Equipment vs. Human Performance Failures in Aircraft Accidents

Here’s a good discussion of the causes of airline accidents. As aircraft reliability and maintenance practices have improved over the years, the leading cause of aircraft accidents has shifted dramatically away from parts failures and toward human mistakes. Yet, polls have shown that most people think that aircraft accidents are usually caused by a mechanical breakdown.
It’s important to consider the human element whenever we assume a mechanical failure. Make sure you’re looking deeply enough into an equipment malfunction and make sure you understand, even when equipment does fail, how the human was involved.