MusDg

Obviously being truthful is the best action but what is the best way to approach an accident on your record during an interview?

For others interested in the subject matter behind the accident feel free to send me a message and we can go in to further detail.

rickair7777

An accident will have an impact, but it depends on several factors:

Your level of fault in the accident: The NTSB will almost always lay some blame on the pilot. This is normal, and potential employers understand that you could have conducted a business-as-usual flight and still gotten caught up in events. However...if you had a high level of fault due to gross negligence, recklessness or bad judgement you are in a harder spot.

Your attitude towards the event: Take responsibility, tell them what you learned and move on. DO NOT blame others or "circumstances" unless the NTSB cleared you 100%. There is plenty of info out there on how to address adverse history in an interview...read up on it.

Time: Time heals most wounds, the more that has passed the better off you will be, especially if you have a good work history.

Severity of the accident: Reality is that emotions play a role here...total loss of hull or severe injury will make things worse in the mind of the interviewer. Also an employer might be concerned about how a past accident will look on the off chance you are involved in an incident with the new employer...it would not look good in the media if they had hired a pilot with a colorful history.

Pmail me some details and I'll try to give you an estimate as to where you stand.

floridaCFII

Good advice from rickair... also make sure you know the difference between an "accident" and an "incident". Make sure you know which term applies to whatever you were involved with.

Neither one of them is good, but an incident (I would imagine... someone please correct me if I'm wrong), will be much easier to forgive as long as you still take responsibility and explain where you went wrong and what steps you have taken to correct your errors.

Lori Clark

MusDg-

Good advice here from Rick and floridaCFII.

Accidents and incidents do raise eyebrows in an interview. So prepare yourself in advance to discuss.
Without knowing the details of the accident it is very difficult to give quality advice. so, in general... you'll want to prepare yourself with:

Get a copy of the NTSB report if you don't have one already, know what facts exist on paper. Have it with you at the interview to provide to the interviewers.

Be ready to explain exactly what happened. Walk the interviewers through the entire flight explaining in FACTUAL terms only. Like Rick said, take ownership, responsibility and accountability for your actions. DO NOT tell the interviewers what conclusion to make - let them come to their own conclusions. Explain what you have learned since and what you have done to prevent a repeat of the situation.

Rick is absolutely right that time is your friend. The more time between you and the accident, with non-incident flying, the better.

Remember, airlines are most concerned with ROI. Are you a good investment?

Try practicing how you will answer that question with someone who is NOT in aviation. Does your answer make sense to them? This will help you to stay away from any blame issues. Then practice with someone IN aviation - how do they view your role/involvement with the situation?

Hope this helps! Good luck!
Lori