Recently added articles from Aviation Safety:
Unprepped.(EDITOR'S LOG)(Editorial)
Apr 01, 2008; Burnside, Jeb ... I'm usually fairly well prepared to tackle whatever airborne challenge I might face. Then there was a day in early March when I felt woefully unprepared. I got through it, but I'm still licking my wounds. The mission was supposed to be a short hop to a nearby airport, pick up a ...
Correcting Readbacks.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008; Childers, Vernon ... In response to March's Unicom "Correcting Readbacks," in which you ask readers whether and how they would correct a readback error heard on the frequency, I believe I would give it a few seconds to see if the error was picked up and then say something like "Cessna 12345, readback ...
More correcting.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008; Gardner, Bob ... Speak up when I hear ATC miss an incorrect readback? Darn tootin'! There's no excuse for not speaking up. I have on several occasions said "Center, BigBird 34X read back the wrong altitude," or the ...
It pays to pay attention.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008; Piper, Jim ... Regarding your question concerning calling attention to an incorrect readback, I think it's the pilot's duty to do so. In my 36 years as an airline pilot, and the ensuing 10 years of GA flying in retirement, I have heard dozens of misread clearances. Call me a busybody, but it ...
Two birds.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Great issue (March 2008), as usual, and I read each one cover to cover. There are two points I'd like to make. First, as a retired airline captain, overhearing an incorrect readback of a clearance, I'd have no hesitation (frequency congestion permitting) to say, in a courteous ...
Turning back.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008; Mireles, Anthony J. ... Regarding Rich Stowell's article, "The Problem With Flight Training" (March 2008), I received my pre-solo flight training in 2005. My instructor drilled into my head that I was to never, ever under any circumstances to turn back to the takeoff runway following an engine failure on ...
Close enough.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 01, 2008; Palmer, Mike ... I shook my head in disbelief at the Bonanza pilot who claimed he wasn't a "complete idiot" when he chose, in advance, to fly an unfamiliar airplane, in unknown mechanical condition, at night, without a flashlight ("Making a Killing," March 2008, p. 17). He may not be a complete idiot, but ...
Safer maneuvering: understanding and using available tools to make us think in three dimensions can help minimize this type of accident.(STICK AND RUDDER)
Apr 01, 2008; Stowell, Rich ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this series' first installment ("The Problem With Flight Training," March 2008), we identified a few of the systemic errors and omissions committed during flight training, and how they feed into typical aviation accidents. We dealt primarily with issues ...
Deferring maintenance: making the right "fix it or fly it" decision depends on what's broken and how you want to use the airplane.(AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS)
Apr 01, 2008; Gugeler, Mike ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My grandmother loved an adage. "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." "A stitch in time saves nine." "If you don't find time to do it now, when will you find time to do it later?" All fine words to live by, but my grandmother never paid for ...
Awakenings: getting back in the game after you and your plane have spent a winter hibernating really only means taking some time for planning and review.(AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS)
Apr 01, 2008; Bowlin, Frank ... Now that winter snows have passed and the foliage is turning green, it's time to get out and go flying. If you haven't committed aviation since the season's first snowfall, it's going to take some effort to get both you and your craft ready to go. You might presume when pilots ...
On a mission: thunderstorms: the best advice when dealing with thunderstorms is "don't." The pros offer their strategies on avoidance.(RISK MANAGEMENT)
Apr 01, 2008; Turner, Thomas P. ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thunderstorms can impede our progress any time of the year. If we kept the plane in the hangar every time a forecast called for them, however, we'd almost never fly in the spring and summer months. To learn how to safely dispatch and conduct a flight in ...
Making practice count: IFR self-critique: a dot here, a dot there and the next thing you know, you're in the CFIT database. Grade yourself on every flight and that won't happen.(INSTRUMENT FLIGHT)(instrument flight rules, controlled flight into terrain)
Apr 01, 2008; Straw, Bill ... I fly a lot of IFR year round and a fair amount of actual IMC during the winter, but not much in the summer. Like everyone else, I've heard the wakeup call from Center in that unmistakable tone that says, "We're not amused that you think flex-altitudes are in use today ... please get back ...
Turbo trouble: what do you do on a flight far from home if the engine's not running right but no one can fix it?(ACCIDENT PROBE)(Case study)
Apr 01, 2008; Burnside, Joseph E. "Jeb" ... Airplane ownership is not for the faint of heart. In addition to the responsibilities coming with the financial commitment to acquire, operate and maintain an aircraft, there's the decision-making and judgement calls one must make, even before the first flight of the day. These decisions ...
Cessna Citation 525: February 1, 2008, West Gardiner, Maine.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... At about 1748 Eastern time, the aircraft crashed in a wooded area shortly after takeoff. The private instrument-rated pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Instrument conditions prevailed. At about 1730, the airplane's engines started and ...
Zodiac 601XL Experimental: February 1, 2008, Murrieta/Temecu, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(California)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... The airplane was substantially damaged when it experienced a loss of engine power on takeoff at 1116 Pacific and came to rest nose-down in an open field following an emergency landing adjacent. The pilot and sole occupant was not injured. Visual conditions ...
Raytheon Aircraft Corporation C90A: February 1, 2008, Mount Airy, N.C.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(North Carolina)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at about 1128 Eastern time while executing the missed approach. The commercial pilot and the five passengers were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed. According to witness statements, rain, low cloud ceilings and ...
Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22: February 2, 2008, Lindsay, Kan.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... The airplane was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering at approximately 1723 Central time. The flight instructor and private pilot aboard were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the post-maintenance flight. One witness heard the airplane's engine "wind up ...
Cessna 340A: February 2, 2008, Cabezon, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(California)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... At approximately 1340 Pacific time the airplane was destroyed when it collided with mountainous terrain while maneuvering. The private pilot and his three passengers were killed. Visual conditions prevailed at the nearest official reporting station; instrument conditions prevailed in the ...
Bellanca 17-30A: February 2, 2008, Mukilteo, Wash.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Washington)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... The airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a power line at about 1240 Pacific time during an attempted forced landing. The commercial pilot and sole occupant received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, who talked briefly with ...
Piper Pa-32R-301T: February 4, 2008, Parowan, Utah.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2008 ... At about 1130 Mountain time the airplane collided with terrain during an attempted landing. The airline transport pilot and sole occupant was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, who was familiar with the airport, the ...