The day was August 6, it has been a year since the horrific helicopter crash which caused the lives of eight gallant men in Ghana. The government of Ghana commemorated the one-year anniversary of the lives lost in the crash, which included the nation’s defence and environment ministers. The families have not only lost strong pillars, but the nation has been robbed of very valuable human capital. Today, I try to tackle some causes and possible solutions to plane crashes as deduced from the book, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

Poor weather

According to the author in the chapter titled, The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes, plane crashes come about as a result of a “combination of errors” that lead to disaster. One of such errors is poor weather conditions. Most pilots forgo the bad state of the weather although other flights are delayed for the same reason and end up crash-landing. It is important to adhere to rules of delaying flight due to poor weather conditions to avoid some of these mishaps.

Malfunctioning autopilot

Another error that can cause a plane crash is when the autopilot on the plane is malfunctioning. Typically, when a plane is flying into a strong headwind and needs to add extra power to maintain momentum, the autopilot should be utilised. The minor technical malfunction with the autopilot will mean you have to be quite strong to fly that airplane.

Fuel exhaustion

In his book, Malcolm explained how in some investigations, it was found that there was nothing wrong with the aircraft. However, sometimes the cause of a plane crash is simply because the plane had run out of gas, and this is determined quite later. In reverse, a full tank can also be a cause for unsafe landing. You need to have technical skill to land heavy or at normal landing weight.

Teamwork

Malcolm proposes that two pilots need to operate the flight-deck. He hinted that when you have one person checking on the other and the two cooperating, it makes flying safer and more efficient. What we observed most of the time is that in most flights, the two pilots have never flown together before, so they are not comfortable with each other. This can only be a recipe for disaster.

Tired pilot

When a pilot has been awake for twelve hours or more, meaning that he is tired and not thinking sharply, this can cause a crash. That is what happens when you are tired. You start missing things, especially things that you would have noticed on any other day. Invariably, good pilots who have successfully flown on several trips and landed safely are the ones who communicate. This means they not only issue commands but have a sense of cajoling, encouraging, calming, negotiating and sharing information in the most clear and transparent way possible.