Personal Flyer®

In aviation, startle is not simply being surprised. Surprise is primarily a cognitive response to an unexpected event, while startle is an immediate physiological and neurological reflex triggered by a sudden stimulus.

By Captain Bassani - ATPL/B-727/DC-10/B-767 - Former Senior Aviation Accident Inspector - SIA PT. https://www.personalflyer.com.br - captbassani@gmail.com - May/2026 Image AI We have checklists and QRH procedures for almost every technical malfunction, yet subtle pilot incapacitation and “amygdala hijack” still sit at the fringes of our SOPs. In neuro‑ergonomic terms, this hijack is not a metaphor: it is a measurable shift where the limbic system briefly bypasses the prefront

In aviation, what happens in the real world rarely matches the procedure exactly as it is written.

Inside the cockpit, there is a threat that does not appear on instruments, is not captured in checklists, and does not trigger warnings. It is ego.

In modern aviation, we trust our instruments until they no longer reflect physical reality.

Training pilots today means training the brain that runs the cockpit: cognitive workload, bias, and automation must appear explicitly in simulator briefs, exercises, and debriefs...

On 17 January 2026, TAP Air Portugal flight TP1240, an Airbus A320neo (CS‑TVG) operating from Lisbon to Prague, experienced what Czech authorities have described as one of the most serious safety events at Václav Havel Airport in recent decades.

Even in highly standardized operations, professional pilots remain vulnerable to cognitive biases that distort risk perception and influence critical decisions.

Situational Awareness (SA) is frequently described in oversimplified terms as "knowing what is happening around you."