Shared Responsibility?

Among the three weather phenomena that get my greatest attention, thunderstorms occupy the top two slots (icing gets the third). It’s not that I’m scared of thunderstorms; rather, it’s that I respect them. I’ve been in them—on the ground—and close enough to them in the air that I understand their power and unpredictable nature. One of the last places I want to be is in an airplane in the middle of one. My main tactic when dealing with thunderstorms is to remain in VMC. I’ll enter IMC, but only if I know what’s on the other side, based mostly on my Mk. I, Mod 1 eyeball. When approaching a group of storms, I’ll maneuver the airplane to ensure what I’m looking at is clear sky and not just some sky-colored cloud hiding an angrier one.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The author emphasizes the critical importance of thunderstorm avoidance, preferring visual navigation, utilizing onboard weather systems, and delaying or canceling flights over risking an encounter with severe weather.
A fatal accident involving a Beech B100 King Air is detailed, where the aircraft experienced an in-flight breakup after entering a severe squall line.
The NTSB determined the accident's probable cause was the pilot's failure to avoid severe weather combined with the air traffic controller's failure to provide required weather avoidance assistance, indicating shared responsibility.

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My main tactic when dealing with thunderstorms is to remain in VMC. I’ll enter IMC, but only if I know what’s on the other side, based mostly on my Mk. I, Mod 1 eyeball. When approaching a group of storms, I’ll maneuver the airplane to ensure what I’m looking at is clear sky and not just some sky-colored cloud hiding an angrier one. I’ll also use my trusty Garmin 396 and its XM Wx capability to keep track of the big picture, as well as the storms’ trends: Which way are they moving, how fast, and are they growing in intensity or dissipating?