Dark Night Conditions

Ive always enjoyed flying at night. Theres usually a lot less traffic, the ATC frequency is quieter and its rare to be delayed for an approach, landing or takeoff. Sunsets can be quite amazing from a personal airplane, and Ive been fortunate enough to witness a few sunrises, too. Owing to day-job schedules and airplane availability, most of my instrument training happened at night and, even with all that going on, Im by no means an expert on flying in the dark.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article highlights the inherent dangers of night flying, especially for VFR-only operations, emphasizing risks like controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) due to poor visibility and the importance of flying at higher altitudes using IFR charts.
It details a fatal accident where a non-instrument-rated private pilot and passenger collided with mountainous terrain in a Cessna 172P during a night flight.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the pilot's decision to fly a cross-country route over mountains in dark night conditions with limited experience, compounded by reduced visibility from smoke/haze and the absence of a weather briefing or flight plan, likely leading to terrain collision and spatial disorientation.

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I’ve always enjoyed flying at night. There’s usually a lot less traffic, the ATC frequency is quieter and it’s rare to be delayed for an approach, landing or takeoff. Sunsets can be quite amazing from a personal airplane, and I’ve been fortunate enough to witness a few sunrises, too. Owing to day-job schedules and airplane availability, most of my instrument training happened at night and, even with all that going on, I’m by no means an expert on flying in the dark.

In fact, landing back at my current home airport at night is a textbook “black hole approach.” I don’t like it at all, and try to arrive in daylight. That doesn’t always work out, leading to maybe one for-real night landing a year at home plate, along with the rest of them.