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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:

  • The article emphasizes the critical importance of readily accessible and complete emergency procedures in aircraft documentation, as missing or buried information can have severe consequences.
  • A fatal Piper PA-31P accident was attributed in part to the pilot's delayed propeller feathering following an engine failure, a crucial procedure that was either absent from the updated Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) or not easily found.
  • The case highlights that even comprehensive pilot training cannot compensate for the fundamental flaw of incomplete or poorly presented emergency instructions within an aircraft's official documentation.
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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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