Dissecting The PIO

We see it happen here all too often. The Franklin County Airport in Sewanee, Tenn., sits at the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau. During cooler months, northwest winds are thrust up the side of the plateau and swirl back down toward the airport. Tall trees surround the runway and make the airport difficult to see throughout the approach. Pilots in the pattern are greeted by updrafts followed by downdrafts that can make landing on our 50-by-3700-foot runway a challenge.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO) typically arises in challenging conditions from incorrect approach speeds and out-of-phase control inputs, worsening aircraft longitudinal oscillations.
• Aggressively fighting an aircraft's natural oscillations with mis-timed control inputs exacerbates the problem, analogous to pushing a pendulum at the wrong moment.
• The most practical recovery from PIO is to neutralize elevator controls to the approach attitude and allow the aircraft's inherent stability to damp the oscillations, often necessitating a go-around.
• Prevention is crucial, involving proper weight and balance verification, avoiding icing conditions, and strictly adhering to recommended approach speeds, especially in gusty winds.

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