Cockpit Stress

Knowing of the low overcast, if that pilots autopilot had this auto-capture feature, his motivation would have been to ease his workload and obviate spatial disorientation during transition into the clag. The effect of his action would have been to capture the airport elevation as target altitude. The TruTrak, at least, takes a few seconds to process and implement settings, so that the airplane would be expected to do exactly what it did: ascend into the clouds and a few seconds later return to the preset target altitude of the runway.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must thoroughly understand autopilot features, especially during critical phases like low-visibility takeoffs, to avoid inadvertently capturing runway altitude instead of establishing a climb.
Multiple contributors emphasize pilot responsibility, highlighting the critical need for sound decision-making and comprehensive preflight planning to prevent accidents, particularly when passengers are involved.
Mastery of well-structured emergency procedures, including the use of systematic checklists and simplified techniques for scenarios like gear malfunctions or inadvertent IMC, is crucial for aviation safety.

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I very much appreciated Key Dismukes’ well-written and beautifully laid-out article on stress and its pragmatic advice on currency and emergency rehearsal (“Stress In The Cockpit,” May). And the sidebar, “Automation Bites Back,” in David Jack Kenny’s article, “Lessons Not Learned” in the same issue reminded me of an accident summary that I read a year or two ago:

On a foggy morning in Florida, a pilot took off from a private strip into the murk. After entering the low ceiling, the aircraft steadily descended to the crash site. Ignoring the fact that taking off in such conditions was stupid and illegal, it’s interesting to contemplate the possible mechanisms.