How do you overcome the "incorrect certainty" about a situation?
Potentially, an experienced pilot says something like "nothing higher than 30' here" (after misreading a 300' spot height)
I've been in many situations where something like this has been accepted as fact, and everything is predicated/explained based on an "incorrect certainty" (many not in aviation)
It might seem a farcical/extreme example but I can easily imagine the "certainty" of there being "nothing higher than 30'" resulting in a comment to "write up the faulty rad alt" when it trips unexpectedly for e.g.
Sure in hindsight it's obvious, but at the time, it can be anything but.
In a two crew situation, I feel it's not viable to check/question every statement.
Trying to explain myself:
After start, for a mission requiring 100% fuel. Add in nighttime and a little perceived time pressure.
"We have full fuel right?"
"I topped it to the bottom of the filler, dribbled it in until another drop wouldn't fit, waited for it to settle, dribbled a few drops more till it over flowed. It's full!"
The fuel status might now be beyond doubt, and any anomalies explained away as indication problems.
A fuel leak, or fueling WEX, and now sitting in WXE, are mentally discounted (especially if WXE is coincidentally filled to 90%)
How do we combat this type of error?