Aircraft accident at the end of the chain of errors 

Air accidents almost never result from a single event; rather, they are often the result of a chain of errors. 

Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model 

This theory can be illustrated using James Reason’s “Swiss Cheese Model.” In this model, one imagines several slices of Swiss cheese with holes stacked on top of one another. If you look through a hole in the top slice of cheese, you see only the second slice. Only if slice No. 1 and all subsequent slices have a hole in the exact same place can you see through all the slices of cheese. Such a situation can potentially lead to an accident. 

An error is rarely the problem… 

For example, a faulty brake on one of the eight main landing gear tires of a commercial aircraft is not a problem. However, if the thrust reverser on one of the engines has also been deactivated, two holes from Reason’s model may now be overlapping. 

If the longest available runway at the destination is out of service because it is blocked by an aircraft with a technical malfunction, the alternative runway—which is 1,300 meters shorter—could become a problem. However, the mandatory calculation performed before every landing shows that the landing distance is sufficient despite the known defects. 

During the landing, the pilot misjudges the distance and touches down on the runway 500 meters later than usual. And when the only available thrust reverser fails to engage in the “reverse” position due to a sensor malfunction, the plane suddenly finds itself in a series of tight spots. 

That's quite a chain! 

“But that never happens!” you might be thinking right now. Far from it! If you look at aviation accident reports, you’ll find that: The unexpected often happens. 

The lesson for businesses 

And that applies not only to aviation, but also to your business. After all, mistakes happen—what matters is how you handle them. 

Pilots rely on a transparent culture of error management rather than blame. Learn from our experts how methods from the aviation industry can help identify errors, analyze their causes, and use them as a valuable learning resource for leaders and their teams. 

Simulator training 

You and your company can benefit from this as well. By conducting an objective analysis and addressing mistakes in an open and constructive manner, operational weaknesses, technical flaws, or human factors can be identified early on, thereby minimizing risks. 

In our state-of-the-art Eurofighter cockpit, you can put your own error management skills to the test in realistic scenarios. How does your team react? Will you successfully complete your mission?