Six practical habits
Report promptly
Use the required system and timescale while facts remain available.
Write observable facts
Separate what you saw, heard and did from assumptions.
Add useful context
Include workload, weather, equipment, procedures and competing demands.
Describe defences
State what detected, contained or could have prevented the event.
Protect people
Avoid unnecessary personal data, blame and public circulation.
Close the loop
Engage with follow-up and share de-identified learning where authorised.
Write for the future reader
A strong report lets a safety team reconstruct the operational picture without guessing. Include sequence, location, time reference, clearance or procedure context, system indications, crew actions and outcome.
Use neutral language. ‘The altitude selector displayed 7,000 feet’ is more useful than ‘the other pilot carelessly set the wrong altitude’. If you infer a cause, label it as an inference.
Explain the system around the event
Events rarely arise from one action alone. Describe workload, interruptions, interface design, training, roster, weather, communication and procedural factors when they are genuinely relevant.
Also record successful defences: a monitoring call, alert, checklist, ATC intervention or decision that stopped escalation. Safety management needs to understand what worked.
Just culture is not no accountability
A just culture supports reporting by protecting people from prejudice based on safety information, subject to defined exceptions in the applicable framework. It does not erase professional standards or legal duties.
Use the operator’s confidential channels and staff representation where appropriate. Do not publish occurrence details or identifiable colleague information outside authorised processes.
- 01Capturesequence, evidence and immediate safety action
- 02Contextconditions, workload, procedures and system influences
- 03Learnfailed and successful defences, not personal blame
- 04Follow upprotected review, corrective action and shared learning
Operational summary only. Apply the current approved procedure and see references below.
Final flight-deck prompt
Final flight-deck promptCould a safety analyst understand the sequence, risk and defences from this report without needing to guess what I meant?
