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

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Key Takeaways:

A non-instrument rated pilot and passenger were fatally injured when their Cessna 172P collided with mountainous terrain during a night cross-country flight.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the pilot's decision to fly over a mountain range in dark, obscured conditions with limited night experience, without filing a flight plan or obtaining a weather briefing.
Contributing factors included low visibility from haze and smoke, a minimal moon, and potential pilot spatial disorientation, ultimately preventing the pilot from seeing and avoiding the terrain.
The article also emphasizes general night flying precautions, such as maintaining high altitudes and using IFR charts, to mitigate risks like controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and 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.