Affirmative Action Quotas in Question as Female, Minority Pilots Caused Half of Pilot-Error Crashes
Daniel Huff, a former White House lawyer, noted in a recent analysis that the drive toward diversity and inclusion in the airline industry has put passengers at risk.
In an article for the New York Post, Huff wrote that President Donald Trump was right to rescind diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration.
That’s because female and minority pilots — many of whom entered the industry amid a drive toward diversity among pilots — were responsible for half of pilot-error crashes.
Despite making up 10 percent of pilots, they were responsible for four out of eight such crashes since 2000.
“The sample size is small,” Huff wrote. “But precisely because crashes are so rare, the few times they occur it’s important to scrutinize who is at the controls; under DEI’s guiding principle of relying on statistical disparities, it’s certainly enough to raise questions.”
“It’s not that women and minorities are inherently unable to fly planes, but in practice, pressure for affirmative action too often leads airlines to lower their standards to meet quotas,” Huff added.
The attorney referenced the 2019 Atlas Air Crash as an example.
Conrad Aska, a black pilot, “panicked after accidentally initiating a go-around procedure and flew the plane into the ground,” Huff wrote.
There were signs that such behaviors were a risk even as he was training.
In simulator exercises, he would “get extremely flustered and could not respond appropriately.”
Even worse, not all diversity-driven safety incidents even reach the public eye.
“Most diversity disasters leave far-from-complete paper trails. Training failures happen behind closed doors. Near-misses can go unreported,” Huff wrote.
“Crashes can be blamed on mechanical failure, understaffing or other politically acceptable causes.”
Despite Trump’s moves to encourage merit-based hiring of pilots and other air travel personnel, major carriers insist on prioritizing diversity.
A senior Delta executive said in January 2025 that the firm is “steadfast” with respect to diversity, which is “critical to our business.”
United wants half of graduates to be women or minorities, while Southwest still commits to “recruit, hire, and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce.”
Huff contended that “airlines have a moral duty to put passenger safety first.”
“Since they lack the courage, the administration needs a strong enforcer to impose merit-first hiring before the next crash,” he advised.
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