Human Factors in Aviation. According to the NTSB investigations performed into air accidents, over 88 percent of all chartered plane crashes are attributed, at least in part, to pilot error. In private or general aviation, loss of aircraft control by the pilot is the number one cause of plane and helicopter crashes.

In the realm of aviation safety, pilot error is cited as a contributing factor in approximately 70% to 80% of all accidents. While modern aircraft are engineered to be incredibly reliable, the human element remains the most complex variable in the cockpit. Statistics from the NTSB and global aviation bodies show that while total accidents are at historic lows, the majority of those that do occur involve issues such as loss of control, poor weather decision-making, or fatigue. It is important to distinguish between "general aviation" (private pilots) and "commercial aviation" (major airlines); pilot error is significantly more common in private flying due to less rigorous training requirements and single-pilot operations. In commercial airlines, the implementation of Crew Resource Management (CRM) and advanced automation has drastically reduced the frequency of fatal errors. Despite the high percentage of accidents attributed to humans, air travel remains the safest form of transportation, with the "error rate" per million flights being remarkably small when compared to the billions of miles flown annually.