application is that experiences can be shared globally through an easy to fill form and experiences can be sorted through a searchable database in various formats.

The application is for all X borders, uniting personnel using similar fleet, airports or just for information sake.

A high reliability organization (HRO) is an organization that has succeeded in avoiding catastrophes in an environment where normal accidents can be expected due to risk factors and complexity.

Important case studies in HRO research include both studies of disasters (e.g., Three Mile Island nuclear incident, the Challenger Disaster and Columbia Disaster, the Bhopal chemical leak, the Tenerife air crash, the Mann Gulch forest fire, the Black Hawk friendly fire incident in Iraq) and HROs like the air traffic control system, naval aircraft carriers, and nuclear power operations.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2020/10/15/mindfulness-in-aviation-the-essence-that-west-is-slowly-adopting/

There are a number of myths that mislead the pilots as well as the traveling public about safety.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/01/04/trust-your-autopilot-under-high-stress-learnings-from-vistara-mayday-fuel/

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/01/07/psychology-of-surprise-air-india-tail-strike-at-pune/

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/04/11/seconds-away-from-disaster-crew-use-superior-training-skills-to-prevent-a-cfit/

Do you know the hidden dangers linked to excessive flight duty hours ? Listen to this episode of mindFly katha to understand the adverse effects of pilot fatigue.

No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Article 21 Indian Constitution 1950.

The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India concurring opinion, stated that "it is evident that right of privacy and the right to sleep have always been treated to be a fundamental right like a right to breathe, to eat, to drink, to blink, etc.".

We can conclude that the Sleep of crew members is a fundamental right protected by the constitution of India. Restriction can only be imposed on fundamental rights through a law or an act enacted by the state or central government. The act must pass the test of reasonableness and must not be arbitrary. unfair, whimsical or fanciful.

“My mind clicks on and off…I try letting one eyelid close at a time while I prop the other open with my will. But the effort’s too much. Sleep is winning. My whole body argues dully that nothing, nothing life can attain, is quite so desirable as sleep.” Charles Lindbergh, describing the fatigue that struck him nine hours into his 33-hour solo Atlantic crossing.

The trainers are a key element in the learning triangle connecting the content wth the trainees.

Advaita Katha is about experiential learning. Learn from the tales narrated by an air crash survivor.

The irregularities in operations and compromise in safety while flying helicopters in mountainous areas was identified in the June 2022 audit by DGCA. The audit took place after being forced under public pressure after a video of a hard landing at Kedarnath emerged in the social media. A fine of just INR 5 lac was akin to legalising crimes and the unsupervised flying continued.

🕯️ Buried by time. Erased from memory. But not from truth.

They ruled the hills. They fought empires. They left behind temples, coins, and stories… but no one remembers their name.

Who were the Varaha Rajputs?
Why were they written out of history?

In this opening episode, we peel back the layers of forgotten chronicles and uncover a warrior clan whose legacy was deliberately silenced. Before the Mughals, before the British, before even the Rajputs of Rajasthan — there was Varaha.

This isn’t just history.
It’s a resurrection.

📜 Forgotten by design.
🩸 Remembered in blood.
🔥 The rediscovery begins now.

“Varaha uncovers how the Varaha Rajputs—traced to the Xiongnu—migrated via Central Asia into India and defended Bharat’s northern borders for centuries. Using Persian and Chinese sources, Indian records, and DNA insights, the book rebuilds a story mainstream history forgot, including the rise of the Hindu Shahis. It’s rigor, not romance—a reclamation of truth and a restoration of honour.”

In this episode, we deconstruct the preliminary acoustic evidence surrounding the infamous cockpit exchange: “Why did you cut off?” — “I didn’t do it.”.

While media reports suggest the CVR audio needed to be "cleaned up" to identify these voices, this necessity for heavy post-processing reveals a critical forensic clue. It suggests investigators were forced to rely on the Cockpit Area Microphone (CAM) rather than the typically clear individual headset channels.

Key Analysis Points:• The Acoustic Deduction: Heavy background noise and the need for "cleanup" points to a recording dominated by the Area Mic (CAM).

• The Electrical Implication: A CAM-only recording signature is consistent with the aircraft operating on backup power or in an abnormal electrical configuration, such as the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT). Technical schematics of the Recorder Independent Power Supply (RIPS) confirm that in the event of usual power failure, the RIPS sends battery power specifically to the Flight Deck Area Mic and the Forward Flight Recorder.

• The Timeline Conflict: The simplistic timeline suggests a Flight Control System (FCS) cutoff led to power loss and subsequent RAT deployment. However, if the audio recording of the voices already exhibits the "heavy noise" signature of backup power, the aircraft may have been in the RAT/backup configuration before the verbal exchange occurred.This evidence challenges the linear sequence of events and raises physics-based questions about the latency between control inputs and hydraulic pressure changes.

Sources:• Acoustic Evidence and the RAT Deployment Timeline• Acoustic_Forensics_Timeline_Revision• Flight Recorder System Schematics (RIPS/EAFR)

On July 9, 2024, a LATAM Boeing 777-300ER dragged its tail along the runway at Milan Malpensa for over 700 meters. How does a modern cockpit with an Instructor Captain and a Relief Captain fail to notice that their takeoff speeds are dangerously low?

In this episode, we break down the preliminary report and apply a "cognitive view" to understand how a "100-tonne class" error slipped through the safety net.

Key Topics Covered:✈️ The Incident: Reviewing the takeoff of flight LA8073. The aircraft rotated at 149 knots, despite needing speeds calculated for a 328-tonne takeoff weight. The result was a 6cm deep furrow in the runway and a fuel-dumping emergency return.

Math The "Plausibility" Math: We look at the simple math that suggests the crew likely used performance data for a weight around 223 tonnes—roughly 100 tonnes lighter than their actual weight.

🧠 The Cognitive Traps: Why do good crews make gross errors?• Echo-Checking: Replacing independent verification with "Do we match?".

• Learned Carelessness: How daily repetition reduces mental effort.

• The "Commitment Tunnel": Why pilots lock up and try to "make it fly" even when the data feels wrong.

🛡️ The Solution - "Do They Belong?": Moving beyond checking for matching numbers to checking for sense. We discuss the "2-breath gross-error trap" and how to empower the jump-seat pilot to speak up

.Sources: Based on "Cognitive Traps and Performance Errors in the Milan Tail Strike" by Amit Singh (Safety Matters Foundation).

In this podcast, we analyse the critical gap between written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and the tactile reality of cockpit practice, using the AI132 fuel control switch incident as a key case study.1. The "Mess Hall" Problem We begin with an analogy from A Few Good Men: just because the procedure to get to the mess hall isn’t in the book, it doesn’t mean the Marines don’t eat. Similarly, in aviation, you can do the job safely every day even when the manual doesn’t describe every micro-step. SOP provides the documented minimum for compliance, but "practice" is the unwritten discipline—the tactile method of moving a switch or the habit of verifying detents—that actually prevents accidents,.2. The AI132 Case Study: A Safety-Critical Mismatch In the AI132 narrative, a mismatch emerged between the pilot’s report of "slight vertical pressure" causing a switch to unlatch, and a technical explanation focusing on incorrect force vectors,. We discuss why resolving this mismatch is vital to avoid "premature closure"—a human factors trap where the system decides what happened (pilot error) before proving the mechanism.3. The Questions We Must Ask If the issue was simply "incorrect handling," why did it occur only on the left switch and not the right?. We explore potential engineering factors that a robust investigation must consider:• Hardware asymmetry: Differences in micro-wear or detent spring fatigue between left and right switches,.• Ergonomics: Why humans are unreliable sensors of force vectors.• Repeatability: Why the failure wasn't seen on every start.4. The Real Lesson for Pilots and Safety Managers Issuing a "strict SOP compliance" order is an immediate barrier, but the mature safety response is to reinforce control-handling discipline—like the "hands off unless required" rule and deliberate latch verification,.Key Takeaway: SOP is necessary but never sufficient for every tactile nuance. True safety culture improves when we ask, "What made this easy to do?" rather than just "Who did what?".Chapters: 0:00 - The "Mess Hall" Problem: SOP vs. Practice 1:45 - What is "Practice" in the Cockpit? 3:10 - The AI132 Mismatch: Vertical Pressure vs. Force Vector 5:30 - The Unanswered Questions: Why Left Only? 7:20 - Avoiding Premature Closure in Investigations 9:00 - Cockpit Takeaways: Hands Off & Verify#AviationSafety #AI132 #HumanFactors #PilotTraining #AviationMaintenance #SafetyCulture #SOP

On September 30, 2001, a King Air C-90 carrying former Aviation Minister from the sky, killing all eight onboard. The official report blamed heavy rains and pilot error—a "convenient story" for a high-profile disaster. But 25 years later, a new forensic analysis suggests the investigation was filled with comforting lies rather than hard truths.In this episode, we explore the dangerous intersection of VIP pressure and aviation safety, asking the questions the original investigators ignored:

• The Weather Deception: Why did the report claim "heavy thunderstorms" when satellite archives show zero rain and clear skies at cruising altitude?

• The Impossible Wind: Did investigators falsify wind direction data to explain away burn marks on the fuselage?

• Silent Evidence: The pilot’s trachea contained soot—proof he was breathing during a fire—yet the report ruled out an in-flight blaze.

Join us as we uncover how "vested interests" can shape the narrative when the influential can't defend themselves.