Building error tolerance, error mitigation, and error-capturing strategies into our systems should be one of the most important outputs of safety management, especially when guided by a robust FAA safety management system and supported by formal safety risk assessment processes. These strategies are a hallmark of good system design. And when system design flaws are discovered, risk controls are implemented. Monitoring of the affected process then helps us see if our strategies are effective. If not, our previously-implemented controls must be corrected to keep a hazard in check. Way back in the 80’s I was serving as DO for Salair Air Cargo, operating a fleet of 10 old DC-3s and 30 young pilots. We landed 4 new contracts for Emery Worldwide, and suddenly saw a rash of events in which our DC-3 crews were failing to remove the gear pins before flight. Why did this trend appear after thousands of hours of operation? What changed in our operating environment? Back then we didn’t invest...
Why do the first ten minutes matter more than anything else? The first ten minutes after an aviation emergency shape every outcome that follows. This is where your emergency response plan either works or fails. Decisions move fast. Stress runs high. There is no time to search for answers. You rely on preparation. When the plan is clear, people act with confidence. When it is weak, confusion spreads instantly. What Really Happens in Those First Ten Minutes In real operations, emergencies never arrive neatly packaged. You face alarms, radio calls, unclear data, and human fear at once. These moments test leadership, training, and structure. A strong emergency response plan turns chaos into order. It gives you a script when thinking feels hard and time feels short. How a Well Designed Plan Guides Human Decisions Under pressure, the brain looks for patterns. A good plan provides those patterns. You know who leads, who communicates, and who records. Tasks stay simple. Priorities stay clear...