Ducking Under

A crash occurring during an instrument approach almost always happens because the airplane descends below the published minimum altitude. Its easy for any pilot to say, "Id never do that," and dismiss this brand of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) as a non-hazard...at least for ourselves. True, evidence suggests that some "ducking under" decision height, decision altitude or the minimum descent altitude is intentional-the pilot knowingly flies "just a little bit lower" to try to find the runway in the murk. But ducking under is not always intentional-a conscientious pilot may be susceptible to ducking under in some circumstances. The question is, how can we avoid the traps?

Key Takeaways:

• Crashes during instrument approaches often result from aircraft descending below published minimum altitudes, known as "ducking under," which can be both intentional and unintentional.
• Unintentional "ducking under" is frequently caused by external pressures (like passenger demands or mission fixation), misidentification of visual cues, inadequate preparation, or cumulative minor errors such as incorrect altimeter settings or fatigue.
• Preventing these accidents requires pilots to assert command authority, educate passengers about realistic expectations, conduct thorough approach briefings, and maintain strict procedural discipline during the transition from instrument to visual flight.

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