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short of the runway. The crew executed a missed approach and landed uneventfully at an alternate airport. The NTSB found that the crew did not adequately review the approach chart. The First Officer (pilot not flying) misidentified lights on the ground, which influenced the captain’s subsequent misidentification (of highway lights for the runway environment).This was another case of confirmation bias, in this event the captain’s willingness to believe that lights not aligned with the runway were the runway lights he was looking for. The point is that even high time professional airline crews can fall victim to confirmation bias. That, in turn, “confirms” that single- pilot operators need to actively work to avoid it as well.Beating confirmation biasYou can beat confirmation bias by employing a little healthy skepticismwhen briefing yourself for an approach (or a visual night landing). Check what pattern of approach and runway lights you’ll see when you first have visual contact, from the Airport/Facility Directory, airnav.com or similar sources, and on the airport view of instrument approach charts (figure 1). Compare the pattern to published examples (figure 2), and finally the runway stripes you expect to see (figure 3).On final approach, watch for the specific patterns and make these callouts to yourself as you progress down final. Say them aloud; there is strong evidence that speaking aloud supports good operating technique:“I have the approach lights in sight.”“I have the runway edge lights in sight.”“I have the runway markings in sight” (this may not occur until your landing light illuminates theHartzell Engine Half Page 4/C Adpavement, or not at all if the runway is covered in snow).“Runway in sight, landing.”It’s not enough to see lights at the Missed Approach Point; you need to see the correct lights. If you don’t see the expected sequence of lights and markings on short final, miss the approach and climb out safely to try again or go to an alternate. If the runway lights or markings are minimal, don’t combine low-light and poor visibility conditions–wait for the sun to come up or the weather to improve, or go land somewhere else. Don’t just think you see the runway. You’ve got to know you see it. T&T•Thomas P. Turner is an ATP CFII/MEI, holds a Masters De- gree in Aviation Safety, and was the 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. Subscribe to Tom’s free FLYING LESSONS Weekly e-newsletter at www.mastery-flight-training.com.DECEMBER 2015TWIN & TURBINE • 21