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Graphic of “Failure to Follow Procedures” written in a notebook.

[Speaker]

One of the most famous events with Failure to Follow Procedures implications actually happened over a century ago.

Graphic of the Titanic.

[Speaker]

You’ve heard of the Titanic, but did you know that, if procedures were followed, the infamous event may never have happened?

Graphic of the Titanic during construction.

[Speaker]

During construction, there was an effort to build larger and faster ships to increase the ship maker’s return on investment.

Graphic of the deck of the Titanic with crew members.

[Speaker]

Because the maiden voyage started behind schedule, the Captain, the ship designer, and the crew were in a “hurry-up” mode.

Graphic of an iceberg at night.

[Speaker]

Stories and movies based on the tale of the “unsinkable” ship leave the impression that the iceberg came out of nowhere.

Graphic of the ocean at night.

[Speaker]

The night of the event was calm, and the moon was new, causing visibility problems.

Graphic of the Titanic in motion.

[Speaker]

However, the ship stayed near its maximum speed, a little over 21 knots.

Graphic of telegraph operators.

[Speaker]

Earlier that day, the captain was notified, per procedures, by the telegraph operators that other ships were seeing many icebergs.

Graphic of a map of the Titanic’s course.

[Speaker]

The Titanic’s course was diverted about 16 miles south of the normal shipping route.

Graphic of telegraph operators.

[Speaker]

Later in the afternoon, the telegraph operators received additional messages, but were “too busy” to give the messages to the Captain.

Graphic of telegraph operators with stacks of paper beside them.

[Speaker]

At 10 pm, more warnings arrived and failed to make it to the Captain.

Graphic of the Titanic near an iceberg.

[Speaker]

When the iceberg came into view, there was no time to avoid it. Five of the watertight compartments were breached.

Graphic of the hull of the Titanic.

[Speaker]

The ship couldn’t survive more than four of the compartments being flooded.

Graphic of glamorous people in a lounge.

 

[Speaker]

Earlier that day, the Captain chose to forgo a required lifeboat safety drill to ensure the comfort of the first-class passengers.

Graphic of an early 20th century lifeboat.

[Speaker]

This led to a hectic scene when the lifeboats were needed. Some lifeboats went out with as little as 27 passengers, even though they had the capacity to hold 65 people.

Graphic of the Titanic, sinking

[Speaker]

In the end, there were 500 empty spaces on lifeboats, and 1,500 people were dead.

Graphic collage of crew members on a ship looking busy, telegraph operators, and an early 20th century lifeboat.

[Speaker]

If the crew hadn't been in "hurry-up" mode, or if all of the iceberg warnings had made it to the Captain, or even if lifeboat procedures were followed, things may have turned out much differently and many lives could have been saved.

Graphic collage of the Titanic and an aircraft.

[Speaker]

While the Titanic was an ocean liner, the safety risks of FFP remain the same when it comes to aircraft.