Decision Making Under Extreme Pressure: Lessons Learned from Pilots in Crisis

Controlled Flight Into Terrain is an interesting book containing case studies of poor decisions made by pilots under extreme pressure. CFIT is an accident in which an otherwise serviceable aircraft, under the control of the crew, is flown (unintentionally) into terrain, obstacles, or water, with no prior awareness on the part of the crew of the impending collision. Based on three CFIT case studies, Lee examines what mistakes the crew made, why their decisions seemed correct at the time, and the forces operating on the decision making process. Then he takes those discoveries and applies them to our world of software development. Some learnings include consider entering a holding pattern, have a Plan B ready, beware of the loss of situational awareness, trust your co-workers but not too much, be aware of time dilation, and other key ideas.