Report Vs. Investigation

[Q8_Wing]

I’m sure all pilots been through this, and want to hear your thoughts about the matter.

If you encounter a situation that requires any kind of report, if you write that report you will be questioned by the airline or the authorities, and if you don’t it will pass and no one will know about it and continue with your normal life.

Q. What will you do? Report or not report? If possible explain why please.

Thanks.

[sleeper]

In today's electronic environment it is very difficult to cover something up. What is worse, owning up by reporting or having to deal with it later and explaining why you did not report?
It will be even more difficult te report in a punishing society. Luckily I always worked in a company with a just culture and reports to authorities were always anonymised.
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[old,not bold]

In a comment that might be from another era, assuming that the words "a situation that requires any kind of report" mean what they say, you will, I hope, be guided by your professional integrity, if you are an aviation professional holding a professional licence.

That guidance will tell you that you have, in fact, no choice.

Use of a confidential reporting scheme is fine, of course, and in any event you should never, ever, be penalised for reporting something that requires a report, except in the unlikely event that you are reporting a deliberate error on your part.

[Q8_Wing]

not every thing happen electronically, take for example liquid spillage in cockpit, no immediate trace. what I'm trying to say is if pilot have the choice would they do report or not?

[Q8_Wing]

SMS today s very helpful in this part, but as I mentioned in last comment, if pilot had the choice to cover it up, would he do it or report it?

[dhardesthard]

It depends on what or who you are reporting.

[SMT Member]

Besides the integrity issues, choosing to pass on reporting one's own ****ups, is a path wrought with danger. There's a chance you'll get away with it, of course, or the powers of deduction may lead the company/authorities onto your path, in which case you're well up the proverbial sans paddle.

My advise would be to report it asap, being totally frank and honest. Explain the thought- and action process which led to the "incident" as detailed as possible, and let the chips fall as they may. At least you'll have done your part in an industry, which is supposedly built on safety first and having a just reporting systems. And if you didn't mean to do it, a slap over either fingers or neck should do it.

[sleeper]

Q8_Wing

True. In this case no electronics, but a fellow aviator next to you. Is the spillage minor/major? What if a future malfunction reveals water damage? Etc etc. Your choice.

[RHS]

https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/Briefing%20Study%20Investigating%20Reporting%20Culture.pdf

Worth a read, I’d say it all depends on culture. I would (and have) reported some fairly major cock ups on my part, nothing negative has ever been said, one was the subject of an investigation. I am fortunate that my companies culture is to try to understand the potential for future reoccurrence, rather than apportion blame (assuming no gross negligence or malicious intent)

[Sailvi767]

Any modern well run airline with a strong safety culture has a program for reporting issues and mistakes without fear of recriminations. ASAP is the common term for such a program in the US.

[fantom]

Well, in theory. You need to reflect upon the OP's location. I was in the sim with the Fleet Manager conducting affairs and a weak FO. I got a thump on the shoulder and was told "next time he makes a mistake, I'm going to blame you"..

[Pilot DAR]

An unusual event occurred, maybe you witnessed it, maybe you're the pilot flying the aircraft next after the event. Could the event have affected the airworthiness of the aircraft? If you're the pilot flying the aircraft after the event, and airworthiness could have been affected, would you like the event to have been reported by the witnessing pilot? If you are the pilot who witnessed the unusual event, is it within your qualification and authority to make a determination if airworthiness could have been affected?

[Skyjob]

Depends on what it is which you consider your options for.
If it is interpersonal, this can be a difficult choice;
If it is a mandatory report/incident but you don't want to own up to it: REPORT IT to cover yourself;
If it is a technical issue, minor or major, if not reported it may become more prominent and persistent, harder to rectify later: REPORT IT and let more trained personnel deal what it.

If you have reported something and you get pointing fingers afterwards, this in itself can be reported.
Every company has a just culture and should encourage reporting for data capture at the least. Pointing fingers at reporting staff does not fit into that just culture.

[DaveReidUK]

Every company has a just culture

That's reassuring to hear.

[rudestuff]

Maybe a different way to phrase the question would be: If a reportable event happened which you consider to be frivolous or nonsense, would you still report it?

Like following an ATC request to maintain 280kts below 10,000

[Herod]

Every company has a just culture

I wish I could believe it. If so things must have changed since my day

[Cornish Jack]

DRUK and Herod - :ok:
Been out of the loop longtime, but I see no mention of CHIRP - is it extinct ... or extant ?

[Herod]

Sorry Jack. I've likewise been out of it a long time, so I can't answer your question. I would suspect it's still around. Very useful.

[Equivocal]

One way or another, I have spent about half of my (now coming to an end) career rolling out safety management and just culture concepts in a variety of specialisms in aviation. My experience is that even where these concepts are genuinely bought into, there are big differences in implementation from true changes in organizational culture to 'we'll do it where it suits us'. Sometimes I have found that these ways of working are difficult for people to understand, particularly where the traditional culture is one that closure is achieved by blaming someone. And things are not uniform either - it is not uncommon to see Europe held up as a fine example of SMS/JC implementation but I am aware of pockets of appalling disregard of safety management. In other regions, pockets exist of good implementation amid wider poor practise. As an aside, it is notable that SMS appears to mean different things in different parts of the aviation system - in some parts it seems to be little more than reporting of abnormal events, and in others the whole management system is built around achieving the organisation's safety and business policies (FWIW, I like the latter). Although it is a few years since I did any work in the area, in the OP's location, I can understand the hesitation to report. As a professional, my answer would be to file the report in accordance with your operator/State's guidance.

It takes time to develop a good culture - and in this context it's not just 'will I be OK if I report?' but also is any investigation objective and are improvements made where appropriate? Good and open investigations are as important in developing the culture as non-punitive reporting.

[ferry pilot]

If you are among those who set the standard you will do what is right. If you are not, you will do what is right for you.