Cap Backwards

The problem with two or more pilots doing the preflight is that one of them always thinks something is the other’s responsibility.

Aviation Safety

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 06:44 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipovic

Key Takeaways:

During a demo flight in a potential partnership aircraft, the pilot experienced an in-flight emergency when an unsecure oil cap/dipstick sprayed oil onto the windshield immediately after takeoff.
Despite severely obstructed vision and flying an unfamiliar aircraft, the pilot successfully executed a low-power pattern and landed the plane, albeit with a hard landing, without further incident.
The incident was caused by the oil cap and dipstick not being properly secured during the pre-flight inspection.
The pilot learned the critical lesson of always personally verifying all pre-flight checks, especially oil level and dipstick security, as the pilot-in-command, rather than trusting others.

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After a few years of frustrations with local FBOs and trying to rent airplanes for trips, I decided to dip a toe into ownership and find a small flying club or partnership. It didn’t take long to find an owner who wasn’t flying his Cessna 206 much any more and was looking for partners. On paper, it seemed an ideal arrangement. But I needed to know more about the airplane and the owner.

So I met him at the airplane, along with another potential partner. The three of us talked about what a partnership would look like and, of course, the airplane. Eventually, the owner suggested we all three go for a quick hop to demonstrate the airplane.