If you are not an aviation professional, you may not be familiar with the term pilot deviation (PD). Basically, if air traffic control (ATC) calls a pilot on the radio in flight and asks them to “copy a phone number,” that is equivalent to seeing sirens flash in your rearview mirror on the highway. The pilot may be facing a violation of aviation regulations due to a mistake that requires investigation.
It is unlikely that the air crew will be arrested after they land, but it is the start of a process that could lead to serious consequences for their pilot certificates and professional careers. The call will usually be between the pilot and an ATC supervisor or manager to discuss the incident that occurred in flight. The discussion might be a simple instructional lecture, or it could be escalated to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for formal action.
Getting The Call
There are several different types of deviations that a pilot can commit in flight that would result in follow-up by ATC or the FAA after landing. The mistakes that a pilot can make range from mishandling of the aircraft, improperly complying with airspace rules, or simply demonstrating negligence in flight. Common PD examples include:
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Pilot Deviations: |
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Deviating from assigned altitude |
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Penetrating controlled airspace |
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Passing through a temporary flight restriction (TFR) |
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Straying from coarse or heading |
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Flying above the allowed speed limit for an area |
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Operating under visual flight rules (VFR) if conditions dictate instrument flight rules (IFR) |
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Failing to respond to ATC instructions or read back clearance |
In all such cases, the controller is obligated to document the incident and will provide a phone number for the pilot to call after landing to discuss the event on a recorded line. Many violations initiate a formal review process. For commercial pilots, a formal deviation on their record can have a major impact on their employment and future job prospects.
Simply hearing the request to copy down a phone number in flight from ATC creates immediate and significant stress for pilots. They may not be aware of the mistake that they made, and the uncertainty is often described as the aviation business equivalent of hearing your boss say, “we need to talk.”
Safety First And Foremost
In the past, there was a more punitive system that sparked far greater fear among pilots. Over time, the FAA has shifted to a “compliance program,” which prioritizes education and prevention in the case of honest mistakes. Pilots are advised to file a report to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) as part of the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) after any incident.
In many cases, filing an ASRS report to NASA will mitigate penalties, and no further action is pursued to punish the pilot in question. This has also inspired its nickname as a “get out of jail free card.” The primary reason for using a phone number is to have a longer, private conversation off the busy ATC radio frequency, which must be kept clear for immediate flight instructions.
The most common situations for pilot deviations (PDs) generally fall into two broad categories: airborne and surface incidents. The most common mistake is failure to comply with ATC instructions, sometimes as a result of poor situational awareness or distractions in the cockpit. Sometimes, some pilots violate Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), which is like breaking “the rules of the road.”
How Are Pilots Reacting To The Recent High-Profile Safety Incidents?
While customer confidence is lacking, air travel, in general, is relatively safe.
Rules Of The Road
The vast majority of deviations occur in flight, with airborne incidents constituting 77% of the total, while surface deviations account for 23%, according to My CFI Book. Airborne deviations are best described as mishandling the aircraft or failing to operate within airspace limits. Surface deviations are less frequent, but in many cases, far more dangerous, as runway incursions can have deadly consequences. The most critical service deviation is a runway incursion, which occurs when an aircraft enters the surface of the runway without clearance from ATC.
The reasons may be due to miscommunication, lack of familiarity, or distractions during taxing, but ultimately it falls on the pilot to safely operate the plane. More types of surface incidents are crossing a runway hold short line or moving through taxiways without explicit permission from ATC. Still others include when a pilot lands or takes off on the wrong one way, moves through the wrong taxiway, or even lands at the wrong airport. The high-risk nature of operations in the terminal area, aka the airport, makes these mistakes very serious.
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Pilot Deviation Penalty |
Description |
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Remedial Training |
The pilot may be required to undergo additional training with a certified flight instructor (CFI) to correct the deficiency. |
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“709 Ride” Re-examination |
The FAA can require a pilot to take a special flight test, and failing this test can result in the immediate revocation of their pilot certificate. |
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Certificate Suspension |
The FAA may suspend a pilot’s certificate for a specified period during which the pilot is prohibited from exercising their flight privileges. |
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Certificate Revocation |
Revocation is generally reserved for egregious violations, repeated offenses, or situations where the pilot is deemed a direct threat to air safety. |
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Civil Penalties |
The FAA can impose civil penalties, or fines, which can reach up to $50,000 for individuals. |
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Criminal Prosecution |
In extreme cases, such as flying while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a pilot may also face criminal charges |
Altitude violations during IFR flying conditions are common PD incidents. Specifically, climbing or descending without ATC clearance, or failing to maintain the assigned altitude due to distraction or miscommunication, all fall into this category. Exceeding 259 below 10,000 ft is a common IFR deviation as well. deviating from a signed heading or failing to follow an instrument approach procedure are also airborne deviation cases.
Airspace violations can be a very serious infraction, especially for a pilot flying under VFR conditions in the general aviation (GA) segment, but also for commercial pilots. There are also many airspaces that are always off-limits around government facilities, and breaching the area can lead to fighter jets being scrambled to intercept. In this case, there is a very high likelihood of legal penalties, including jail time.
Challenge And Verify
Although only one pilot is usually at the controls, the non-flying pilot constantly cross-checks the actions and decisions of the pilot on the stick. This high level of vigilance ensures that even the smallest error or mistake is prevented before it can have an impact on flying the airplane. The crew continuously checks instruments, navigation, and ATC communications between each other to ensure everything matches at all times.
During critical phases of flight, such as taxiing, take off, or landing, all non-essential conversation stops in the cockpit. Generally speaking, flying under 10,000 ft is also considered a critical phase of flight when the cockpit environment needs to be in a sterile condition. What that means is the aircrew are completely focused on operating the aircraft and communicating with ATC because distractions can have very dangerous consequences.
Crew members explicitly state their actions and any concerns they have. Using phrases like, “I’m about to cross the hold short line, is that correct?” to ensure that no avoidable mistakes are made. All ATC clearances are read back verbatim to confirm understanding as a form of “closed loop” communication that is fundamental to the error-checking system in aviation.
The “Five-Finger,” or “Pointing Method,” is when pilots physically point to hold short lines or the next turnpoint on an airport diagram in the surface environment. The physical act is intended to reinforce the correct steps between crew members and reduce the chance of a runway incursion.
Is Turbulence Becoming More Of An Issue In Aviation?
What are your perceptions of turbulence as an airline passenger? The ‘t-word’ is something that has seemingly become an increasingly hot topic in the world of commercial aviation in recent years, with some research suggesting that climate change is worsening the phenomenon.
While air travel is inherently extremely safe, the risks of turbulence can’t be discounted. While I’ve never experienced anything too serious, I would say that, in general, my flights in the last few years have had more lumps and bumps than those before them.
With that being said, research into turbulence from airlines and manufacturers has never been so advanced. As such, while I would say that turbulence is becoming more of an issue, this is somewhat offset by greater efforts to either combat it or avoid it completely. What do you think? Have you had any particularly bumpy flights of late? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Autopilot Takes Backseat
Pilots are not passive while the autopilot (or Flight Management System, FMS) is engaged. They are actively managing the entire flight operation. Autopilot is a tool to assist pilots, not a replacement for human judgment and skill. The safe use of autopilot on commercial airliners relies heavily on the active participation of the flight crew through continuous monitoring, timely updates, and coordination with ATC.
The flight crew constantly scans instruments, displays, and the environment outside the window. This ensures the aircraft’s response matches the automation’s settings and the flight plan. Load awareness is also when the aircrew are checking and confirming that the autopilot is set to the correct mode for the situation, such as holding altitude, following heading, or capturing glideslope.
There has always been a high level of awareness that over-reliance on autopilot can lead to pilot skill degradation and increase accident rates. The National Business Aviation Association published a story back in 2013 covering an s for operators (SAFO) that stated:
“Autoflight systems are useful tools for pilots and have improved safety and workload management, and thus enabled more precise operations,” the NBAA explained. “However, continuous use of autoflight systems could lead to degradation of the pilot’s ability to quickly recover the aircraft from an undesired state…unfortunately, continuous use of those systems does not reinforce a pilot’s knowledge and skills in manual flight operations.”
A large part of the issue was that the background control automation was never disclosed to the air crew operating the planes prior to the accidents. Today, aviation remains the safest way to travel. Aircrew remain trained to the highest standards with uncompromising expectations of professionalism and skill to ensure that doesn’t change.
