Loading

Why Do I "Lockup" in the Cockpit? Strategies to Help You Overcome Your Startle Response

--by Jennifer Caron, FAA Safety Briefing Staff

It’s perfect flying weather — the air is still, the skies are blue, and the ride is silky smooth. Nothing could spoil this perfect flight. But wait, what’s that clanking sound? Suddenly there’s a bang. “My engine’s dead! This can’t be happening! Not to me! What do I do?!! What do I do?!!”

When you’re in the middle of an unexpected event, it’s tough (but not impossible) to react calmly, rationally, and remember your training. It may help to recognize that there’s a scientific reason why it’s not so easy for human beings to keep calm.

Emergency!

Knee Jerk Response

Humans are wired to react instinctively to powerful stimuli, like the pain of touching a hot stove, or the shock of hearing loud bangs on what was an otherwise picture-perfect, textbook flight. Your instinctive reaction to unexpected events is called the Human Startle Response. It is a deep-seated, reflexive action initiated by the limbic system, the most ancient part of the brain. For billions of years, it’s been key to evolutionary success because it instantly prepares us for flight, to fight, or to freeze when faced with an unexpected event.

The startle response is physiological in nature. It’s that sudden kicking motion you experience when the doctor whacks your knee with that little rubber hammer. That’s an evolutionary mechanism your body uses to automatically and unconsciously sustain balance and posture. So “knee-jerk reaction” has become the shorthand for any immediate, unthinking response.

Hollywood filmmakers and Halloween enthusiasts are notorious for taking advantage of our startle response. By means of terrifying visuals and high-pitched, unexpected sounds, they trigger our instinct for flight, to fight, or to freeze, in response to the perceived, yet non-existent danger before us. That’s fine, and can be fun when it happens on the ground, but the flight, fight, or freeze response is not helpful during an aviation emergency.

Keep calm and navigate on.

From Denial to Acceptance

Pilots are susceptible to the startle response when faced with unexpected events such as a partial/full loss of power on takeoff, landing gear extension/retraction failures, bird strikes, or control problems/failures. The heart starts to race, the adrenaline increases, breath quickens, and stress levels go up. A certain amount of stress is good, since it keeps us alert and can improve our performance. But when stress levels exceed our ability to cope, problem-solving gets sluggish, decision-making skills are impaired, and situational awareness gets fuzzy. Chances of making a mistake, or initiating an inappropriate response to rectify the situation, increase dramatically. Some pilots will freeze and essentially do nothing all the way to an eventual crash. The “freeze” component of the startle effect is usually the one that gets most GA pilots in trouble. Other pilots will fight and forcibly yank on the controls when the autopilot, for example, is trying to initiate the opposite reaction. And some pilots will experience a range of emotions from denial to acceptance, as illustrated in the Kubler-Ross aviation equivalent of the five stages of grief.

The five stages of common reactions to an unexpected aviation emergency.

I’m Not Surprised

There are several things that you can do to efficiently accept and act. First, you can manage your perception of the event. Evidence shows that your perception of a problem (and the stress it creates) is directly related to the environment in which it occurs. So push yourself to stop, think, and analyze the situation before you reach a conclusion or act.

Manage your perception of the event. Stop, think, and analyze before you act.

Here’s an example. Let’s say it’s your birthday and a group of friends and family are crouched just inside the front door. As soon as you enter, they all jump out and yell, “Surprise!!” Your startle response kicks in: your heart races, your adrenaline goes up, and you jump from the shock of the unexpected. But once you stop, think, and realize there is no danger, your mind eases, your stress levels decrease, and your next thought is, “where’s my cake?”

But let’s say you’re in mid-flight. The passenger-side cabin door on your Bonanza suddenly opens as you’re climbing through 1,500 feet on a clear sunny day. Of course you’ll have a jolt, but your stress level decreases significantly if you stop, think, and realize that this situation is under your control. If the cabin door opens in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), your stress levels might be a lot higher, but your reaction should be the same. Remember too that everything seems worse at night. Mechanical problems magically intensify in the dark but, again, the key is to stop, think, and analyze before you act.

Manage your perception of the event.

Build Your Muscle Memory

You can greatly improve your chances of a safe outcome if you plan and memorize proper reactions to an unexpected event. Success may depend on how well you are prepared.

Take out the aircraft’s pilot operating handbook (POH) and review the Emergency and Abnormal Checklist (EAC). If unexpected events occur close to the ground or during a transition phase, there isn’t much time to use a checklist. Memorize the steps for each emergency so you can react quickly and effectively. Since the startle effect can cause a delay, you need to have procedures already set in your muscle memory so you can act to do the right thing without losing much time or altitude.

For abnormal events that are not immediately life threatening, you have time to consult the checklist. But it’s still a great idea to familiarize yourself with those procedures. Take a look at the Checklist column in this issue for more on emergency checklists.

Drill and Practice

Practice can improve reaction time and help manage the startle effect. In a safe environment, train and memorize your response to unexpected events. Review “what if” scenarios in your head and know your personal minimums by heart. Visualize a situation and say aloud what you will do. Reach out and touch the control or instrument you just mentioned — the more senses you engage, the better you will remember. Mental drills in a non-stressful environment (like your favorite chair at home, or for added realism, your airplane while parked safely on the ground) will help you develop a pre-planned course of action and test your mastery of abnormal and emergency checklists. “Table talking” through potential emergency scenarios with other pilots, at your aircraft type club for example, is another good idea. You can also hire an instructor to help you train. Comprehensive upset recovery training by a qualified training provider can build confidence and enhance aircraft control in unexpected situations.

Flight simulation is another great preparation tool. For example, a qualified instructor can simulate the experience of an engine failure after takeoff, or let you practice dealing with an electrical failure. Flight simulation software on your home computer or electronic device can also help. One of the biggest benefits of such practice is learning to overcome the natural, and human “this can’t be happening to me” effect.

To test new and/or revised procedures, hire a flight instructor and practice on a training flight. If you sign up for the WINGS pilot proficiency program, those hours can count toward a WINGS phase.

Practice both power-on and power-off stalls with a flight instructor to understand flight scenarios in which a stall could occur and sharpen your recovery technique. An added benefit is becoming familiar with the range of stall warnings.

Looking Ahead

The FAA’s Center of Excellence (COE) Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sustainability — PEGASAS — is researching the types of problem solving and decision-making skills that pilots should use in unexpected events, and developing procedures for pilots to follow (bit.ly/2O0hrmm).

Almost anything can happen during a flight. But if you prepare in advance to manage the startle response and correctly deal with an unexpected event, you will come out ahead.

TIPS FOR PILOTS

  • Think about abnormal events ahead of time. Practice your plan. Brief your plan prior to takeoff, even when flying solo!
  • Work with a flight instructor to train and plan for emergencies.
  • Review emergency procedures for your aircraft on a regular basis — don’t wait until you need a Flight Review.
  • Sit in your aircraft or a properly equipped Aviation Training Device and practice abnormal and emergency procedures, touch the controls, and visualize your aircraft’s cockpit.
  • Review and practice “what if” scenarios.
  • Vocalize takeoff, approach, and landing expectations: aircraft configuration, airspeed, altitude, and route emergency options.
  • Sign up for the WINGS Pilot Proficiency program. Your hours with your flight instructor count toward a WINGS level!

Learn More

Jennifer Caron is FAA Safety Briefing’s copy editor and quality assurance lead. She is a certified technical writer-editor in aviation safety and flight standards.

This article was originally published in the September/October 2019 issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine.
Created By
FAA Safety Team
Appreciate

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a copyright violation, please follow the DMCA section in the Terms of Use.