Plan Continuation Bias

Pilots call it get-there-itis: the plan was to land at the scheduled airport, and though the weather has turned and the fuel is tight, the plan continues — because it is the plan. A shocking share of crashes are flown into, fully seen, by people executing a decision they made hours ago under different facts.

The psychology: a plan is not just a method; it is a commitment, and abandoning it feels like failure. New information arrives, but the mind discounts it — because admitting the information means admitting the plan, and the planner, were wrong.

Every field has its version. The hike continued into the storm. The merger pursued after the due diligence turned bad. The argument pressed long after you realized you were wrong. The momentum of the decided is one of the strongest forces in human affairs.

Build the counterweight in advance: pre-commit to review points with honest names — "at this fuel level we divert, no discussion." The plan should serve the goal. The moment it starts serving itself, you are no longer flying the plane. The plan is.