The last day of aircraft recurrent training for airline pilots typically concludes with an evacuation. When conducted in a simulator, the exercise is tightly scripted. The instructor sets up a condition that jeopardizes the occupants and requires the pilot-in-command to make an important decision — leave the aircraft or remain aboard?
The time factor adds complexity. A series of small events that evolve into an emergency provides time for preparation; hence the term “planned evacuation.” Unplanned evacuations require a rapid assessment and instantaneous decision.
In training, experienced pilots have come to anticipate the drill and typically accomplish the required tasks in a precise manner. Few pilots experience an actual evacuation, however.
Because the simulator cannot replicate post-event conditions or unpredictable human behavior, the efficacy of the evacuation can never be assessed. The practical test standard for airline transport pilot certification in the United State…
