Aviation Safety

One of the first things student pilots learn-right about the time theyre learning to land-is how to go around. If theyre like me, they got a lot of practice adding full power and reconfiguring the airplane in those first few frantic hours. Early in my flying career, I learned the airplanes configuration mattered. I was flying a Cessna 150, with wing flaps that were fully deployed at 40 degrees. Some other Cessnas Ive flown could only muster 30 degrees, a design change the company presumably made because it didnt affect landing distance all that much while making go-arounds easier. That well-worn 150 also didnt have pre-select detents in its flap switch as later Cessnas do. When asking for all 100 of those ponies to carry me and my instructor over the threshold and up for another trip around the pattern, I was holding full throttle, re-trimming and “milking” up the flaps while maintaining heading and airspeed, listening to the instructors critique of my aborted approach. It could be a busy time, especially if the instructor felt like introducing a system failure. Those were the days. A go-around in each airplane Ive flown since is always some variation on that same basic theme. But the workload varies. For example, there often is landing gear or a prop control to add into the mix, along with manual “Johnson” bar wing flaps that can be immediately retracted or the slower-than-Christmas electric variety. Dont forget carb heat or cowl flaps.

I am a moderately experienced pilot, having amassed approximately 3500 hours over 30 years of flying. This occurrence is one Im not particularly proud of, but is instructive nonetheless. I was flying a PA-32-301T Saratoga to our home in Missoula, Mont. Fortunately I was alone; my wife might have decided right then and there to not fly with me in the future if she had been a passenger on this flight. I was over the valley, north of Bozeman. After reading a recent article in Aviation Safety discussing the pros and cons of the operation, I decided to run all the fuel from the right tank before switching to the left. As the last drops flowed from the right side, the engine coughed. I reached down and slammed the fuel selector to the left tank, hit the fuel pump and the engine died! I went through the emergence procedure by memory.

An economic times like these, its more than a little disheartening each month to receive so many brokerage statements covered in so much red ink. Looking at my airplanes value-probably less than what I paid for it 10 years ago, minus all the improvements made-doesnt provide much consolation. Two things make all of this less unbearable. First, Im not alone. Any aircraft owner has seen his or her flivvers value drop in recent months. At least mine hasnt dropped as far or as fast as some others (can you say “business jet?”). Second, despite last summers meteoric climb, avgas prices remain relatively reasonable, at least in my part of the U.S. A third, unrelated thing is the airplane doesnt need anything. Ive spent time, money and effort getting and keeping it well sorted out, expenditures paying off in reliability and performance. But there are many out there who might be looking to upgrade their aircraft-either with a new engine, new paint/interior or by trading it for something else. For them, there are wonderful opportunities out there right now as long as little or no financing is required. In my admittedly hazy memory, one can buy more airplane for fewer dollars today than ever before.

The forward outboard, lower wing spar caps were found cracked. The cracks-on both left and righthand assemblies-radiated out from the fourth Huck rivet forward, passing through the wing attach hinge. This aircraft was inspected 15 months /404.2 hours ago by eddy current. No cracks were found at that time. Wing lower spar cap part numbers: l/h: 000-110012-1; r/h: 000-110012-2.

We never fly over water in our single engine Saratoga. However, on a flight from Key West to Fort Lauderdale several years ago, Flight Service advised me that everyone flies over the Florida Gulf because it is never more than three to five feet deep. So we did fly direct. Is he correct? If so, why did Amy Labodas plane sink (“A Different Ditching,” March 2009)?

At about 0942 Mountain time the airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain following a loss of control on initial climb. The private pilot and single passenger were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed. As line personnel arrived to pull and fuel the airplane, the pilot was removing baggage from inside the airplane and placing it in the hangar. Once the airplane was pulled outside, the pilot performed a walk-around inspection before he and the passenger boarded the airplane. The line personnel reported “heavy” snowfall from the time the airplane was pulled from the hangar until it departed saw an accumulation of “wet snow” on the airplanes wings.

The airplane departed the runway during takeoff at about 1215 Pacific time and collided with two parked airplanes and a hangar. The private pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, who later stated he had 45 hours in multiengine airplanes but did not possess a multiengine rating, once the airplane climbed to approximately 20 feet AGL it began to bank right. It subsequently collided with a parked Navion and a Cessna 182.

At approximately 1530 Eastern time, USAirways flight 1549 incurred multiple bird strikes during initial climb, lost thrust to its engines and ditched in the Hudson River. Visual conditions prevailed. To date, of the five crewmembers, and 150 passengers on board, one serious injury has been reported. A total of 26 people were transported to hospitals, including two emergency response personnel. A final injury count is still to be determined.

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain at approximately 0655 Mountain time. Instrument conditions prevailed. A post-impact fire ensued; the pilot and two pilot-certificated passengers were fatally injured. Multiple witnesses reported seeing the accident airplane flying low to the ground and as it crossed a highway.

At 1858 local time the airplane was substantially damaged after departing the side of the runway. The solo private pilot was not injured although the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated he positioned the gear handle in the “down” position, but the three position lights did not activate, so the pilot radioed the control tower and requested an visual inspection of the landing gear. After performing a low approach, tower personnel responded the landing gear appeared to be down. After touchdown, the gear collapsed, the pilot lost control of the airplane and it exited the runway.