Future time perspective and incident involvement among civil pilots: the mediating role of vocational calling and the moderating role of perceived organizational support

<i>Objectives.</i> Incident involvement among pilots has been a major human factor safety concern. Enhancing safety by reducing accidents and improving pilot behaviour is vital for aviation safety. Future time perspective (FTP) has been found to be a protective factor in safety behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of FTP on safe flight performance and the underlying mechanisms. <i>Methods.</i> The model was examined with 514 Chinese civil pilots; the participants completed measurements regarding FTP, vocational calling, perceived organizational support (POS) and incident involvement. <i>Results.</i> The correlation analyses indicated that FTP was significantly negatively associated with pilot incident involvement, and POS was significantly negatively associated with pilot incident involvement. Mediation analyses revealed that vocational calling partially mediated the link between FTP and pilot incident involvement. Moderated mediation further indicated that POS moderated the negative mediation path of FTP on pilot incident involvement. <i>Conclusion.</i> This study reveals the mechanism of FTP in the maintenance of flight safety, which enriches the research system of human error prevention research, and provides certain suggestions for aviation safety culture.