Flying in a Thunderstorm

Pilots get a pass for confessing to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, while the private sector (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), not the U.S. government, maintains one of the largest online repositories of NTSB accident documents. Theres no shortage of lessons to be learned and a great culture of diffusing this hard-won wisdom. So, lets delve into a few randomly selected NTSB accident reports, supplemented by any available press stories.

Tim Vasquez

Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Even seemingly "weak" or distant thunderstorms pose significant dangers to aircraft, with gust fronts, outflow boundaries, and wind shear capable of causing fatal accidents.
The "avoid thunderstorms by 20 nautical miles" rule is paramount, as pilots in the discussed accidents encountered severe turbulence and loss of control even when not flying directly into the heaviest rain.
Pilots, regardless of experience, must exercise extreme caution, respect weather warnings, and avoid "get-there-itis" when thunderstorms are in the vicinity, as exemplified by the tragic outcomes of insufficient weather planning or close proximity to storm activity.

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There’s an ancient quote that says “wise men learn from their mistakes, but wiser men learn from the mistakes of others.” There is probably no industry or profession where this is more true than in American aviation.

Pilots get a pass for confessing to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, while the private sector (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), not the U.S. government, maintains one of the largest online repositories of NTSB accident documents. There’s no shortage of lessons to be learned and a great culture of diffusing this hard-won wisdom.