Aviation Safety

Editor’s note: For our July 2021 Accident Probe, Oshkosh Or Bust, we explored an accident involving a non-instrument-rated pilot who took off into dark night IMC and crashed into an open field near the airport, killing himself and his passenger. This month’s accident is eerily similar, except both occupants were instrument-rated commercial pilots. The underlying […]

Most pilots are familiar what the industry calls “quarter-turn” fasteners, those quick-release devices used to secure engine cowlings and fairings on aircraft of all sizes and uses. They typically go by their manufacturer’s name, like Camloc or Dzus. They sometimes require a special tool and they can be difficult to adjust to ensure their security. […]

Every year, the Montana Department of Transportation Aviation Division offers its well-attended and comprehensive Surratt Memorial Winter Survival Clinic. Just about every pilot who has attended raves about the experience, and, thankfully, the majority in attendance will never have to apply the survival skills outlined at the clinic. Little did one pilot know that only […]

Pilots tend to be pretty good at noting the airplane’s state, that is, whether it is high or low, left or right of target for instrument and visual approaches. Instructors are pretty good at teaching awareness of the airplane’s state, and pointing it out during flight training—“you’re left of course,” “check your altitude,” etc. In […]

As time marches on, so do advancements to many of the aircraft we are fortunate enough to fly. When I did my initial instrument training, I remember the high-workload events like setting up and briefing approaches, talking to ATC and running the checklists, all while hand-flying the aircraft on steam gauges. It was an exercise […]

When I was in the Air Force, my colleagues would tell the story of how some fighter pilots used to do touch-and-goes on a tall, flat mesa that stuck up somewhere in the southwest desert, perhaps in Nevada or Arizona. It was dubbed “Touch-And-Go Mesa.” (Imaginative, huh?) One pilot supposedly did the thing, and then […]

My family is moving to a new state soon. Every time we go there to do adult stuff, I carve out a little time to get to know the local flying scene. I had a fun 172 checkout with a CFI at the closest FBO, and have since done some sightseeing flights with friends and […]

Because the final alphanumeric symbol in my aircraft’s registration is the number “zero,” (such as N67890), there is the occasional mixup by ATC, with a readback of “Sierra,” for the letter “S” instead of the number zero. This happens at times even though I am always careful to enunciate “zero” as clearly as I can […]

The aircraft manufacturing industry’s results for the first three months of 2022, when compared to the same period in 2021, point to increasing aircraft unit deliveries across each aircraft segment while the overall value of the aircraft shipments was slightly lower.” So said the General Aviation Manufacturer’s Association (GAMA) in mid-May on the occasion of […]

Beech C33 Debonair Broken Rings And Skirts The oil quick-drain valve would not lock open. Inspection revealed metal in the sump. The oil filter was removed and cut open; no visible contamination was noted. An oil sample and compression tests came back normal. Teardown revealed three piston skirts were broken, and piston ring pieces were […]