Loss of Control

Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading killer in GA, with more fatal accidents than the next six causes combined. The Colgan 3407 and Air France 447 crashes brought LOC-I to the forefront. Were forced to ask how we can lose control of perfectly good airplanes. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics identified LOC-I as the most significant cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide.

jmiller

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading cause of fatal General Aviation (GA) accidents, predominantly stemming from pilot-induced "aircraft upset" conditions such as disorientation or improper procedures.
Preventing LOC-I involves using Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRATs) for objective pre-flight decision-making and implementing Threat and Error Management (TEM) systems with robust procedures and checklists.
To mitigate LOC-I, pilots should overlearn stall and unusual attitude recovery in varied, challenging scenarios to counteract stress and the "startle effect," an area of focus for future training and avionics advancements.

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Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading killer in GA, with more fatal accidents than the next six causes combined. The Colgan 3407 and Air France 447 crashes brought LOC-I to the forefront. We’re forced to ask how we can lose control of perfectly good airplanes. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics identified LOC-I as “the most significant cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide.”

General aviation statistics mirror the grim commercial numbers. Preventing LOC-I in GA has been one of the NTSB’s most wanted safety improvements for 2015. Last fall, the agency hosted a symposium to share information and explore ways to mitigate the risk.