Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Making Air Travel in the United States Less Safe

In the wake of the global pandemic, the frequency of 'near misses' in the aviation sector has surged to unprecedented levels. A New York Times study reveals that these close calls are now occurring several times a week, setting a new record for commercial aviation. Despite the FAA's assurance that contemporary pilots are more skilled and better trained than their predecessors, the question remains: What has changed to cause this alarming rise in near misses?

It has long been understood that after training and skill, culture is the most significant indicator of risk in aviation. In their book Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner discuss the outsized impact of culture on aviation safety. They revealed that cultures with lower power distances and higher levels of individuality tend to have far better aviation safety outcomes. This is because pilots in these cultures are more likely to question their superiors if they believe they are making a mistake. For example, Germans and American pilots are far safer than South Korean or Japanese pilots as a direct result of culture.

Other studies have confirmed Levitt and Dubner’s findings proving that culture is the most significant indicator of risk in aviation. One such study is the 2011 report "Safety Culture in Aviation: A Review of the Literature" which concluded that some cultures have far fewer accidents and incidents than other cultures. Another study, published in the journal "Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors", similarly found a very strong relationship between culture and pilot behavior. This study found that pilots from certain cultures are more likely to report hazards, follow procedures, and speak up when they see something wrong.

The United States aviation culture has been marked by technological advancements, rigorous training programs, and a track record of success, and as a result, one might assume it would continue to be one of the safest. However, a less-discussed but critical shift in American aviation has been the decline in the number of former military pilots entering commercial aviation. Prior to the pandemic, as many as two-thirds of commercial pilots were former military aviators, bringing with them a wealth of experience in high-pressure situations, advanced training, and a disciplined approach to safety protocols. Today, that number has dramatically decreased, with fewer than a third of pilots possessing any military experience at all. Various factors, including changes in military recruitment, longer service commitments, and the allure of other career paths, have contributed to this decline. The result is a significant shift in the composition and diversity of commercial flight crews.

America’s latest generation of civilian pilots is far more diverse in every sense of the word. They’ve grown up in a far more independent culture that has embraced critical race theory and radical gender ideology. They routinely challenge authority and question the status quo. This difference in culture (regardless of the race of the pilot) is leading to problems in the cockpit, especially since this new crop of pilots is not used to following orders. While they have the same training when it comes to safety and training as military pilots their worldview is very different. Many new pilots view authority through a lens of oppression—actively assuming the orders they’re receiving from air traffic controllers might be a result of systemic racism, misogyny, or bigotry. Today’s pilots are far less predictable than the military pilots of the past—and that lack of predictability among multiple pilots operating in close proximity to one another is a recipe for disaster.

Airlines need to be aware of the potential impact of the decline in former military pilots on safety culture. They need to invest in training for all pilots, regardless of their background. This training should attempt to undo years of social justice indoctrination and replace it with the sort of discipline commonly associated with pilots with former military experience.