New To The Airplane

Even relatively simple airplanes, those with welded-down landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller, can have complicated systems. Most of the time, everything works as intended by the manufacturer and all is well. On rare occasions, however, equipment failures occur. When that happens, its easy to say that excellent systems knowledge will save the day. The reality is somewhat different, and pilots often do not have the time or third hand with which to look up systems information in the airplanes documentation.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, October 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot's unfamiliarity with the aircraft's autopilot system led to an inadvertent full airplane-nose-up trim condition when they applied sustained forward pressure on the control yoke while the autopilot was engaged.
The pilot's struggle to identify and resolve the issue, compounded by confusion over basic electrical controls and emergency procedures, resulted in excessive control forces and a fatal aerodynamic stall.
The accident underscores the critical importance of thorough systems knowledge and emergency procedure familiarity, particularly for pilots transitioning to new or automated aircraft, to prevent misinterpretation of system behavior.

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Even relatively simple airplanes, those with welded-down landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller, can have complicated systems. Most of the time, everything works as intended by the manufacturer and all is well. On rare occasions, however, equipment failures occur. When that happens, it’s easy to say that excellent systems knowledge will save the day. The reality is somewhat different, and pilots often do not have the time or third hand with which to look up systems information in the airplane’s documentation.

As complexities increase, our knowledge of the airpane’s systems needs to increase accordingly. And as the level of cockpit automation grows, pilots may need regular refresher training to ensure they can resolve equipment failures in a timely manner. As we will learn, the need to understand an aircraft’s systems can be greatest when we first step aboard.