Investigating incident under-reporting in aviation: Qualitative insights among Greek pilots

Abstract

Developing a robust reporting culture is essential in aviation as it facilitates proactive accident prevention. Although pilots' attitudes towards incident reporting have attracted international research interest, similar research in Greece—a member state of ICAO and EASA—remains very limited, leaving the operational, regulatory, and cultural factors influencing Greek pilots' reporting practices largely unexplored. This research utilized qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews (N = 18) with military, commercial and general aviation pilots operating in Greece, to explore their views and attitudes towards incident reporting. A detailed representation of the participants' views was facilitated through Thematic Analysis and certain characteristics of Content analysis based on their narratives. The findings of this study aligned with previous research as fear of blame, stigmatization and career progression concerns were among the most substantial barriers to incident reporting, emphasizing that the under-reporting issue persists. Novel insights included the tendency of participants deriving from the commercial sector to be more willing to report safety events, as a result of their aircraft being fitted with a flight data monitoring device. Additionally, participants viewed high reporting frequency as a practice that could draw organizational attention to them and was therefore perceived as a deterrent. Differences between military, commercial and general aviation participants were minimal, indicating a common attitude towards reporting in all three sectors. Recommendations from participants emphasized fostering a just culture over a blame-centric one, advocating for a trustworthy reporting system where fear of punishment does not deter reporting, and where valuable outcomes are shared to boost motivation and strengthen their reporting culture. It is envisaged that enhanced safety-related education should be fostered among pilots, managers and top executive leadership with special focus on the value of incident reporting so as to maximize the benefits of such systems and minimize under-reporting.