Aviation Safety

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is one of those federal agencies wed have to create if it didnt already exist. The NTSB has its roots in the 1926 Air Commerce Act and, through successive legislation, was made independent of the FAA, for example, or any other government agency in 1974. Its mission has been relatively consistent throughout its history: “determining the probable cause of transportation accidents and promoting transportation safety. In 1996, Congress added the responsibility to assist victims of transportation accidents and their families. In addition to the aviation accidents and incidents highlighted in these pages, the NTSB also investigates maritime, rail, highway and even pipeline events.

I was just reading Luca F. Bencini-Tibos letter to the editor (Unicom, December 2010) and wanted to correct what I perceive to be some misunderstanding. First, changing to ICAO weather abbreviations was and is for the purpose of international standardization, and not to benefit any one group. Second, airspace can have more than one designation, even under ICAO: The TRSA around Oklahomas Altus AFB, exhibits Class D, Class E, and TRSA simultaneously. Third, it was not luck, but study and much debate that caused ICAO in 1952 to streamline the then-internationally accepted French, Spanish and English into the current single language. The overall effort involved linguists and psychologists, not luck.

The pilot, flying the second airplane in a flight of two, was maneuvering to turn from base to final for a full-stop landing at a remote back-country airstrip. During the accident pilots turn to final, the airplanes nosegear and right main gear contacting a cliff on the outside of his turn, separating them.

The pilot decided to make a practice landing on a gravel bar near the middle of a river. While on short final, the airplane encountered a downdraft and its main landing gear tires touched the surface of the water, flipping over onto its back and coming to rest on the gravel bar.

At approximately 2100 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when the pilot struck a power line and trees, and impacted terrain after the engine lost power. Night visual conditions prevailed. The solo pilot was seriously injured. The cross-country flight originated at Denton (DTO), Texas, and was en route to Shreveport (SHV), La.

During a planned full-stop landing, the airplane bounced back into the air after the initial touchdown and then settled to the runway a second time. Almost immediately after the second touchdown, the airplane veered sharply to the left and departed the runway surface, striking. The pilot later said he should have executed a go-around when the airplane first bounced back into the air.

The airplane impacted terrain during a forced landing at about 1430 Mountain time. The solo commercial pilot was not injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. While in cruise flight, the pilot suddenly heard/felt a solid “thump” appearing to come from the engine compartment. Soon thereafter, oil pressure started to drop and the engine seemed to be losing power.

At about 1950 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with wooded terrain. The private pilot and passenger were killed. Night visual conditions prevailed for the IFR flight. The pilot was in radar and radio contact with ATC as the flight approached its destination. The airplane began a descent from 7000 feet msl to 4000 feet, radioed he had the destination in sight and canceled his IFR clearance.

The pilot was practicing landings. After the last smooth landing, the airplane veered right. The pilot corrected with left rudder and the airplane initially corrected left; however, it then veered sharply right against the application of full left brake and rudder. The airplane departed the right side of the runway and came to rest upright in a creek. During the runway excursion, the left wingtip struck the water and ground. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

At about 1657 Mountain time, the airplane collided with a building during taxi after landing. The airline transport pilot/flight instructor was not injured but the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. Earlier, the pilot flew to Phoenix to complete a flight check for his CFI renewal. He reported brake trouble, and had a mechanic inspect the brakes, but no anomalies were found. The pilot was experiencing headaches during the oral examination and terminated the check ride.