Accident Probes

Spin training-instruction in how to enter and recover from spins-used to be part of the private pilot curriculum. It was discontinued a few decades ago, in part because it was blamed for a drop-off in the number of students who completed their training and earned their private certificate. These days, the only required spin training is for the initial flight instructor certificate and one of the most popular line of airplanes-the Cirrus SR20 and SR22-come with an airframe parachute in lieu of demonstrated spin recovery capability.

according to the NTSB, and was forced to ditch the airplane in Seattle’s Elliot Bay, out of gas.

it’s likely you may need to completely rethink when

There are major reasons we need to obtain a pre-flight briefing for all our flights. Airports and airspace are dynamic, and temporary flight restrictions literally can pop up anywhere. Construction, changing operations, available services, closures and, yes, obstructions all compete to materially change conditions from flight to flight, even on the same day. And then theres the weather. The good news is the recent revolution in electronic flight bags (EFBs) means all of the data we need is either in the palm of our hand or within easy reach, even in the cockpit.

the NavWorx ADS600-B may be the least expensive 2020-compliant device on the market.”

A new rule from the FAA on commercial drone operation was published in late June and offers some opportunities for rated pilots who might want to branch out a bit. The good news is the new rules allow even a private pilot to earn some coin by operating a drone without the pesky nuisance of getting a commercial certificate. The great news is it shouldnt cost anything-just some time to go through a training presentation on an FAA web site and then do some online paperwork at another FAA web site.

Failure of a single-engine aircrafts lone powerplant is something students train for beginning with their first instructional flight. If they continue to certification, theyve studied the basics of how engines work, the air, fuel and ignition source they need to keep working, and at least some understanding of the signs theyre about to stop. Most trainers lack the kind of sophisticated engine instrumentation that technology has brought us over the last couple of decades, so many students still fly behind gauges the basic design of which can be traced back to pre-WWII automobiles.

The accident occurred during an FAA checkride for the airline transport certificate administered by a designated pilot examiner. Following the accident, several fire department personnel spoke with the commercial pilot. When asked what had occurred, he told fire department personnel that the left engine had experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. He further stated that, following the loss of left engine power, the examiner took over airplane control and was attempting to fly the airplane back to the airport when the accident occurred.

As election day loomed, I realized I hadnt secured an absentee ballot. What to do? Fly home and vote, of course-any excuse for a cross-country. So I reserved the Skyhawk for the full day and invited a friend to join me. This was one of my first cross-country flights in a while. And it was the friends first-ever flight in a personal airplane, so he peppered me with questions as I pre-flighted the rental and got my act together.

Your statement of the facts and reiteration of the NTSBs probable cause explain the situation well. Missing, though, is digging into the true causes of the situation. Without examining them, its impossible to answer the question in your subtitle, nor to explain to those myriad non-pilots what really happened and why.