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Failure To Feather

Each aircraft type has its own set of limitations with which operators must comply if it’s to meet its airworthiness and certification standards. The aircraft’s documentation—a collection of manuals, handbooks, placards and revisions—tell us what those limitations are and how we are to fly it. But what if a critical bit of information wasn’t in that documentation? Or what if it was buried somewhere not easily accessible in flight? How would pilots and operators know of it?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Critical aircraft operational information, particularly emergency procedures, must be accurately and readily available in documentation, as training cannot fully compensate for missing or obscure details.
  • A fatal Piper PA-31P accident occurred when the pilot lost control following an engine power loss.
  • A key contributing factor was the pilot's delayed feathering of the propeller, linked to the aircraft's Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) either lacking the complete feathering procedure or omitting the crucial requirement to feather above 1000 RPM.
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Each aircraft type has its own set of limitations with which operators must comply if it’s to meet its airworthiness and certification standards. The aircraft’s documentation—a collection of manuals, handbooks, placards and revisions—tell us what those limitations are and how we are to fly it. But what if a critical bit of information wasn’t in that documentation? Or what if it was buried somewhere not easily accessible in flight? How would pilots and operators know of it?

One way is through recurrent training, especially the sim-based kind. It’s expensive, but so are accidents. When flying a pressurized piston twin, that training should be obtained from a person who knows the airplane and its limitations, and how it should be flown. That costs money, too.

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