A state-of-the-art Navy frigate collides with an oil tanker in clear conditions—so how could no one on board see it coming?

In this episode of How Did It Make Sense?, I sit down with human factors expert Kristian Gould to unpack the second story behind the high-profile 2018 collision of the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad. While the media fixated on blame and human error, Kristian reveals how this incident was anything but a simple mistake. We explore how background lighting, crew experience, shift handovers, communication breakdowns, and even systemic pressures in the Navy created the conditions for disaster. This conversation goes beyond the headlines to challenge the way we think about safety, accountability, and how organisations learn—or fail to learn—from high-consequence events.

If you're interested in decision-making, human performance, and how seemingly obvious failures often have deep-rooted causes, this episode is for you.

Find Kristian Here:

Kristian Gould | LinkedIn

Resources Recommended:

Publications by Gary Kelin

Streetlights and Shadows by Gary Klein

Working Minds by Beth Crandall

Human in the System

Transforming teams. Unlocking human potential.

Using principles from Human Factors (HF), High-Reliability Organisations (HRO), and Human and Organisational Performance (HOP), we develop and deliver highly immersive and impactful programmes using the High-Velocity Learning LAB (HVLL) concept. We give you the know-how, the tools and the support to make results stick and empower your people to achieve the extraordinary. We help you answer the question "How do we uncover those hidden stories in our organisation?"

Contact us here

Remote River Rescue: A Story of Triumph in Tasmania