New To The Airplane

Even relatively simple airplanes, those with welded-down landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller, can have complicated systems. Most of the time, everything works as intended by the manufacturer and all is well. On rare occasions, however, equipment failures occur. When that happens, its easy to say that excellent systems knowledge will save the day. The reality is somewhat different, and pilots often do not have the time or third hand with which to look up systems information in the airplanes documentation.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, October 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The accident was primarily caused by the pilot's unintentional misuse of the control yoke while the autopilot was engaged, which activated the autotrim system to a full airplane-nose-up position.
The pilot's unfamiliarity with the aircraft's electrical and autopilot systems, including the correct emergency procedures and identification of crucial switches, prevented a timely resolution of the control issue.
Compounding the mis-trim problem, the pilot reduced engine power during the emergency, leading to a critical loss of airspeed and an aerodynamic stall, ultimately resulting in the crash.

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Even relatively simple airplanes, those with welded-down landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller, can have complicated systems. Most of the time, everything works as intended by the manufacturer and all is well. On rare occasions, however, equipment failures occur. When that happens, it’s easy to say that excellent systems knowledge will save the day. The reality is somewhat different, and pilots often do not have the time or third hand with which to look up systems information in the airplane’s documentation.

As complexities increase, our knowledge of the airpane’s systems needs to increase accordingly. And as the level of cockpit automation grows, pilots may need regular refresher training to ensure they can resolve equipment failures in a timely manner. As we will learn, the need to understand an aircraft’s systems can be greatest when we first step aboard.