Aviation Safety

Flying has been said to involve hours and hours of boredom populated with moments of sheer terror. Of course, if were doing it right, there might be a number of times when were very busy, but avoiding the moments of sheer terror is what its all about. Indeed, one of the things separating seasoned pilots from those with less experience involves how we respond when things dont go as we planned.

Its been more than six years since the FAA established the sport pilot certificate. Along with the rules on what a sport pilot can and cannot do, there was something noticeably missing: Any requirement for a sport pilot to obtain or hold an FAA medical certificate, as long as he or she has a U.S. drivers license (and had not been denied a medical). At the same time, the new rules allowed anyone with a higher certificate to fly a light sport aircraft without a current medical but with a current drivers license.

I just read your editorial (“Assuming The Position,” October) about “position and hold,” which is now “line up and wait,” which I last heard in fourth grade. It reminded me of when I first began flying in May 1981. In Riverside County, Calif., I learned of a vortac named March; not the month, the air force base. Its still there. A great big you-cant-miss-it vortac everyone knows about, next to March Air Force Base. I hadnt been flying long when the FAA renamed the vortac, in its eminent wisdom, to Homeland. I pondered: Why in the world would the FAA-which obviously had way too much time on its hands-rename the Vortac from a well-known feature, March Air Force Base, to an obscure name, Homeland? No one knew.

At approximately 1230 Central time, the airplane received minor damage after a runway excursion during landing. The pilot and co-pilot were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, the crew received a brake-fail warning soon after takeoff and continued to their destination. The crew conducted an straight-in instrument approach at the destination.

The airplane incurred substantial damage during a forced landing at about 1315 Eastern time following a partial loss of engine power. The flight instructor and private pilot received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. During initial climb the tachometer indicated 1900 and the airplane would not gain altitude. The flight instructor elected to land in a field, but the airplane collided with trees before impacting the ground.

At about 0930 Mountain time, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power while maneuvering and subsequently landed on a nearby highway. During the landing rollout, a vehicle collided with its left wing, causing substantial damage. Neither the solo pilot nor the vehicle operator were injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane came to rest with the landing gear retracted at about 1530 Eastern time. Visual conditions prevailed for the post-maintenance test flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage, but there were no injuries to the airline transport pilot or commercial copilot. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. As rotation was initiated at 100 knots, the airplane felt “a little soft” and the flight controls “felt funny.” The crew elected to abort the takeoff. The nose landing gear contacted the runway; the crew also heard a scraping sound from the aft fuselage contacting the runway.

At about 1500 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its nose landing gear collapsed while landing. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Following an uneventful takeoff, the pilot performed the before-landing checklist while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. After verifying normal indications, he employed a short-field landing technique.

The airplane was substantially damaged at approximately 1230 Central time when the nosegear folded on landing. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Preliminary information indicates the pilot lowered the landing gear but did not get a gear-down-and-locked light. When viewed through the mirrors on the engine nacelles, it appeared the nose landing gear was not fully extended.

At about 1325 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field, following a loss of engine power in cruise flight. The airline transport pilot incurred minor injuries but the passenger was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the IFR cross-country flight.