TBM 900 Crash: Rethinking Inflight Emergencies

Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 05:46 PM ET

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In the wake of the crash of a TBM 900 after suspected pilot incapacitation, do controller and pilot training need an overhaul? Flying

Key Takeaways:

The article contrasts Captain Sully's "Miracle on the Hudson," where ATC inferred an emergency without explicit declaration, with a fatal TBM 900 crash where a pilot likely incapacitated by hypoxia failed to declare an emergency and ATC did not recognize the imminent danger.
It highlights that pilot incapacitation, such as from hypoxia, prevents pilots from comprehending their peril or declaring emergencies, thereby exposing a critical gap in current emergency protocols and pilot/controller training.
The author advocates for a fundamental overhaul of emergency training for both pilots and air traffic controllers, specifically to address incapacitation scenarios by compelling ATC to proactively declare and manage situations as emergencies even if the pilot does not.

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Editor’s note: Capt. Sullenberger contacted us after publication of this article to clarify that he did call “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” immediately after birds struck his Airbus A320 on January 15, 2009, but his radio transmission was stepped on by a simultaneous call by the air traffic controller and so was never broadcast. The final NTSB transcript of the communications from Flight 1549, however, does begin with the “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” transmission.

If there’s a textbook case of an inflight emergency that most everyone agrees was handled flawlessly, it’s Capt. Sully’s “Miracle on the Hudson” splashdown in January 2009. It made Sullenberger and copilot Jeff Skiles instant national celebrities, and still serves as a model of the calm and collected flight crew skillfully handling an extremely difficult situation.