I know an Air Traffic Controller that has been working at Palomar for over a decade. She states that most of the accidents occur because the pilots (usually private pilots, not commercial) don’t follow the instructions given by the Controllers. For example, she states that when a plane is going awry the pilot is instructed to do something (I cannot remember what–sorry) and oftentimes, they believe what they feel, rather than what the instruments read. According to her, the private pilots also have a higher degree of arrogance and don’t want to follow the directions of the Controllers. Maybe, the pilot in this thread can comment on this?
