Abstract for: Trading Altitude for Answers: A System Dynamics View of Pilot Decision-Making in Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) remains a leading cause of aviation fatalities, traditionally attributed to "human error." However, this label fails to address why highly trained pilots make fatal decisions. This research utilizes System Dynamics to model the cockpit as a complex system of coupled energy stocks, information feedback loops, and psychological pressures, revealing how corrupted mental models and mission-driven biases systematically override safety protocols in high-stakes environments. This research integrates Newtonian physics with behavioral psychology through a System Dynamics framework. By modeling altitude and airspeed as coupled energy stocks, the study maps how sensory feedback and mental models interact with the pilot’s decision-making process. Through comparative case study analysis, the model demonstrates how exogenous mission pressures and endogenous information delays create "decision traps," providing a structural explanation for accidents traditionally dismissed as simple human error. The model demonstrates that CFIT is rarely the result of a single mistake, but rather a structural failure of feedback. Results show that when "Mission Pressure" increases, it non-linearly suppresses the "Willingness to Avoid" variable, allowing pilots to tolerate dangerously low energy stocks. Furthermore, the work reveals that biasing mental models creates a terminal disconnect where technology-based safety warnings are ignored in favor of corrupted internal perceptions. This work demonstrates that System Dynamics provides a rigorous framework for understanding the "why" behind CFIT accidents. By formalizing the relationship between physical energy states and psychological pressures, we provide a clearer diagnostic lens for accident investigation. This approach moves beyond simple labels of human error, revealing the underlying structural reasons why experienced pilots lose situational awareness and fail to respond to safety warnings.