CFIT on Departure

Pilot responsibilities differ from a controllers. The regs state, the pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft. This authority and responsibility is granted with the intention that its used to ensure safety-a pilots primary obligation. Yet, pilots keep having controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents, often with fatalities. Its the second leading cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt described CFIT as the problem that never went away. CFIT frequently occurs at night or in IMC.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots, as the final authority, are responsible for terrain and obstacle clearance during departure, even when ATC issues specific headings.
• Blindly following ATC-assigned departure headings can lead to Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) because ATC's primary role is traffic separation, not necessarily obstacle clearance below Minimum Vectoring Altitudes (MVAs) or without specific procedures like Diverse Vector Areas (DVAs).
• Pilots must understand their aircraft's performance against required climb gradients for ODPs, SIDs, or DVAs, and be prepared to decline unsafe ATC instructions for operational necessity.

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