What is ADM + the decision models

ADM: the #1 safety skill

Definition

Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) is a systematic approach to the mental process pilots use to consistently determine the best course of action for a given set of circumstances. It is the discipline of making good decisions and managing risk — the skill that keeps a legal, airworthy airplane safe.

Explanation

Flying the airplane is only half the job. The other half is deciding — whether to go, when to divert, how to manage a problem. That’s ADM, and it’s trainable.

ADM	What it is
ADM is	A systematic approach to deciding the best course of action — the discipline of good decisions and risk management.
ADM isn’t	Just stick-and-rudder skill. A legal, airworthy airplane still needs good decisions to stay safe.
Why it matters	The large majority of GA accidents come from human factors — decisions — not mechanical failure.

Why it matters

The large majority of general-aviation accidents trace to human factors — decisions — not mechanical failure. Stick-and-rudder keeps you flying; ADM keeps you alive.

Common error

Pilots equate skill with hands-and-feet ability and neglect decision-making — which is what actually causes most accidents.

What is behind most general-aviation accidents?

PHAK ch. 2 — Aeronautical Decision-Making

The accident chain

Definition

Accidents almost never have a single cause. They are a chain of small links — a late start, marginal weather, a skipped checklist item, a little get-there-itis — each nearly harmless alone but deadly in series. Break any one link and the accident doesn’t happen. The safe pilot notices a link forming and breaks the chain early.

Explanation

Look back at almost any accident and you find five or six small things that lined up. Fix any one of them and the outcome changes.

An accident chain	Break any one link
Link 1 — late start	Rushed and behind schedule.
Link 2 — marginal weather	Ceilings lower than planned, pressing on.
Link 3 — skipped items	A hurried preflight or checklist.
Link 4 — get-there-itis	‘I have to make it’ overrides good judgment.
Break the chain	Catch and break ANY single link — and the accident doesn’t happen.

Why it matters

You rarely face one big decision; you face a series of small ones. Catching an early link is far easier than recovering from the last.

Common error

Looking for the single ‘root cause’ — accidents are usually a chain, and any link breaks it.

To prevent an accident described by the error chain, how many links must you break?

PHAK ch. 2 — The error chain

The 3P model — Perceive, Process, Perform

Definition

The FAA’s practical, everyday model runs as a continuous loop: Perceive the hazards (what could hurt you — use the PAVE checklist, M8.3), Process the level of risk (how likely, and how bad), and Perform the risk management (do something — eliminate, mitigate, or accept it). Then start over.

Explanation

Perceive, process, perform — it’s deliberately short so you can actually run it in the cockpit, over and over as things change.

3P (a continuous loop)	What you do
Perceive	Spot the hazards — what could hurt you. Use the PAVE checklist (M8.3).
Process	Judge the risk — how likely, and how bad.
Perform	Do something about it — eliminate, mitigate, or accept it.
…then repeat	3P runs continuously — perceive, process, perform, again.

Why it matters

3P is simple enough to actually use in flight — perceive, process, perform, repeat. Its Perceive step is where the PAVE checklist (M8.3) does the work.

Common error

Treating 3P as a one-time preflight step instead of a loop you run continuously.

The three steps of the FAA’s 3P model are:

PHAK ch. 2 — The 3P model

The DECIDE model

Definition

The classic six-step decision loop: Detect a change, Estimate the need to react, Choose a desirable outcome, Identify actions to control it, Do (take action), and Evaluate the effect. Like 3P, it is a continuous loop — you keep cycling as the situation evolves.

Explanation

DECIDE makes each step explicit so you don’t skip one under pressure — especially ‘Evaluate,’ the step that closes the loop.

DECIDE (a continuous loop)	The step
D — Detect	Notice that something has changed.
E — Estimate	Estimate the need to react to the change.
C — Choose	Choose a desirable outcome.
I — Identify	Identify actions to control the change.
D — Do	Take the action.
E — Evaluate	Evaluate the effect — then loop back and keep going.

Why it matters

DECIDE is the structured version examiners ask about; making the steps explicit keeps you from skipping one under pressure.

Common error

Forgetting the final ‘Evaluate’ — acting once and assuming it worked instead of closing the loop.

In the DECIDE model, what does the final ‘E’ stand for?

Mnemonic

DECIDE

Detect — notice a change
Estimate — the need to react
Choose — a desirable outcome
Identify — actions to control it
Do — take the action
Evaluate — the effect, then repeat

A loop, not a checklist — run it again as things change.

A DPE might ask

Walk me through the DECIDE model.
What’s the difference between DECIDE and the 3P model?

PHAK ch. 2 — The DECIDE model

Two models, one habit

Definition

3P and DECIDE are not competitors — they are two tools for the same job. Use 3P in the airplane because it’s fast; know DECIDE for the oral and when you want a deliberate step-by-step process. Both are continuous loops, not one-time choices. Example: the weather ahead is worse than forecast — detect/perceive it, assess the risk, choose and act (divert), then re-evaluate.

Explanation

Whichever model you use, the habit is the same: decide deliberately, act, and then check the result — continuously.

3P	DECIDE
Perceive / Process	Detect / Estimate / Choose
Perform	Identify / Do
Repeat (loop)	Evaluate, then repeat (loop)
Fast — use in the airplane	Deliberate — know it for the oral

Why it matters

The point isn’t the acronym — it’s the habit of deciding deliberately and continuously instead of drifting into trouble.

Common error

Thinking ADM is a single go/no-go decision made once before the flight.

ADM decision models are best described as:

PHAK ch. 2 — Applying the models

ADM is continuous — and here’s the toolkit

Definition

ADM isn’t a single go/no-go at the hangar; it’s a continuous discipline from planning through shutdown. The rest of Module 8 supplies the inputs the models need: the hazardous attitudes that sabotage good decisions (M8.2), how to identify, assess, and mitigate risk with PAVE and the risk matrix (M8.3), your personal fitness with IMSAFE (M8.4), and using every resource with SRM (M8.5).

Explanation

A decision model is only as good as what you feed it. The next four lessons are the inputs: attitudes, risk factors, fitness, and resources.

The rest of Module 8	The tool it gives you
M8.2 — Hazardous attitudes	The mindsets that sabotage good decisions — and their antidotes.
M8.3 — Risk management	PAVE + the risk matrix: identify, assess, and mitigate risk.
M8.4 — Fitness to fly	IMSAFE + external pressures: are YOU fit for this flight?
M8.5 — SRM	Use every resource — the 5 P’s, situational awareness, workload.

Why it matters

A model is only as good as its inputs — attitudes, risk factors, fitness, and resources — which is exactly what the rest of this module builds.

Common error

Believing ADM ends once you’ve decided to go — it continues through the whole flight.

When does ADM happen?

PHAK ch. 2 — Risk management overview