Avoiding Accidents on the Road to Abilene

The saying all to say GO – 1 to say NO is a well-known slogan for HAA crews to use as a means of expressing how everyone on the crew has a say in whether to take a flight or not. But how does someone speak up if they feel they can’t or are not willing to speak up for any number of personal and organizational reasons? With increasing risks, fear and stress, both personal and organizational pressure to fly increases. When that happens, this well-known HAA crew saying might instead turn into the far more dangerous “ALL say GO, Because NO-ONE said NO” due to something called the “Abilene Paradox”. Whether in the helicopter, the emergency department, the office or at home, the Abilene paradox can lead to annoying, time consuming, and in the world of HAA, disastrous results for teams, crews, patients, or bystanders. Learn how you may have the best right answer to stop a tragedy by speaking up. Bring your smart phone and participate in live polling that we will compare to results from previous AMTC and HAI Heli-Expo classes.