Aviation Safety

The airplane was not damaged when its elevators bound during landing at about 0859 Eastern time. The two pilots and two passengers were not injured. Marginal visual conditions prevailed and the flight was operating on an IFR clearance. The non-scheduled domestic passenger flight was conducted under FAR Part 135.

At about 1600 Pacific time, the airplane collided with trees during the landing approach. The airline transport pilot sustained serious injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted mountainous, snow-covered terrain at approximately 1600 Mountain time. A post-impact fire ensued. Instrument conditions prevailed; the flight was operating on an IFR clearance. The private pilot and his pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured.

This time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, airframe icing takes on much greater importance for most of us flying personal airplanes than it does at other times. There are good reasons for that, and anyone trying to conduct regular winter operations should closely monitor weather trends and plan accordingly. But the seasons wet and cold can create an icing-accident situation even on a severe-clear day with dry air. All it takes is some water and cold temperatures. The fact is, you need not encounter textbook icing conditions for the slick stuff to pose a threat when the ice hides inside the airframe, out of sight, probably out of mind but most definitively not out of the picture.

November 12345, cross 20 southeast of the Nashville VOR at 4000….” “Maintain best speed to the outer marker….” “Hold as published, expect further clearance at one-five past the hour….” “Radar contact lost, intercept Victor 509, report crossing NXTFX intersection….” “November 12345, an amendment to your direct clearance; fly heading 220 degrees to intercept the OKC 355 radial, then cleared to the OKC 30 DME fix, thence inbound on the Pioneer VOR 195 direct Pioneer, Victor 77 Wichita, direct….”

For most general aviation pilots, military aviation is something of a mystery. The equipment usually is different-though many civilian designs have been placed in military service-and its the rare GA pilot whose mission involves dropping or shooting things. Of course, the process of taking someone off the street and turning them into a pilot commanding several million dollars of often-lethal hardware-after only months of training and a few hundred hours of flight time-is much more refined than most civilian flight training.But military aviation can offer several lessons for general aviation, especially when considering risk management. And while civilian operations also are vastly different from the militarys, that doesnt mean the transfer of valuable lessons is one-way. After years of Marine Corps flying, I recently “transitioned” to general aviation. I learned a few things worth sharing.

When discussing the concept of turning an airplane, there are at least two separate and completely different concepts. One is in the navigational sense of turning to a new course or heading. However, this article is concerned with another concept: moving the airplane in a curved flight path. Curving or bending the flight path changes the airplanes longitudinal axis orientation with respect to the earths surface. Of course, this occurs while moving through the air. This curving flight path is one of only two the airplane can make-the other, unsurprisingly, is straight.

On December 4, 2010, a Piper Malibu, re-engined with a PT-6 turboprop under a supplemental type certificate, took off from Cozumel, Mexico, heading north. It never made it. Instead, according to press reports, more than two hours after takeoff and while in cruise at FL260, the turbine engine stopped producing power, turning the pressurized single into a glider. It took about 25 minutes for the Piper to glide down to the Gulf of Mexico, where it was successfully ditched close to an oil rig. The ditching site was some 170 miles south of New Orleans, the planes destination.

Launching into instrument conditions usually is a busy time, especially for the single pilot. When ceilings are low, the almost-immediate transition from conducting a takeoff visually to flying the airplane on instruments can be very demanding. The airplane is at its heaviest for this flight and at a relatively low airspeed, plus were trying to do many things at once, including navigating, communicating and aviating. Doing it without any reference to the natural horizon means we can be at our busiest for normal, non-emergency operations.

Several years ago, on a beautiful clear and crisp Missouri morning, an opportunity arose for me to fulfill my seven-year-old sons desire to go flying with me. I was hoping to share with him my passion for flying. Instead, what I got was a horrifying experience, partnered with a brief mystery.