Affirmative Action Quotas in Question as Female, Minority Pilots Caused Half of Pilot-Error Crashes
Daniel Huff, a former White House lawyer, argued in a recent opinion piece that diversity and inclusion efforts in the airline industry may be affecting passenger safety.
Writing for the New York Post, Huff said President Donald Trump was justified in rolling back diversity initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration, contending that hiring and training policies should be based strictly on merit.
Huff cited what he described as a small number of pilot-error crashes since 2000 and claimed that women and minority pilots were involved in a disproportionate share of those incidents. He acknowledged the limited sample size but wrote that, because aviation accidents are rare, examining who was in control during those events is important when evaluating hiring and training practices.
He added that, in his view, pressure to meet diversity goals can sometimes lead airlines to relax standards in order to fill quotas. Huff wrote that this, rather than inherent ability, is what he believes may create risks.
As an example, Huff pointed to the 2019 Atlas Air crash, discussing the background and training record of the pilot involved. He argued that warning signs during simulator training were not adequately addressed and suggested that similar issues may occur without public awareness because training problems and near-misses are often handled internally.
Huff also wrote that some incidents may later be attributed to factors such as mechanical failure or staffing shortages, rather than scrutinizing training and performance. He said that while the Trump administration has emphasized merit-based hiring across aviation roles, several major airlines continue to publicly prioritize diversity initiatives.
He referenced statements from airline executives, including a senior Delta official who said in early 2025 that diversity remains “critical” to the company’s business. He also noted that United Airlines has expressed a goal of having half of its training graduates be women or minorities, and that Southwest continues to promote building a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Huff concluded by arguing that airlines have a responsibility to put passenger safety above all other considerations and called for stronger federal enforcement of merit-focused hiring standards.
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