Low-Viz Takeoffs

Last December 24th, a Cessna 340 crashed at Bartow, Fla., during an attempted predawn, IMC departure. All five aboard the airplane died. We dont know yet what factors, if any, beside the weather may have contributed to this Christmas Eve tragedy. Regardless, the circumstances should remind us of the extra planning and skill needed for a departure into low IMC, day or night-even if everything is going right.

Tom Turner

Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Many AirVenture visitors enjoy simply listening to the ATC chatter each year at the show. Courtesy PilotEdge

Key Takeaways:

Low-visibility (IMC) takeoffs present unique and undertrained challenges, including high workload conditions with no time to "get up to speed," immediate exposure to aircraft or checklist errors, and physiological hazards like the somatogravic "false climb" illusion.
Pilots often lack recent experience with IMC departures, emphasizing the critical need for meticulous pre-flight and pre-takeoff preparation, thorough departure briefing, and unwavering reliance on flight instruments.
Mitigation strategies include rigorous instrument checks, ensuring all systems are set before entering the runway, diligent checklist usage, practicing simulated zero-zero takeoffs, and maintaining a sterile cockpit to focus solely on the immediate task.

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Last December 24th, a Cessna 340 crashed at Bartow, Fla., during an attempted predawn, IMC departure. All five aboard the airplane died. We don’t know yet what factors, if any, beside the weather may have contributed to this Christmas Eve tragedy. Regardless, the circumstances should remind us of the extra planning and skill needed for a departure into low IMC, day or night—even if everything is going right.