Documented incidents

Summary

This SKYbrary article catalogs documented aviation incidents where automation dependency contributed to accidents or near-misses, illustrating how over-reliance on automated systems degrades human operator skills and situational awareness. It serves as an empirical reference for understanding the real-world consequences of automation complacency in safety-critical systems. The aviation domain provides concrete case studies relevant to broader discussions of human-AI teaming and skill atrophy.

Key Points

• •Documents real aviation incidents where pilot over-reliance on automation led to reduced manual flying proficiency and poor decision-making during system failures.
• •Illustrates 'automation complacency' — operators trust automated systems so deeply they fail to monitor outputs critically or intervene appropriately.
• •Skill degradation occurs when automation handles routine tasks, leaving humans unprepared to take control in edge cases or emergencies.
• •Provides empirical grounding for human factors concerns about automation, relevant to AI deployment in high-stakes domains beyond aviation.
• •Supports the case for maintaining meaningful human oversight and regular manual-control training even in highly automated environments.