Errors FI.I.B.K13

Why This Matters

Your student is going to make errors. So are you. So does the airline captain with 20,000 hours. The AIH puts it bluntly: believing you can eliminate errors is the biggest error of all.

So the job isn't to prevent every error - it's to recognize what kind of error you're seeing and correct it the right way. Get that wrong, and you'll "fix" a problem that was never the real problem. That's not just an instructional miss; it's a risk-management failure, because the error you correct incorrectly is the one that shows up again at the worst possible time.

Two Kinds of Errors

Every error is one of two types, and the distinction drives the fix.

• Slip: An error of action. The student plans to do the right thing but does something else. Forms: neglecting a step, confusing two similar things, performing a familiar routine a new way, or rushing under time pressure (speed-accuracy tradeoff).

• Mistake: An error of thought. The student plans the wrong thing and executes it successfully. The plan itself was flawed - usually a gap or misconception in understanding.

The distinction that matters: a slip is a good plan, poorly executed. A mistake is a flawed plan, well executed.

The Instructor's Job: Recognize, Then Correct

Here's where it gets practical - the fix depends on the type:

• A slip usually means the skill needs more practice. The student knew what to do; their hands didn't follow. More repetition, more isolation work.

• A mistake means the understanding is wrong. More practice won't help - you'll just be drilling a flawed plan. You have to go back and repair the knowledge gap.

Misdiagnose the type and you apply the wrong fix. Drill a student who has a misconception and you reinforce the misconception.

Reducing Errors

You can't eliminate errors, but the AIH lists ways to reduce them:

• Learning and practice - higher skill, fewer and smaller errors

• Take your time - work at a comfortable pace; hurrying breeds slips

• Check your work - actively look for evidence of errors

• Use reminders - checklists, heading bugs, notepads

• Develop routines - standardized procedures for routine tasks

• Raise awareness - flag the conditions where errors spike

Recovery & Learning From Errors

Recover: The AIH says to practice recovering from common or serious errors before they happen for real. And in the moment: don't let one error snowball into the next.

Learn: Errors are a teaching resource. When one happens, ask the student why it happened and what they'd do differently, but don't let them practice the wrong thing in the process.

The trap - "hindsight is 20/20": People explain away their errors as one-time flukes, and do the same reading accident reports ("that could never be me"). The AIH cites Fischoff's study: when people knew an outcome, they called it "obvious" and "predictable," but a second group, without the outcome, couldn't predict it any better than a coin flip. The lesson: take errors seriously instead of dismissing them, because the bias that makes them feel preventable-in-hindsight is one we all share.

Errors Are Natural