Title: A new approach for prioritising personality traits causing pilot error

Authors: Ebru Yazgan

Addresses: Department of Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Eskisehir Technical University, Eskisehir, Turkey

Abstract: Pilot personality traits are among the most critical risk factors contributing to human error in aviation. This study proposes an integrated approach that combines a risk assessment matrix and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritise personality traits leading to pilot errors. The proposed framework first identifies unacceptable traits among commercial airline and military pilots and then uses AHP to calculate their relative importance. Findings reveal that for commercial pilots, a lack of self-discipline and rule-consciousness are the most critical traits, while for military pilots, a lack of self-discipline, absence of rule-consciousness, overconfidence, and neuroticism are the dominant traits. The proposed model offers a proactive and systematic method to evaluate pilot personality characteristics, supporting the development of more effective pilot selection and training systems to enhance flight safety.

Keywords: personality traits; pilot error; risk matrix; analytic hierarchy process; AHP.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSA.2025.150673

International Journal of Sustainable Aviation, 2025 Vol.11 No.4, pp.381 - 404

Received: 02 Jun 2025
Accepted: 10 Nov 2025
Published online: 19 Dec 2025 *

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