Editor’s Log

The ultimate fallout from last months crash of a Cirrus SR20 into a New York high-rise building, killing the Cirrus owner and pilot, New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, and his instructor, may come well before the NTSBs probable cause determination.

The late August crash of Comair Flight 5191, a Bombardier regional jet, appears to be an event typifying the old maxim that an accident results from a chain of events. Break any link in the chain and the accident never happens. If, as early reports indicate, the jets crew did attempt to take off from the wrong runway at Lexington, Ky. (LEX), for a rainy, pre-dawn departure, the act of advancing the throttles probably will…

One Step Forward

Having just returned from my annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAAs AirVenture extravaganza, Im struck by two seemingly contradictory observations: First, the planes and products seem to get better each year. Second, the pilots dont.

Regarding the first observation, who can argue that products like the mostly certified Eclipse 500, to-be-produced HondaJet, Cessna LSA and NGP (next-generation piston, a.k.a Cirrus-killer), Garmins GPSMAP 496 and the various G1000 offspring, among other new toys, arent about the coolest things on the planet since canned beer? Meanwhile, the maturing light sport aircraft category is beginning to realize its promise of getting…

Dear Uncle:

How have you been lately? It seems your name makes the news often, and not always in the best light. We admit that we havent written as often as we should; hope youll understand that were all pretty busy these days. We know you are, too. All of us here hope youll soon shrug off the distractions youve been facing and once again will be able to focus on helping out the rest of us.

When you get to that point, we hope youll stop for a moment and consider whats going on out in the field. Demand for general aviation has never been greater, but your colleagues seem determined to keep erecting roadblocks. Their clamoring for user fees is one part; policies leading to…

As most in the aviation community know by now, legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield died April 19 when his Cessna 210A rapidly descended into remote mountainous terrain near Ludville, Ga., after entering an area of thunderstorms, as the NTSB put it. According to the safety board, his airplane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm just prior […]

[IMGCAP(1)]Harnessed

Two recent fatal accidents brought home for me a couple of concepts that, while not revolutionary, seem to have fallen by the wayside among many of us.

Both accidents involved Beech Bonanzas being operated by experienced pilots. Although one involved a ditching, it appears both should have been survivable. One apparently could have been avoided; the other resulted from a catastrophic engine failure, leaving the pilot with few options.

In at least one of these two accidents, the pilot and right-seater sustained what appears to have been ultimately fatal head injuries. A rear-seat passenger in this accident was able to walk away from the scene.

The firs…

Risk? What Risk?
Two local accidents on the same day involving singles got my attention in late February. The first occurred early in the morning as a series of snow squalls moved through the area. A Cessna 172 crashed while circling after its second GPS approach, killing two and injuring one. Late that same night, a Columbia 400 crashed at a different airport, killing the pilot and his three passengers. Early indications were that the Columbia went down while attempting an ILS.

Several members of an online discussion group in which I participate took these pilots to task for even attempting to fly in poor winter weather. A newspaper report of the second crash noted the weather…

The Dumbest Thing
Its no secret that pilots are human. While the advances in technology and increasing number of applications for unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, may eventually reduce our numbers, the overall impact on safety will probably not improve measurably until humans are completely removed from the equation. This means a totally automated-and thoroughly debugged-set of protocols for the design, engineering, manufacture and operation of UAVs wherein humans are not allowed to influence any aspect. Until then, aircraft will still crash as a result of human error, regardless of the phase of UAV development or operation in which that mistake is made.

In the meantime, we…

Odds And Ends
Several interesting things have crossed my desk in the last month or so. None of them alone justify taking up all of this space but, together, they comprise a reminder of the responsibilities owners and operators have to keep their aircraft airworthy, both legally and technically, and to conduct safe operations. Theres a lot more I could say about each of these items, but Ill bite my tongue and encourage readers to chime in with comments. Ill consider running them in a future issue.

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Aircraft Registration
On December 1, 2005, the FAA reminded (read: warned) pilots and aircraft owners that it and the Transportation Security Administration…

Talking About Ice
Winter will be upon us in North America by the time this issue arrives in your mailbox. Already, my flight planning concerns have shifted from worrying about thunderstorms over the Great Plains to worrying about ice over the Appalachians.

Much of the talk among pilots and in this magazine about ice focuses on avoiding it or coping with it if you cant avoid picking up a load. Theres also the legal issue of flying an unapproved aircraft in known or forecast icing conditions.

That doesnt mean we should keep the airplane in the shed all winter; nor does it mean flying into ice with impugnity. Indeed, most of the ice Ive found over the years wasnt where…