While this article targets what to do post-crunch, it can’t hurt to think a little about how to avoid having to worry about the whole issue. As briefly and bluntly as possible, if you want to avoid an accident the data clearly show the single most effective way to do so is to take regular recurrent training. Take an hour of dual every six months—it will cut your risk of damaging an airplane substantially. Better still, get involved with and stay current in the FAA WINGS program. The accident rate for pilots who do so is so close to zero; it’s astonishing.
