Often the “stupid simple stuff” ends up killing people in aviation. Forgetting to disengage a gust lock, turn on the probe heat, or properly set the flaps or trim prior to takeoff have all resulted in fatal accidents. Checklists—one of the most basic tools in a pilot’s toolkit—are designed to overcome limitations of pilot memory and ensure that action items are completed in sequence without omission. In each of these accidents, checklists were either disregarded or involved a more complex error caused by a human factors issue.
Normal checklists enhance flight safety and enable the pilot(s) to confirm safety critical systems and controls are correctly and consistently configured for a phase of flight. Asaf Degani, a former researcher at NASA Ames Research Center, co-authored a study on the Human Factors of Flight Deck Checklists and identified the primary purpose of the normal checklist: “The major function of the checklist is to ensure that the crew will properly configure the plane for flight and maintain this level of quality throughout the flight and in every flight.”
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