Picking Up The Pieces

I spend a lot of my flying in the Idaho backcountry, where there are a lot of challenging but worthwhile airstrips. But it's not a forgiving environment since go-arounds can be problematic and density altitude means pilots may not be accustomed to the reduced performance. After decades in the business, Patrick has a lot of lived experience seeing a wide variety of crashed planes, especially in the backcountry. As a window into answering the eternal question "Why do pilots crash?" I felt his insights would be valuable.

Mike Hart

Thursday, October 03, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The vast majority of aircraft crashes are human-caused, often resulting from a combination of factors and pilot decisions, even when a mechanical issue is initially present.
Common contributors to crashes, especially in challenging environments like backcountry airstrips, include pilot inexperience, high density altitude, and the failure to execute a timely go-around.
Maintaining pilot proficiency through continuous, challenging training and actively practicing fundamental flying skills is crucial for preventing accidents.
Pilots are advised to stay within their skill limits, avoid stressful situations, and not let emotional or circumstantial pressures lead to poor aviation decisions.

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Since he was a youngster helping his father in the family business, Andy Patrick of SP Aircraft out of Boise, Idaho, has retrieved and salvaged aircraft. The workload varies. In a slow year, there may be a half-dozen aircraft to recover. In one particularly busy recent year, there were 24. There’s no real way to predict a given year’s activity.

I spend a lot of my flying in the Idaho backcountry, where there are a lot of challenging but worthwhile airstrips. But it’s not a forgiving environment since go-arounds can be problematic and density altitude means pilots may not be accustomed to the reduced performance. After decades in the business, Patrick has a lot of lived experience seeing a wide variety of crashed planes, especially in the backcountry. As a window into answering the eternal question “Why do pilots crash?” I felt his insights would be valuable.