For example, fatigue has no place in the cockpit, yet many pilots fly without regard to the length of their day or the need for rest. Fatigue itself can be the cause of an accident or it can contribute to a pilot's failure to act reasonably when a system failure or emergency situation exists. In either case the results are not to our liking. To be sure there are other physiological afflictions such as hypoxia, stress, illness, and physical conditioning. Pilots must train to recognize physiological symptoms and remain out of the cockpit when they are suffering from any of them.
Personality traits are liable to lead to other preventable accidents.
Too often pilots fail to recognize the change of attitude that is needed when one straps himself or herself into the cockpit. Flying an airplane requires much more mental activity than most things we do. The pilot must be constantly aware of what is going on inside and outside of the cockpit. Those who take risks on the ground are likely to do the same in the air. But anytime the safety of flight is disregarded for any reason, the mental acuity must be even sharper if an accident is to be prevented.