Stupid Pilot Tricks

While the self-righteous denigrate those who mess up, we shout our barbaric yawp in praise of folly.

pberge

Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:12 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article humorously reviews numerous 2021 aviation accidents caused by diverse pilot errors, including poor judgment, lack of situational awareness, and attempts at risky or entertaining maneuvers.
Several incidents highlighted pilots operating in blatant disregard of regulations, such as flying without valid certifications, exceeding weight limits, or failing to comply with required flight training and endorsements.
Basic operational blunders, like mistaking landing gear for flap controls, incorrect pre-flight trim settings, and misidentifying landing surfaces, were also contributing factors to crashes.

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Once again it’s time to review 365 days and sleepless nights of merriment and angst afforded the flying community by those who think “safety first” is the initial rehab step after crashing.

Rules: Any documented goof is fair game, but we don’t shade the dead; might come back to haunt us. We lampoon 2021, the most recent year that NTSB (National Transportation Something Board) provides “completed” analysis of accidents from the year that brought us COVID, Prince Harry, and Megyn.