I think Paul Bertorelly hits the nail pretty good (as usual). Simply getting our heads out of our a$$es helps tremendously 
I keep a list on my phone titled „GA fails“ where I note down my f—k ups and some keywords. It’s a long list!
Highlights of recent times:
Ferried a plane on short notice, didn’t realize it had two static port plug-sticks and happily flew with one still inserted. It was still there after landing.
Forgot Stratux on roof and blew it off during engine start.
I now do a final, slow, focused walkaround and „squat check“ (squat down, look at plane carefully) as last thing before getting aboard.
LeSving wrote:
Simply getting our heads out of our a$$es helps tremendously
Yes. I never thought I was invincible, though after a failed routing training flight, during which I took my eye off my student at the wrong time, and woke up in hospital four days later, I’ve been getting more risk adverse – so head out of a$$ as much as I can!
Simply getting our heads out of our a$$es helps tremendously
That is not a procedure or technique at least you can’t test it objectively, here is a better one “don’t crash”
Don’t do low level aerobatics
Flying the unofficial VOR approach at Goodwood, the NDB/DME at welshpool or the NDB/DME at halfpenny green is far saver than scud running.
Ibra wrote:
That is not a procedure or technique at least you can’t test it objectively,
Agreed! A very colloquial expression of a person who is resistant to applying good judgement and skill, and following good practices. More to the point, a person who personally has been normalizing their deviation from the good practice that they were taught in their initial pilot training, and is resistant to to being told so.
I’ve certainly had many occasions while flying, when I’ve said to myself: “I’m about to do something unusual, what additional safety measures will I apply to make this unusual action safe?”.
As with most things in life, admitting that you have a problem, is the first step!
here is a better one “don’t crash”
It’s very much the same as “don’t stall when turning base” as Paul B is talking about. According to him, all the acres of forest used to make the paper to write about that, including every single accident report, have not made even a tiny dent in the statistics This also includes every AOA display that has been installed in GA aircrafts.
Yet, all it takes is to get our heads out of our behinds Still, here we are discussing accident reports.
IMO lots of us are indeed capable of getting hour heads at the right place, at least more than others. Maybe this is because we know from experience that this sort of things can easily happen to us if we start letting it slip. While the ones who crash and burn only were unlucky with the first defining experience, when the rest got lucky? Who knows?
