Aviation Safety

Put a dozen pilots in a room, and odds are youll hear a series of shocking stories of derring do as well as a parade of tales about other peoples mistakes. Put 200 in a room, and you might see something different.

The National Transportation Safety Board hosted a symposium in late September that brought together accident investigators, regulators, flight training experts, mechanics and manufacturers, among others, to discuss ways to make general aviation safer. The NTSB billed it as the first-ever General Aviation Accident Prevention Symposium. For several days, engineers, mechanics, human factors experts and flight training specialists examined a variety of common general aviation acci…

No matter what youre flying, chances are youve thought of trading up to something faster, or more nimble, or with a bigger payload. Pilots never have problems thinking ahead of the airplane when theyre looking so far ahead theyre seeing the next airplane theyll own. As one pilot once told me, Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess.

Conventional wisdom says that aircraft selection should match the mission of aircraft ownership. In other words, once youve figured out what you really want to do with an airplane, selecting an adequate model should be a piece of cake. If you plan to haul a family of four plus luggage over the Sierra Nevadas in the summertime in a typical 4-place…

The sad state of flight instruction is nothing new to any general aviation pilot who has tried to find someone good when it came time to upgrade a rating, get a biennial flight review or take an instrument proficiency check.

Think you can make it all the way through a license or rating without losing at least one instructor to the call of higher pay at a commuter airline? Bet ya cant.

Until recently, my CFII of choice was an anomaly – a dedicated professional who was a skilled veteran with a love of teaching, not just a kid looking to build time before jumping to the airlines.

Thats all changed now. My CFI (sounds as possessive as a high school romance, doesnt it?) went and becam…

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 Greensboro, N.C., Flight Standards District Office has issued a warning to owners and operators of Beech 58P Barons after a gear-up landing. The normal landing gear extension system failed and the pilot was unable to extend the landing gear with the emergency gear crank handle because it was jammed.The inspector discovered that the emergency landing gear extension crank handle jammed under the spar carry-through cover. The crank handle had been improperly stowed under the…

The following briefs were selected from the 112 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in November 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, November.”

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Nov. 1, Millersburg, Ohio
Beech Bonanza
At about 10:15 eastern time, a Beech A-36 was damaged during a forced landing at Holmes County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported the power failure to ATC approximately 6 miles northwest of Millersburg and was given radar vectors. The airplane str…

Recently I had my own almost accident, which reminded me of a problem that is only going to get worse.

It was Thanksgiving Day and the traffic going into Denver International was normal for any holiday. Our Boeing 727 was cleared for the visual approach and landing behind an Airbus 319. Since the 727 is heavier than the Airbus, and since we had sufficient separation distance, the thought of a wake vortex encounter didnt enter my mind.

Just as I started to flare, we hit the Airbus wake and suddenly my wing dropped. It only takes 12 degrees of wing dip to strike an outboard flap during a normal landing in the 727. For a few moments, that wake had more control over the aircraft than…

The pilot reported for work as scheduled at 2 a.m. for a Part 135 light cargo flight, flying a Piper Lance from Burbank, Calif., to Phoenix, Ariz. He arrived at Phoenix and managed to get about five hours of sleep, waking at about noon local time.

On the next leg of the flight – the return to Burbank – he took off at 20:55 local. Several hours later, while maintaining a constant altitude, heading and airspeed, he collided with a mountain near Palm Springs -about 10 nautical miles south of his usual course. The investigators could find no evidence that indicated that the pilot had attempted to avoid the collision.

Investigators could find no mechanical reasons for the crash. After exam…

Editors Note: The December 2000 issue featured a discussion of the planning and decision factors necessary for a safe takeoff. Here, well look at gauging and using the proper technique.

Takeoff is the moment of truth when the pilot is called upon to apply his or her aeronautical knowledge and exhibit the right flying skills. The skill level of a pilot depends on recency of experience, practice and the performance standards of the pilot or instructor. In short, knowing what to do is not adequate if you are unable to perform properly.

Determining your aircrafts takeoff performance is the intellectual side of the start to your flight. The other side is deciding what typ…

In March 1997, our unit was going through recurrent ground school and reassembling from the lunchtime break when the former chief pilot walked in with a pale face and grimly announced to the room, Hey guys, the factory just had an accident. They were taking pictures and collided. They lost both aircraft and everyone on board.

The news hit us in the stomach. We all looked at each other with dismay. The aircraft collided during a photo shoot. Given the beauty of the DC-3s turboprop conversion, I could hardly blame them for wanting to take some airborne promotional pictures.

Witnesses saw the aircraft at approximately 500 feet to 700 feet agl flying close together headed north. The D…

There isnt a pilot out there who doesnt harbor a flying fantasy of some sort. Some dream of bouncing around the country in a J-3 Cub. Others want to fly the biggest jet or the hottest stunt plane or fly every kind of aircraft that can still stretch the chains of gravity.

For a relatively large number, nothing gets the blood pumping like the prospect of manhandling a warbird through tortured paces, drawing a bead on some unlucky prey like the ultimate computer game come to life. It is for these people that an entire segment of the aviation industry was born.

Fighter fantasy flights have been offered in various locations around the country for years. Usually staffed by ex-fighter pilot…