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 demonstration flight for a potential aircraft partnership, the author experienced an in-flight emergency when an unsecured oil cap sprayed the windshield, severely obstructing vision.
Despite compromised visibility in an unfamiliar aircraft, the author successfully performed an emergency landing with no damage to the engine.
The incident highlighted the critical lesson that the Pilot In Command (PIC) is solely responsible for personally verifying all pre-flight checks and should not implicitly trust 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.