Pressure to Go!

Of all the many risks associated with aviation, there is none so hazardous as that powerful little voice deep within us that says it is safe to launch . . . when it really isn't.

Every aviator, from the fledgling new pilot to the seasoned veteran of 100 air wars, has heard this voice before.  "Go ahead, you can handle it . . . you've done it before and everything worked out fine."

You know better, of course.  The weather is bad; low ceilings and poor visibility; chance of icing or thunderstorms along your planned route of flight.  Despite what you know, that little voice from deep within says, "You've got an important meeting to attend.  You must get there!"

Maybe it's not your voice.  It could be a voice coming from your passengers who urge you to fly when you know it's not safe.  You know they have to be somewhere by some certain time, or else.  Perhaps it's your boss.  That's even worse!

Then there is the double whammy.  That's when the voice inside your head joins forces with people around you who insist you ignore your better judgment and takeoff into the face of just plain bad weather conditions.

That little voice screams in your ear . . . go!

I received a telephone call last year from the neighbor of a Cirrus SR22 pilot who was overdue from a business trip.  The pilot's little girl had the lead role in a junior high school play and he had promised to be home on time to attend the event.  The neighbor asked if I could check on the status of his flight. 

I did . . . and the news was not good.  The pilot who, by the way, was out of instrument currency, had taken off into a 200 foot ceiling and 1/2 mile visibility.  He climbed to about 500 feet, rolled inverted, and crashed. 

I shared this tragic news with the neighbor who, unknown to me, was sitting beside the pilot's 13 year-old daughter.  I'll never forget the screams I heard on the phone that very sad day.

Okay, moms and dads, the pressures imposed upon us by our children, especially when they are the starting pitcher in a little league game or singing a solo in the school play.  Business executives, we all know what a "must attend" meeting implies.  This stuff is just plain powerful.

"Gotta-get-there-itis?" - the aviator's greatest risk factor!

Take the case of a non-instrument rated business owner flying in the left front seat of his Cessna 205 and his instrument rated business associate in the right front seat.  They were flying from Flagstaff, AZ to Yuma, AZ to make a critically important presentation that would determine the future of his financially troubled business.  Get the picture?

Weather at their time of departure was marginal at best.  They launched into an 800' foot ceiling and 2 miles visibility with the expectation of encountering turbulence and light rime icing conditions on the climb.

We do not know too much about either pilot, though both were experienced aviators.  The wife of the instrument rated pilot in the right seat later reported that her husband did not enjoy flying on instruments and, as such, rarely did. 

Hmmm . . . . he rarely flew on instruments.  The picture is getting clearer!

By now, you likely know what happened.  Yep, the wreckage was discovered just 10 miles south of the Flagstaff Airport.  Both pilots were killed.

 

NTSB Probable Cause Finding: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The pilot's loss of situational awareness and failure to maintain clearance from hilly terrain while flying in an area of a low cloud ceiling. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight due to a self-induced pressure. NTSB Report

The lessons we learn from each of these two above described flights appear obvious.  We sit here in front of our computer screen and smugly say that we would never allow the external pressures to influence our decision to fly.   Here is what I would say . . . . baloney! 

Like most of you (truth be told), I've fallen victim to this insidious risk many times and, fortunately, survived to tell about them.  Am I proud of this fact?  Certainly not.  Would I do these things again?  I would like to think not, but perhaps will.

Why?  Because that powerful internal voice still remains the airman's greatest risk factor.  We either learn to control and defend ourselves from it . . . or we pay the ultimate price.  Perhaps not on the next flight, or the next flight after that.  But someday we will . . . unless we learn to control it!

The good news is, we can learn to control it, but it takes frequent reading of publications like OTA, NTSB accident reports, and sadly, a few experiences that we're not very proud of.  The important thing is that we do strive to learn rather than simply continuing on the same paths many of us have been following.

The pressure to go is powerful!  Like any temptation or perversion.  We either learn to control it or we succumb - and pay a terrible price.

Fly safe,
 

Bob Miller, ATP, CFII
rjma@rjma.com
716-864-8100

 

 

Traffic Information Systems (TIS) - Enhancing safety!

Mid-air collisions, in the grand scheme of things, do not happen very often thanks, in part, to new technology now becoming commonplace in many late model aircraft.

One such piece of technology is called "TIS," meaning Traffic Information System.  This electronic marvel automatically detects other transponder equipped aircraft within a 7 mile radius, from 3,500 feet above TIS-equipped aircraft to 3,500' below the aircraft.

A dubious bubble of protection

While affording piece of mind to pilots of TIS-equipped aircraft, this technology is not fool-proof. 

First, most such units detect and report a maximum of only 8 aircraft within its service volume.  Second, it only detects aircraft having an operating transponder.  If other aircraft do not have a transponder, such as a Piper Cub, or if the transponder is not turned on, TIS will not see nor report such aircraft.

Lastly, TIS service is not universally available in all parts of the world.

Any traffic detection equipment is better than none!

Back to the grand scheme of things, the vast majority of all aircraft are equipped with operating transponders.  This is certainly the case around busy Class C and B airports.

Having other nearby traffic graphically and aurally displayed on our panel (see photo below) is a definite enhancement to flight safety.

We at Bob Miller Flight Training, Inc. have TIS-equipped aircraft.  But as mentioned above, it does not replace the pilot's responsibility to look out the window!

Air-Work: Engine failure in flight

This is the fourth in an ongoing OTA series designed to bring our readers "back to the basics."   Going back to the basics is a tool often used by flight instructors when pilots, whether students or rusty veterans, begin to exhibit signs of poor piloting technique.

Remember, air-work is to the pilot what a tune-up is to an engine.  It affords us opportunity to re-build our basic airmanship skills.  And like engine tune-ups, air work should be performed at regular flying intervals. 

This month we will review the essentials of an engine failure in flight.

 

Few things capture the attention of a pilot faster than an sudden engine failure in flight. 

 

Our first response is disbelief.  This is quickly followed by that famous two word epithet that goes something like this: "Oh sh**!"  The next response is, "What do I do now?"

 

What do I do now?

 

What to do next when the engine quits is easily answered by the proficient pilot.  For the less than proficient pilot, his decision could easily kill him. 

 

Since most of us will not be flying a 4-engine Boeing Stratocruiser with a failed engine (photo right), our options are fewer and require more immediate action.

 

Take an engine failure on takeoff for example.  The proficient pilot knows that reversing course and heading back to the airport is not an option.  Instead, he or she wisely elects to land straight ahead or slightly left or right, regardless of obstacles.

 

The less than proficient pilot, on the other hand, succumbs to that overwhelming desire to bank hard, left or right, and return to the airport.  In the process, he pulls back on the yoke or stick to preserve altitude and applies hard rudder to expedite the turn.  Suddenly he finds himself in a deep spin pointing helplessly towards the ground.

 

Powerless in cruise . . .

 

Let's imagine ourselves winging peacefully along in cruise flight.  Suddenly we hear or feel bumps and burps from the engine.  We go through the customary period of disbelief, "Oh sh**", and What do I do now?"

 

Next, we pitch to our best glide speed as we look for a suitable emergency landing site.  Our airplane is badly bruised on impact but we survived the crash to fly another day.

 

Then comes to most disheartening news of all.  We discover that our engine failed because we forgot to change fuel tanks!!

 

Believe it or not, engine failures due to fuel mismanagement continue to happen about once a week in the United States.  Yep . . . perfectly good airplanes are flown into the ground simply because some hapless pilot forgot to switch fuel tanks.

 

So what can we do about it?

 

The short answer is, become a more proficient pilot.  We do this by practicing in-flight engine failures at least once a month.

 

We begin by learning a little more about the aircraft we fly.  Do the following:

• Open the POH and study what it has to say about engine failures in flight. 
• Memorize the bolded items in the engine failure check list.
• Know how to compute the maximum glide distance for your aircraft.
• Master your engine's trouble-shooting procedure.
• Know how to instantly determine your latitude/longitude coordinates.
• Always be on frequency with ATC (or know the emergency frequency).
• Know how to brief your passengers.
• Know what makes good vs. bad emergency landing sites.
• Always carry a survival kit including flares and/or smoke signaling devices.
• Never fly over open water without floatation gear (vests/raft).

Next . . . discover the true capability of your aircraft

 

Begin by determining just how many feet are lost when attempting to make a course reversal to the airport.  Knowing this WILL save your bacon when suffering a power failure on takeoff.

 

We're going begin our recurrent training by simulating an engine failure on takeoff.  We'll climb to and level at an altitude of 3,000' AGL on a known heading.  Next, we'll slow to our normal Vr (rotation speed) and put our aircraft in a typical takeoff configuration (flaps/gear).

 

Next, we'll apply full takeoff power and pitch up to our normal climb attitude.  Upon reaching 3,300' AGL, we'll pull the power to idle.  Wait four seconds (this is the normal reaction time to an engine failure).  Then we will commence a 180 degree standard rate turn (3 degrees/second).  It will take one minute to complete this 180 degree turn.

 

At a glide speed of 65 knots, the radius of the turn is 2,100 feet, so at the completion of the turn, our airplane will be 4,200 feet to one side of the imaginary runway.  Thus, we will need to turn another 45 degrees to align ourself with this same imaginary runway.

 

By now we will have consumed 75 seconds plus the 4 seconds we allowed for reaction time.  Assuming a power off descent rate of 1,000 feet per minute, we will have descended to 1,984' AGL (3,300'- 1,316'), or 1,016 feet below the airport elevation!

 

Realize, too, that we'll be returning to the airport with a likely tailwind.  The stronger this tailwind, the worse the outcome!

 

Get the point?

 

This practice exercise demonstrates why course reversals back to the airport do not work unless we're at some KNOWN safe altitude before commencing the turn.  Our job is to determine, through this exercise, what that safe altitude is for our aircraft.

Having learned to fly initially in gliders, engine failures are not heart-stopping events for me.  Nonetheless, they required prompt and correct action.  Get it right . . . you live to tell about it!

 

Admittedly one of its most vocal critics, Over the Airwaves is pleased to enthusiastically support what appears to be happening over at http://faasafety.gov.

Whether the FAA has streamlined the page or I've simply grown more familiar with it through repeated attempts at its use, it appears to be far more user friendly than in the recent past.

Begin by registering . . .

Log on to http://faasafety.gov, then follow the simple registration information instructions on the left side of the page.  After you have registered and logged in, you will be taken to your personal FAASafety.gov home page.

From there, you can enter a gigantic world of self-administered recurrent training opportunities.  For example, you can set a couple of simple geographic parameters to locate any and all upcoming training events and seminars in your area.

Or, you can click on the Learning Center button on the left side of the page and find dozens upon dozens of online courses you can take right from the comfort of your home or office.  Upon completion of each course, you will receive a graduation certificate and WINGs credit.  Even better, the system will retain a permanent record of your completed courses.

The WINGs program is administered here as well!

Want to track your progress in the WINGs program?  This is where you do it as well.

At long last, the FAA has given us a workable, user-friendly way to become and remain proficient pilots.  Try it out today.  I recommend it!

Our Helpful Sponsors

OTA sponsors plus our growing list of individual donors make it possible for me to continue producing and circulating OTA each month to over 17,000 pilots and aviation enthusiasts around the world FREE.

If you have an aviation-related product or service you would like to promote and help underwrite the continued publication of Over the Airwaves, please send an email to rjma@rjma.com.
 

Near Miss Scenario answer . . .

It would appear from the simulation that the tower controller confused the call sign of the Pilatus holding short of Runway 18L at Alfa (N409DR) with the aircraft next in line for takeoff at the departure end of Runway 18L.

This being the case, was the pilot of N409DR in any way responsible for contributing to this incident?  Please share your opinion with me via email at rjma@rjma.com.

Donations Help!

If you found OTA useful, please consider making a financial contribution to the effort.  It is your continuing donor support of Over the Airwaves that helps keep this online flight safety publication circulating around the world free of charge!

Please help me in this important lifesaving endeavor by donating to the cause.  You can do so by check or credit card.  Follow the instructions below.  

Personal Checks:  

If you prefer to send a personal check, you can do so by making it payable to "Over the Airwaves" and mail it to:

Bob Miller
Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport
4343 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, NY 14086

Your donations are used exclusively in the preparation, advancement, and promotion of Over the Airwaves to and for pilots all over the globe. 
 

Passenger briefing is more than talking.  Checking is also required!

How many times have we pilots said, "Everybody ready?," then launched? 

That's standard behavior for most GA pilots.  Unfortunately, such behavior can lead to disaster.  Why?   Because we assume that our passengers, even our frequent passengers, know what pre-flight actions they should be taking.

Several years ago, for example, I turned around in flight and witnessed my wife slumped forward in the backseat of my non-pressurized T-210.  We had reached our planned cruising altitude of 21,000 feet.  My wife's oxygen mask was properly covering her mouth and nose but after 15 or 20 minutes she appeared to be unconscious - not sleeping, unconscious!

I quickly confirmed that our O2 system was working properly.  I was breathing fine as was my daughter sitting next to me in the right seat.  Curiously, however, my wife was apparently not receiving any life-sustaining oxygen. 

My first action was to notify ATC of our predicament and immediately placed our airplane into an emergency descent.  She quickly showed signs of coming around as we passed through 12,000 feet.  Moments later, she was fully awake, not realizing what had just taken place.

Whose fault was this anyway?

Clearly, the fault was all mine.  Even though I had instructed my passengers (wife and daughter in this case) to prepare for high altitude flight by securing their oxygen masks prior to takeoff, I had failed to ensure that they were properly plugged in to the aircraft's O2 system and that oxygen was actually flowing to each mask.  In my wife's case, she had failed to complete the final twist on the O2 line plug to the aircraft O2 fitting, thus preventing the flow of oxygen to her mask.

A similar omission in a pilot's passenger briefing had far more tragic consequences.  In this instance, the pilot failed to physically check that the passenger door on his SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad was properly latched and closed prior to takeoff.  This particular model aircraft is equipped with gull-wing doors (see file photo right).

Shortly after takeoff, the passenger door suddenly opened.  The right seat passenger grabbed and held the door closed while the pilot prepared for an immediate landing.

On final approach, the pilot said that the pending landing "didn't look good" so he elected to go around for another try.

During this second landing attempt, the door again blew open.  According to the NTSB report, the pilot lost control of the aircraft.  He survived but the right seat passenger was killed in the accident.

We've all been annoyed by meddling flight attendants who walk down the isles physically checking if our seatbelts are, in fact, latched.  They do that because that's the proper procedure set forth by the airline and approved by the FAA in its operations manual.

Obviously, we GA pilots do not have (in most cases) professional flight attendants to ensure that our passengers are fully squared away prior to takeoff.  Nor do we (again for the most part) have operations manuals that require us to conduct a physical check of each passenger prior to takeoff. 

Nonetheless, the procedure is a good one and should be followed by all of us all of the time. 

Basic elements of a proper passenger briefing:

• Ask each passenger if they are comfortable;

• Physically check that their seat belts are latched;

• Physically check that all doors are properly closed and latched;

• Provide instructions on how to open the door and exit the aircraft;

• For pilot passengers - discuss positive exchange of controls.

We can, of course, expand our passenger briefing to include any additional items we like, e.g., location of sick sacs, no smoking, what to do if ill, etc.  The important thing is that we do NOT assume our passengers, even if frequent passengers or pilot/passengers know how to operate doors or vacate the aircraft in case of emergency.

Our job as pilots-in-command (PIC) is assume total responsibility for the safe outcome of every flight even if it means becoming intrusive to our passengers!

Aero-News.Net Features OTA in Podcasts

At the urging of hundreds of our OTA readers, I'll be offering this extremely popular 12 week ground course via "live" Webinar to readers all over the world beginning in April, 2010.  

All you will need is a computer with access to the Internet and you'll be able to register and participate in this "live" course from the comfort of your home or office.   

Watch for registration information to come out soon!

Click HERE for your second trip to the Bahamas!!!!

Read earlier "Fly Away" stories by John Bouck.  Click on the links below:

The Bahamas
Europe
Lake Como, Italy
Memphis, TN
Mackinac Island
Provincetown, MA
Cape May, NJ
Charlestown, SC
Cocoa Beach, FL
Mont Tremblant, Canada
New York City, NY
Santa Catalina, CA
Marblehead, MA
John's Travel Tips

Bravo . . . the FAA is finally linking errant pilot behavior to who their last instructor was!!!!!

At long last, the FAA is making an effort to hold flight instructors accountable for possible gaps or omissions in their teaching skills. 

According to the October, 2009 issue the FAA FIRC Facts, the FAA will be sending letters to instructors whose former students have been involved in pilot deviations within the previous 12 months. 

At least for now, this will be an advisory letter only and not intended for punitive purposes.  According to the FAA, "It's just another way to enhance awareness in the pilot community."

Bravo, FAA!  Now let's carry this effort one step further by actually investigating the actual training given by instructors to the errant pilots they instructed.  By doing so, we CFIs will be encouraged to provide the best training possible and, of course, to properly document all such training given.

This entire matter addresses an old learning adage that says, "If the student fails to learn its because the teacher failed to teach!" 

Bob Miller, CFII, ATP
rjma@rjma.com