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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:

  • A Piper PA-31P accident resulted from a pilot's failure to maintain control after an engine loss, compounded by delayed propeller feathering.
  • A critical contributing factor was the absence of specific, readily accessible emergency procedures in the aircraft's official documentation (POH) detailing the need to feather propellers above 1000 rpm.
  • The incident highlights a broader safety concern regarding vital operational and emergency information being either missing from or buried within aircraft documentation, making it unavailable to pilots.
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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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