Ace the 2026 AAAE CM Module 4 Exam – Soar to Certification Success!

Crises can originate when someone in the organization makes decisions without fully grasping all factors at play. When an airport employee or sponsor underestimates the total complexity of a situation, the actions taken—though perhaps intended to help—can worsen the problem and trigger a crisis. This type is best described as crises caused by improper decisions because the root cause is human judgment and decision quality, not an external event or a purely technical failure.

External PR campaigns concern how a situation is communicated and managed publicly, not the underlying decision quality. Mechanical failures are breakdowns in equipment, and weather events are natural conditions—all externalities that aren’t about someone's misreading of complexity. The scenario specifically points to decision-making itself as the trigger.