Loss of Control

Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading killer in GA, with more fatal accidents than the next six causes combined. The Colgan 3407 and Air France 447 crashes brought LOC-I to the forefront. Were forced to ask how we can lose control of perfectly good airplanes. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics identified LOC-I as the most significant cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide.

jmiller

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I) is the leading cause of fatal accidents in General Aviation (GA), primarily resulting from pilot-induced "aircraft upset" conditions where the plane unintentionally exceeds normal flight parameters.
To prevent LOC-I, pilots should utilize Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRATs) for objective pre-flight go/no-go decisions and implement Threat and Error Management (TEM) systems, emphasizing procedures and checklists to identify and mitigate in-flight threats and errors.
Effective recovery from an upset requires pilots to develop instinctive responses through extensive practice of stall and unusual attitude maneuvers, including "edge-of-the-envelope" scenarios, to counteract stress and the startle response.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is the leading killer in GA, with more fatal accidents than the next six causes combined. The Colgan 3407 and Air France 447 crashes brought LOC-I to the forefront. We’re forced to ask how we can lose control of perfectly good airplanes. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics identified LOC-I as “the most significant cause of commercial aviation fatalities worldwide.”

General aviation statistics mirror the grim commercial numbers. Preventing LOC-I in GA has been one of the NTSB’s most wanted safety improvements for 2015. Last fall, the agency hosted a symposium to share information and explore ways to mitigate the risk.