Safety Archives - Page 20 of 31 - Golf Hotel Whiskey

What airlines can teach general aviation pilots

Vincent, the blogger behind the Plastic Pilot blog, has written a great short post where he mentioned three key lessons that airlines can teach general aviation. Vincent began his post by first acknowledging that while general aviation’s safety record is generally good, there are still a few things general aviation pilots can learn from airline pilots. He then mentioned the following three areas where there are lessons for general aviation pilots to follow:

SOP, flow patterns and checklists. In addition to checklists, Vincent pointed out that airlines go beyond the use of checklists. Airlines also use Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) and flow patterns to do all the actions before cross-checking with a checklist.

Briefings. Moreover, Vincent noted that airline crews also run through detailed briefings before each and every flight and he also does the same. Specifically, Vincent’s briefings cover the following items:

Take-off type (standard, performance, soft-field)
Vr, Vx, Vy (and Vmca if flying a twin)
Safety altitude
Actions in case of aborted take-off
Actions in case of emergency after take-off, depending on conditions (VMC or IMC)

Vincent also noted that for an approach briefing, he uses the Jeppesen Briefing Strip on top of the approach chart.

Sterile cockpit. Finally, Vincent pointed out that airlines have a sterile cockpit rule for both departures and approaches and typically when operating under 10,000 feet so that the pilot and crew can be focused on flying the aircraft. Hence and when he is flying with passengers, Vincent tells them when he needs to concentrate on flying and when he can carry on a conversation with them.

Keeping the above safety airline lessons in mind will make you a much safer and more professional general aviation pilot.

Why you need a good emergency locator transmitter (ELT)

Craig Medred has written a great post for the Alaska Dispatch’s Bush Pilot blog about a recent incident in Alaska that showed the importance of having a good emergency locator transmitter (ELT) whenever and wherever you fly. The incident involved the crash of a single-engine Cessna 185 airplane in the Alphabet Hills north of remote Glennallen in Southcentral Alaska when Wayne Humbert, one of the four onboard the aircraft, reached into his pocket for a four year old “yellow, six-ounce, palm-size” satellite messaging device known as “Spot.” On it were four buttons and he pressed the one that said “Help.”

After pushing the button, a signal went to a satellite and then back to Globalstar’s headquarters in Louisiana. There, a computer identified Humbert as the owner of the device and a call was made to his wife in Anchorage – who was not home. A second call was then made to his mother in Arizona who was not sure what to do and hence, another call was made to his wife. This time they reached her and she called the Alaska Wildlife Troopers who were soon in the air and on their way to the crash scene to pick up a bruised Humbert along with his three friends.

Craig then noted that Federal Aviation Administration-required ELTs have become a regular topic of discussion among Alaska’s small-plane pilots and Bush fliers due to their expense as the latest 406 MHz ELT device costs US$995 while the Spot device cost around US$150. He further quoted Gary Bennett from Northern Avionics in Anchorage as saying that cost is a major factor that keeps many pilots from switching to the newer device. Moreover:

“AOPA opposes any attempt to mandate or otherwise require the replacement of existing 121.5/243-MHz ELTs with 406-MHz units. AOPA recognizes the benefits that can be derived from the advanced ELTs available today. However, the benefits of advanced ELTs must be balanced against cost and the needs of the individual aircraft owner,” the organization says on its website. “AOPA supports the installation of these more advanced ELTs on a voluntary basis. General aviation is an industry already struggling under the weight of increased regulation and mandated equipage, and the decisions to replace an existing ELT should be left to the discretion of the aircraft owner.”

Luckily for Humbert, both the new 406 MHz ELT device on the aircraft plus his “Spot” device worked and he and his friends were quickly rescued.

Craig’s post then went on to discuss other various emergency locator transmitter options and hence, its well worth reading by pilots everywhere – especially those who fly in remote areas.

Improper fuel management dramatically cuts short a flight

General Aviation News has recently noted an interesting June 2008 accident report by the National Transportation Safety Board in the USA about a Cessna 310 crash that was caused by improper fuel management. According to the report:

The retired airline pilot told NTSB personnel that he had flown general aviation airplanes, having logged more than 18,000 hours, including about 200 hours in the accident make and model airplane. Historical fuel records associated Cessna 310 revealed the average fuel burn was approximately 35.09 gallons-per-hour. The actual fuel load for the accident flight was 119 pounds, instead of the 280 pounds reported by the pilot, who did not visually inspect the fuel tanks. Rather, he relied on gauge readings and his fuel calculations. Because of the discrepancy in the amount of fuel on board, the aircraft took off with fuel for only about 34 minutes of flight at typical power settings.

When the aircraft was over the Gulf of Mexico, it experienced a total loss of power in both engines. However and before ditching the aircraft, the pilot noted that the left and right fuel quantity gauges indicated 70 and 100 pounds respectively. Nevertheless and after the aircraft was recovered, a total of only 14 ounces of fuel were drained from the left main fuel tank and no fuel was found in the right main fuel tank.

Hence, the NTSB concluded that the pilot’s inaccurate fuel consumption calculations resulted “in a total loss of engine power to both engines due to fuel exhaustion.” The accident also resulted in one serious injury, three minor injuries and substantial damage to the aircraft.

Scary video encounter with density altitude

Density altitude can be an invisible danger for high-altitude mountain flyers on hot summer days. Moreover, combine the perils of density altitude with adverse or misjudged runway conditions plus shifting winds and you can easily and quickly have a disaster on your hands.

And there is no better evidence of this than some of the footage in this recent video interview of Chris Palmer by Jason Schappert. As you will see in the video, Chris explains to Jason how “something happened with the wind that totally took our margins away.” However, both luck and “pilot instinct” allowed Chris to pull out of this particularly dangerous situation where he literally had to fly through a gap between some very tall trees.

Among the lessons mentioned by Chris included the need to really KNOW you aircraft (a Bonanza in his case) as an aircraft’s actual performance may not meet your expectations should you find yourself in the same situation as he did.

How to do an effective preflight briefing (Blue Angels style)

Todd McClamroch, the blogger behind MyFlightBlog.com, recently had the opportunity during the Chicago Air & Water Show to get a behind the scenes sneak peek at how the US military’s Blue Angels C-130 crew do a professional preflight briefing. The video is well worth watching and Todd wrote that:

We don’t all have the privilege to fly a four-fanned C-130 supporting the Blue Angels, but we can strive to bring that level of forethought, professionalism and preparedness to each of our flights. Whether you are flying with other pilots, passengers or flying solo I think it is extremely valuable to verbally walk through aspects of your upcoming flight including emergency procedures.

He also noted that:

I am fairly particular about who I choose to fly with and one immediate turn-off is when another pilot neglects to provide a preflight briefing. On the flip side, I am immediately put at ease when I share a cockpit with someone who takes time to conduct a proper briefing.

And if you are looking for additional tips about how to do a preflight briefing, Todd ended his post by suggesting a post by Paul on Ask a Flight Instructor for some sample scripts and then a podcast that was done several years ago by Jason Miller of FinerPoints.

Making the impossible turn possible

Vincent, the blogger behind the Plastic Pilot blog, has written a great post discussing the “impossible turn” that focused around a video released by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation that showed a pilot making the turn and safely returning to the airport. However, its also made clear in the video that this is not the recommended course of action. Moreover, the pilot involved, Dave Keller, had a cracked cylinder that finally failed and then separated from the rest of the aircraft’s engine (he freely admits that he was very very lucky).

Commenter Bob Barbanes then pointed out a personal experience performing the impossible turn in a Cessna 150 when he was “young(er) and stupid(er)” and he concluded that:

It was this demonstration that convinced me that if the engine ever really did quit on takeoff below 500 feet, the best thing to do is just land straight ahead. Once you get above 500 feet (and get some airspeed) your options improve greatly, to maybe include a return to the field.

He also pointed out that:

There are simply too many variables to say: Never attempt “the impossible turn!” Taking off from a larger airport (like the one the Mooney took off from) gives you plenty more room to work with than a little single-runway airport out in the country with trees all around like my home base (82J). And of course it depends on the nature of the power failure. That Mooney reportedly had a cracked head on one of the cylinders. So unless the pilot intentionally pulled the power off (which may have been instinctive), the engine was producing at least a little thrust.

Bob concluded that the predicted success or failure of “the impossible turn” is and will always be: “It depends.”

Hence, we want to ask you our readers for your opinions about the impossible turn. Moreover, have you ever been in a situation where you had to consider performing the impossible turn? If so, what did you choose to do?