Night Flying Lessons

Night flying can be just as safe as flying in the daytime-but it isnt. Although accidents are more likely to occur during the daytime, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundations 2007 Nall Report, accidents at night (and in IMC, for that matter) are more likely to be fatal. "Only 19.2 percent of daytime accidents resulted in fatalities, but over one-third (34.6 percent) of all night accidents were fatal." Meanwhile, the same report states, "At night, nearly half of the accidents in VMC conditions were fatal (45.0 percent), compared to nearly three-fourths of night IMC accidents (74.1 percent). Night-flying accidents are generally thought of as being caused by inexperience-by students, or low-time pilots-but nighttime offers an equal opportunity for embarrassment, or worse. Experienced airmen are involved, too.

Key Takeaways:

• Night flying, while potentially as safe as daytime flying, has a significantly higher fatality rate for accidents (over one-third fatal, compared to less than 20% for daytime).
• It requires enhanced pre-flight planning, including meticulous checks of aircraft lighting, careful review of sectional charts for lighted airports and beacons, and a thorough weather briefing, especially regarding temperature/dewpoint spread.
• Pilots must maintain night flying proficiency through practice, be prepared for visual illusions, rely on instrument scanning, plan for higher altitudes and ample fuel reserves, and actively combat fatigue, which is a major safety threat.

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