Pilot Proficiency

Sky Kings: Safety Cause du Jour

Monday, March 13, 2017 at 07:49 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash resulted from pilots incorrectly responding to a stall by applying recovery techniques learned from mandatory training for tailplane icing, which were inapplicable and detrimental to their aircraft type.
The FAA had mandated an outdated "Tailplane Icing" video in pilot training that taught recovery procedures directly contrary to standard stall recovery for the Q400, a dangerous flaw the agency later acknowledged and corrected.
The article argues that governmental "zeal" in aviation safety, exemplified by the inappropriate training video and other policy changes, often leads to unintended, counterproductive, and potentially dangerous consequences.

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Martha King and John King take turns writing Sky Kings. They have shared flying and teaching aviation for more than 50 years.