Familiarity, Contempt

If youve been flying for very long, its likely theres a route you frequently use. It could be a quick out-and-back to the nearest $100 hamburger or cheapest avgas, or an hours-long trek to Grandmas house. Its something youve flown often and know well enough to almost do it without a chart. You understand the topography along the way, where the bolt holes are and how any weather may influence the flight. You may even have a couple of the frequencies memorized, along with expected ATC routings.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Familiarity with a flight route can lead to complacency and "getthereitis," causing pilots to overlook or underestimate hazardous weather conditions, especially in challenging mountainous terrain.
A fatal Cessna 182D accident illustrated this risk, where a non-instrument-rated pilot continued a familiar mountainous route into severe Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), icing, and strong winds without an official weather briefing.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the pilot's decision to fly into conditions that exceeded his and the aircraft's capabilities, influenced by a false sense of security from route familiarity.

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If you’ve been flying for very long, it’s likely there’s a route you frequently use. It could be a quick out-and-back to the nearest $100 hamburger or cheapest avgas, or an hours-long trek to Grandma’s house. It’s something you’ve flown often and know well enough to almost do it without a chart. You understand the topography along the way, where the bolt holes are and how any weather may influence the flight. You may even have a couple of the frequencies memorized, along with expected ATC routings.

I have a few routes meeting that definition. A couple of them are relatively benign in poor weather. The sketchier routes generally involve unforgiving terrain, the kind that can combine with strong winds and/or convective activity to make flying conditions worse than might be expected over flatter areas. The Appalachian Mountains on the east coast and pretty much anything west of Texas meet this criterion.