One of the courses I’m taking this semester is Cockpit and Crew Resource Management. It deals with communication and utilization of all resources by the cabin crew.

We were shown a video today in class to highlight the importance of following procedure. The captain and flight engineer were old buddies and had flown together before. The first-officer, however, was new to the game. They prepared for approach, and the captain was very slow and nonresponsive. The first officer immediately noticed that they were below the glidepath. He pointed it out to the captain. At this time, the engineer asks the captain, “Hey Jim, what’s the difference between a first officer and a duck?” The pilot seemed to think about it for a few seconds and then said, “I don’t know. What is it?” The engineer then replies with a smirk on his face, “Well, a duck can fly”. They both giggle about it in front of the first officer. The aim of this joke was to put the first officer back in place. They wanted to show him who was in charge.

The plane crashed a few minutes later due to an unstabilized initial approach. The first officer’s last words as recorded on tape were, “I told you so Jim”.