Weather-related general aviation accidents remain one of the
most significant causes for concern in aviation safety. Previous
studies into the factors associated with weather-related general
aviation occurrences have typically compared accident and
non-accident cases. In contrast, this study does not concentrate on
occurrence outcome. Instead, the emphasis is on the different
behaviours that pilots exhibit in the face of adverse weather and,
by inference, on the decision making processes that underlie those
behaviours. The work of this study is based on a set of 491
aviation accident and incident reports drawn from the Australian
Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) occurrence database. The study
compares three groups of pilots who differed in their response to
adverse weather conditions encountered during their flight.