Recently added articles from Aviation Safety:
One.(EDITOR'S LOG)(aviation accident data)
May 01, 2009; ... The NTSB in early April released preliminary general aviation accident data for 2008. No one should be happy. For example, there were 1559 accidents involving Part 91 operations, 275 of which involved fatalities. Those fatal accidents killed a total of 495 persons, one fewer ...
Living with Nexrad.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... I finally got around to catching up on back issues, and came across "Soft Spot" (Editor's Log, January 2009), having spent June through September flying from Alaska to and around the lower 48. I relied heavily on my Garmin 496. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On August 24, ...
Remedial physics 101.(UNICOM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... In his March 2009 article "Taming Crosswinds," Rick Durden says, "[Your instructor] reminded you that energy equals mass time (sic) acceleration squared. If you double your speed, you don't double the force of the impact, you quadruple it." Well, not my instructor. Actually, ...
Practicing for emergencies (without going broke): we all need more practice, but balance our finances against the likelihood of "something bad" happening. Thinking through all those bad things is a good compromise.(RISK MANAGEMENT)(Viewpoint essay)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the sad realities of general aviation becomes apparent upon reading a score or so NTSB accident reports: While true in-flight emergencies are rare, pilots who do not fly for a living have a less-than-stellar record of success when they stare one in ...
Instrument rating: the first 100 hours: you'll never be more current than the day of your checkride, but getting and staying proficient requires developing a plan and sticking with it.(INSTRUMENT FLIGHT)
May 01, 2009; ... Congratulations! You've just passed your instrument practical test, a significant achievement, requiring much more discipline and learning than even the private pilot exam. Or maybe you've held your instrument rating for a while, but you've never developed a plan to improve your ...
Induction icing: knowing how and when induction icing happens can help you prevent it.(AIRMANSHIP)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sputtering sound of your airplane's power-plant, followed by a sudden silence, and the realization that you are now the pilot of a heavy glider, can certainly get your immediate attention. As the cold, dry winter is replaced by the more-humid air of ...
Soft field tactics: on anything but pavement, you may need a new way of thinking. Learn to use ground effect to your advantage.(STICK AND RUDDER)(Cover story)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hangar flying seldom fails to enlighten, particularly when sitting out a wet, drizzly, gray day talking and watching what little action there is at my local aerodrome. The drizzle dropped visibility to around a mile and the 3000-foot ceiling let through ...
Slow for slow's sake: flying on the back side of the power/drag curve is just another skill. To squeeze the most out of your airplane, knowing the theory helps.(AIRMANSHIP)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AN AVIATION SAFETY MAGAZINE STAFF REPORT If you've heard this once, you've heard it a hundred times: "I'm really behind the power curve today." You've heard it, but do you really know precisely what it means? Can you sketch the relevant graphs, ...
Unapproved parts: deciding to skimp on new turbocharger wastegate controller oil lines is not a good choice.(ACCIDENT PROBE)
May 01, 2009; ... Keeping an older, or "aging," aircraft airworthy is a balancing act of sorts. On one hand, it's nice to simply replace rather than repair parts and components when they go bad. On the other had, and since some parts and components are increasingly rare, the cost of changing them out can be ...
Diamond DA-40: March 1, 2009, Arcata, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At 2257 Pacific time, the airplane was lost from radar while executing an instrument approach. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was over the Pacific Ocean at the time. Four days later, small ...
Cessna 172N: March 6, 2009, Oceanside, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... The airplane collided with the water about 40 nm west of Oceanside, Calif., at 1253 Pacific time and was destroyed. The solo private pilot is presumed to have sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. Radar data indicate the aircraft climbed along the coastline on a ...
Cessna 172R: March 7, 2009, Oceanside, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At about 1750 Pacific time, the airplane made an off-airport forced landing following a loss of engine power. The private pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. During the landing sequence, the airplane ...
Cessna 182P: March 8, 2009, Carrollton, Ga.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a lake at about 0845 Eastern time. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. The pilot did not possess an instrument rating. A weather observation taken ...
Grumman American AA-1B: March 9, 2009, Golden, N.M.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At about 0540 Mountain time, the airplane impacted terrain, fatally injuring the private pilot and passenger. The two regularly flew the route as commuters. Instrument conditions prevailed. A witness saw an airplane flying low in the vicinity of the ...
Piper PA-28-236: March 14, 2009, Pomona, Calif.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... The airplane departed Brackett Field with two private pilots aboard, one of whom had an instrument rating. The flight requested and received an IFR clearance. Approximately three minutes ...
Piper PA-28-151: March 15, 2009, Gardner, Kan.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Report)
May 01, 2009 ... After landing, the pilot taxied the airplane to the tiedown area. The pilot turned left, after the fuel pumps, and continued to taxi the airplane between a row of parked airplanes and the FBO ...
Cirrus Design SR22: March 15, 2009, Gaithersburg, Md.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At about 1340 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged after its Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) was deployed shortly after takeoff. The solo private pilot was not injured. Instrument conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan had been filed. As the airplane ...
Beech D35 Bonanza: March 16, 2009, Taos, N.M.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... The student pilot was landing at the non-towered airport after a cross-country flight when he made a "short approach," did not use any flaps and used an approach speed about 30 knots faster than normal. The student pilot said he didn't use his normal checklist procedure and that ...
Piper PA-28-161: March 16, 2009, Sanford, Fla.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(aircraft accident in Florida)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At about 2125 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged following an engine fire on the runway. The flight instructor and student were not injured. Night visual conditions prevailed at the time. Upon coming to a stop on the runway after landing, the engine quit. The ...
Pilatus PC-12/45: March 22, 2009, Butte, Mon.(NTSB Reports: Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... All 14 aboard were fatally injured and the airplane destroyed by impact forces, and a post-accident fire, when it crashed short of the runway at 1430 Mountain time. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane originally departed Redlands, Calif., and flew to Vacaville, Calif., ...