Aviation Safety

The quest for enjoyment while flying depends on having the right plane for the right mission. For some, a J-3 Cub and a grass strip provide the ultimate aviation experience. Others find satisfaction in a Baron at 18,000 feet or an F-16 going straight up.

As this issue goes to press, the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh is in full swing. And what would the worlds greatest general aviation airshow be without thousands of pilots lusting after hardware theyd like to see in their hangar?

The problem with airplanes, of course, is that the design compromises that must be made force airplanes into niches that are bound to be found wanting.

A seaplane is too slow to take on those long busines…

Over the course of a pilots career, a glance backward in the logbook will show more than a snapshot of the pilots experience. It will also show the attitude the pilot has toward flying. A logbook filled with nothing but hours in a Cessna 172 reflects a very different pilot than one who has only a few hours in a variety of seaplanes, aerobatic planes, piston twins and a double handful of high performance single engine models.

Thats not to say one is necessarily better than the other, because each pilot has learned some essential lessons that have escaped the other.

After four years of owning and flying a Mooney 201 exclusively, I have spent the last two years flying a variety of airp…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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The FAA has issued a special airworthiness bulletin to inform owners of Artex ELT equipment of a potential hazard. The FAA says there have been reports of Artex 110-4 ELT battery packs venting and leaking acid. In one case, the battery case failed and a piece of it became lodged in the rudder control cable of the airplane, chipping the pulley.

Engineers have concluded that, as the airplanes descend, outside air occasionally breaks the seal on the battery box, allowing moi…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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A Vans RV-8 made a forced landing after losing engine power immediately after takeoff.

The accident investigation showed the fuel tank had 10 gallons in it, but the fuel pick-up tube was crimped just outboard of its threaded fitting, and the tube had rotated more than 180 degrees.

This resulted in the pick-up intake end of the pick-up tube being positioned midway between the top and bottom of the tank.

The pilot/builder reported that several weeks previous to the e…

I was the pilot of the Grumman F9F-2 Panther referenced in your August, 2000 story Warbirds of Attrition, [Airmanship, August] which ran off the end of the runway at Kalamazoo/Battlecreek International Runway. I must say I am appalled that you would write such an article with apparently as little information as you had, especially about my accident. The NTSB changed its Factual Report on my accident three times because it couldnt get it right. Apparently the information you had came from perhaps one of the earliest of the accident reports.

First, I had far more than just an hours conversation with a test pilot before I flew the Panther jet. I had two days of intensive ground trainin…

The Twice Bitten article was good [Proficiency, July], but I remain curious about the accident statistics on twins. Fatalities, per the stats, are four times as high for a twin when an engine fails than for a single as you noted. Not hard to understand during takeoffs. But how do the stats include the numerous instances of engine failure in a twin that never make it into the database because the plane landed without incident?

My own admittedly limited database contains many instances. When an engine fails during cruise and landing phases of flight, I bet more singles dont land safely. What should I draw from the stats? Is my sense of twin security while flying over water and at nig…

The following briefs were selected from the 226 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in August 2000. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, August.”

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Aug. 2, Clarksville, Tenn.
Beech Bonanza
At about 07:00 central time, a Beech A36 struck a tree during a missed approach to runway 35 at Outlaw Field and crashed. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The flight had departed Atlanta at 05:30. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot said he attempted t…

Although some recreational fliers ground themselves during the dingy winter months, most pilots continue to rely on their airplanes even when the mercury dips and the gray skies move in. And theres no reason not to, as long as you take into account the icy grip winter weather can have on everything it touches.

Planning for defensive flying in winter conditions begins on the ground. For VFR flight, youll need to plan to stay clear of clouds by a reasonable distance and be alert for signs of carb ice. For the pilots who are going to go IFR, things get more complicated. Watching The Weather Channel just isnt enough.

Preflight planning has to be thorough and thoughtful. Consider the rou…

They are leviathans sleeping on the tarmac. Towering amphibious floatplanes, boasting adventures of which their landlubbing cousins only dream. Nearby, small flying boats, engines mounted oddly above the fuselage, ponder remote lakes brimming with bass. If youre pondering whether to take the aqua plunge, the next question is floats or boats?

Flying boats, or hull designs, splash down on their bellies and have small floats, or sponsons, under each wing for stability on the water. Floatplanes are common aircraft that sit atop two pontoons. Which you choose will depend upon your anticipated missions and your budget. The decision may also have a substantial impact on your future safety.<...

A look at accident statistics can be a bit haunting. The NTSB has determined that about 80 to 85 percent of general aviation accidents are caused by human error. While some kind of equipment failure or weather problem may contribute to the accident, the fact remains that bad judgment and lousy decisions are what usually lead to bent metal and broken lives.

Many times the pilots mistakes are induced by outside pressures. The desire to get home, make a meeting, meet a schedule, beat weather or impress someone can lead to shortcuts and risky maneuvers. Often the pilot gets away with it, which reinforces the possibility that it will happen again. Sometimes, however, the pilots luck runs ou…