Accident Probes

Confront a pilot with a statement like, You pilots are a smug bunch and you probably wont get much argument. Truth is, ego is part of the game.

As the pages in the logbook accumulate, the feelings of been there, done that grow too. Not quickly, perhaps, but insidiously. The eye of experience heralds the look of confidence.

While experience sometimes leads to complacency, most pilots take their responsibility seriously – even enjoy it and the ongoing training and quest for proficiency that comes with the pilot certificate. Conscientiousness may be admirable, but sadly it sometimes is not enough. Mistakes do happen, and sometimes they happen at the worst possible time.

The owner…

Aviation, its been said, is intolerant of carelessness or neglect. Most pilots are concerned about their safety, at least to some extent, and pay more than lip service to keeping their skills sharp and their airplane worthy.

As human beings, however, its impossible to know everything about the airplane, the pilot, the trip and the weather. Trust is an inherent part of flying. You trust your mechanic to have competently maintained the airplane. You trust the briefer to provide you with a reasonably accurate picture of the weather en route. You trust controllers to sequence you safely and FAA technicians to properly maintain nav aids.

While many people think of flying as you against…

Fly this trip? Heck, this Baron pilot belonged at home in bed rather than ducking below minimums.

Confidence is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, confidence eliminates the uncertainties that make decisions harder. On the other, confidence can lead you into believing bad things only happen to other people.

Sometimes, bad things happen to skilled people. Confidence can be a magic cloak that wards off disaster, but it can also be an inviting smell that brings misfortune in for a closer look.

On a relatively balmy November morning last year, a pilot and two members of his family said goodbye to a fourth family member. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the family had been together for the holiday.

The pilot had flown his 1964 Bonanza S35 from his home in Bethesda, Md.,…

The anniversary of one of the most publicized general aviation accidents ever came and went, and almost on cue the NTSB released its official report on the crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. Together, they made a powerful reminder that one of the earliest identifiable pitfalls of flying is still with us today. Aptly named the graveyard spiral, it has taken its toll of lives since the invention of the airplane.

Like its cousin the tailspin, the entry is insidious – resulting from spatial disorientation – and the conclusion is often fatal. The entry pattern associated with either maneuver is similar, but the resultant maneuvering track quite different. Real-life testing and experience,…

A look at accident statistics can be a bit haunting. The NTSB has determined that about 80 to 85 percent of general aviation accidents are caused by human error. While some kind of equipment failure or weather problem may contribute to the accident, the fact remains that bad judgment and lousy decisions are what usually lead to bent metal and broken lives.

Many times the pilots mistakes are induced by outside pressures. The desire to get home, make a meeting, meet a schedule, beat weather or impress someone can lead to shortcuts and risky maneuvers. Often the pilot gets away with it, which reinforces the possibility that it will happen again. Sometimes, however, the pilots luck runs ou…

There isnt a pilot out there who doesnt harbor a flying fantasy of some sort. Some dream of bouncing around the country in a J-3 Cub. Others want to fly the biggest jet or the hottest stunt plane or fly every kind of aircraft that can still stretch the chains of gravity.

For a relatively large number, nothing gets the blood pumping like the prospect of manhandling a warbird through tortured paces, drawing a bead on some unlucky prey like the ultimate computer game come to life. It is for these people that an entire segment of the aviation industry was born.

Fighter fantasy flights have been offered in various locations around the country for years. Usually staffed by ex-fighter pilot…

A safe flight is a puzzle. Put all the pieces together correctly and you can get a pretty picture indeed. If one piece is missing, you can still see the picture, usually. But sometimes, if the wrong piece is missing, the puzzle is ruined. Unfortunately, when a piece is missing from the safety of flight, the price is higher than merely sighing and putting the puzzle box back in the closet.

Pilots love to talk about accident scenarios in terms of chains. Break one link and the chain fails, sending all of the airplanes occupants home to have dinner with their loved ones. Its a nice story. It has closure and finality. Its also a myth.

An accident can also be caused by something as smal…

Accident prevention is a big part of most pilots training. You learn whats most likely to go wrong, and then you try to figure out how to handle it with the highest probability of a safe landing.

Weather briefings, preflight inspections, recurrent training, annual inspections, proper maintenance and pilot proficiency are all important pieces in the risk management puzzle. Without all of them, the picture is ruined.

And so it was on one August morning that a Grumman Tiger was flying VFR from a private strip near Ketchum, Okla., to Oklahoma City. Skies were clear, the wind was calm and visibility was reported at 10 miles.

At the controls, and alone in the airplane, was a 66-year-o…

A balmy summer day. A low-and-slow taildragger. Some would say there is no better way to wind up a weekend fly-in than a leisurely trip back home, accompanied by a few friends in their nearly identical airplanes.

Flying with friends has its share of joys. The camaraderie is great when droning along. Theres always a friendly face – and someone to have lunch with – during fuel stops. And pooling experience gives some of the advantages of a multi-pilot cockpit, even if those multiple pilots are in different cockpits.

But there are also some dangers, as well. The temptation to fly in formation, even loosely, cannot be ignored. Peer pressure may lead you into weather conditions that make…