The aim of this study was to provide information to the flying community concerning those common errors they perceived to be most detrimental to flight safety. The ATSB sent the 'Aviation Industry Safety Survey' to 5000 commercial pilots throughout Australia in November 2003. The survey asked pilots about their safety experiences during the previous year and to report the most serious error they made or saw during that time. They were also asked to describe briefly what they thought were the main factors contributing to the error and how the situation was recovered. Demographic information concerning pilot age, highest licence qualification held, and type of aircraft flown (rotary or fixed wing) was obtained. Pilots were grouped according to the flying category they most frequently worked in the 12 months preceding the survey: regular public transport, charter, aerial work or private operations. Slight differences were evident among the four flight categories with regard to each of the demographic groups.