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Stupid Pilot Tricks

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article compiles a series of nonfatal aircraft accidents from 2019, primarily attributed to pilot error and poor judgment, highlighting "boneheaded moves" by aviators.
  • Common mistakes leading to these incidents include disregard for aircraft limitations (e.g., weight, fuel), ignoring safety procedures, poor decision-making during critical phases of flight, and spatial disorientation.
  • Many accidents could have been prevented by adherence to basic flying principles, better situation awareness, willingness to abort unsafe takeoffs/landings, or avoiding unnecessary risks like low-altitude maneuvering for non-operational purposes.
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Yes, we’d done as we were told. The hushed voice on the phone had promised a copy the 2019 Golden File from the Official Office of Plane Safety (OOPS)—the nearly magical file that contained that august organization’s conclusions as to which nonfatal aircraft accidents were the result of the most boneheaded moves by people who professed to be pilots.

It was midnight, the time prescribed for the handoff. Guided by the light of a full moon, we’d found the hole in the perimeter fence, entered the aircraft boneyard, and located the designated fuselage—all that remained of a pranged Cessna Caravan. Crouching, we passed through the cargo door and, in the moonlight, saw a bent Piper Cherokee control yoke lying on the floor. Following instructions, we deposited the agreed upon payment, a copy of James Gilbert’s classic, The World’s Worst Aircraft beside the yoke.

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