Through the years, I have enjoyed relating to ILAFFT stories in Flying and have even corrected a few bad habits based on what I’ve read. I thought there would come a time when the lessons I personally learned while flying would no longer translate to GA flying, and my window of opportunity to submit to this department would close. That view was proved wrong on July 27, 2016.
I Learned About Flying From That: An Airline Crew’s Close Call
Key Takeaways:
- An airline crew experienced a near mid-air collision with a non-transponder equipped Bonanza while descending, despite discussing increased traffic and ATC's delayed recognition of the primary target.
- The incident revealed the author's dangerous assumptions about traffic in instrument conditions and over-reliance on automation (TCAS) and external vigilance (ATC).
- The key takeaway reinforced the importance of continuous visual scanning and learning, illustrating how multiple safety "holes" (like a non-compliant aircraft, inattentive ATC, and pilot assumptions) can align, as per the "Swiss cheese" model.
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