Training and Proficiency What A CFI Wants You To Know

What to Do When There’s an Accident

After a mishap, there is always a desire to get more information about what happened.

Tuesday, July 02, 2024 at 09:16 AM ET

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A sad reality in aviation is that if you stay in it long enough, there will come a day when you lose someone you know in an accident. [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Aviation professionals should be prepared for the emotional impact of knowing someone involved in an accident and allow themselves time to process, often guided by flight school protocols.
After an accident, it's crucial to act responsibly: avoid speculation, refrain from immediate public sharing of sensitive information, and discourage online "trolling" or non-expert dissections.
Instead of engaging in speculative entertainment, utilize official NTSB reports as valuable learning tools to understand accident chains and enhance personal aviation skills and decision-making.

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One of the sad parts of aviation is that if you stay in it long enough, there will come a day when you lose someone you know in an aircraft accident. I don’t say this to scare you—I say this to prepare you.

This time of year I find myself thinking about Josh Dierks, killed on July 10, 2006, while flying a Piper Navajo. We worked together as CFIs. He wanted a career at the airlines, so he took a job flying cargo to build his multiengine time. Dierks was flying from Spokane, Washington, to Seattle when, as he approached the Cascade Range, he informed ATC that he was experiencing an uncommanded loss of engine power in both engines.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.