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The flight data recorder retrieved from the crashed twin-engine, modern turboprop revealed that while flying in an area of thunderstorm-generated, airframe-shattering turbulence, its airspeed was 60 knots greater than the published turbulence penetration speed, or the speed for maximum gust intensity (VB). An inflight break-up occurred; structural pieces of the airframe were strewn over miles of countryside. Abnormally increased structural loads imposed on the airframe were suspected as a contributing factor in the accident.

I freely admit to being something of a packrat. Also, I like books. Neither of which qualifies me for an anti-Luddite reality television show, but it does mean I’ve accumulated something of an aviation library over the years. These days, with e-books and pretty much everything you’d want in the way of reference materials easily available on the Innertubez, my having more than a few aviation books laying around has always been a source of amusement for friends and pilots alike.

I freely admit to being something of a packrat. Also, I like books. Neither of which qualifies me for an anti-Luddite reality television show, but it does mean I’ve accumulated something of an aviation library over the years. These days, with e-books and pretty much everything you’d want in the way of reference materials easily available on the Innertubez, my having more than a few aviation books laying around has always been a source of amusement for friends and pilots alike.

I remember the first time an EIS (engine information system, commonly known as an engine monitor) saved my bacon. I was in a Cessna 210 I’d flown for many years by that time and we were high over Varadero, Cuba. I looked over at the JPI engine monitor, a retrofit on this L-model, and noticed the LED bar representing the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) for the number two cylinder was bouncing around.

As an instrument instructor I’ve learned one of the most common topics of confusion among pilots is, “When is it safe—and expected—to descend in the process of an instrument arrival?” Confusion isn’t limited to non-professionals. One of the most frequent topics for quizzes and reviews in professional pilot journals involves determining the correct altitude to fly at various points on a charted terminal procedure.

I still have my airplane today. And I’m very lucky I do. After the most recent annual inspection was completed, my aircraft’s induction system caught fire. I found I was woefully unprepared for such an event. If I was unprepared, you probably are, too.

We all want to fly safely, but it doesn’t work out that way sometimes. The accident record is filled with instances in which a pilot or two failed to fully implement that desire. Although pilots always are finding new ways to bend airplanes, that’s not the norm. Instead, too many accidents are repeats of pilots’ past poor performances: Sadly, we keep doing the same things, but expect different results.

There’s no need to go all Type A over this, but piloting an aircraft is among those activities where it’s to our benefit to be something of a control freak. It pays because of all the many bad outcomes that can result from losing control. The variations and possibilities seem infinite, as pilots find new and innovative ways to let physics and aerodynamics take over from them. Stalls—on rotation, turning final and elsewhere—promise particularly harsh results while running off a runway, another common example, hurts less often and less badly.

Many emergency checklist items should be reflexive and committed to memory. On the ground, you can roll your own, but never forget flying the airplane is first.

The inoperative table doesn’t cover every possible system failure. Plus, you also need to consider facility outages and equipment failures at your alternate.