We can spend hours in the practice area learning stick and rudder skills followed by even more hours in the simulator learning procedures, but when our basic aeronautical decision making skills (ADM) are faulty, we die.

Such was the case early last month when a non-instrument rated pilot, who had received his private pilot certificate less than three months earlier, elected to launch in poor weather conditions from the Smith Mountain Lake Airport (W91) in Virginia.  His planned destination was Florence Regional Airport (FLO), Florence, South Carolina.  He had a passenger with him. 

Here is what he was facing weather-wise

This inexperienced pilot was looking directly into the face of AIRMET Sierra covering his route of flight plus currently reported IFR conditions at his two nearest airports. 

A preliminary review of flight service station data revealed that the pilot did not contact any flight service stations or the Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS) to obtain a weather briefing.  Nor did he file a flight plan prior to departure.

Did this pilot have any cause for concern?  How would you rate his ADM skills?  Good, fair, poor? 

Air Traffic Control to the rescue . . .

According to the NTSB Report, the airplane tracked generally southbound, until about 1130, when the pilot asked the controller for a radar vector.  When queried about the request, the pilot responded, "We're kinda lost in some fog here."

The controller then asked the pilot to state his present heading, to which the pilot replied, "I can't tell, I think we're upside-down."

The controller instructed the pilot to turn right, and 18 seconds later advised the pilot to stop his turn.  During this time, the airplane had completed a left turn to a northeasterly track, and its altitude varied between 4,500 feet and 4,700 feet. 

The Classic Spiral

Where did this guy go wrong?

Few things strike as much fear in the heart of pilots as our regular visit to the aviation medical examiner (AME).  He checks our urine, vision, hearing, blood pressure, and reviews our reported medical history.  If he doesn't like what he sees, we're grounded!

One area that is tripping up increasing numbers of aging pilots is the urine.  If we change the color of that little test strip, we're spilling sugar into our urine!  It could be that we are succumbing to the same malady that strikes over 21 million Americans.  That malady is Type II diabetes.

The AME sends us back to our primary physician for an A1C, the definitive blood test for diabetes.  If that test number comes back over 7, he may prescribe medication to help control our blood sugar. 

When that happens, we are about to fly directly onto the AME's radar screen!  Once on that radar screen, be prepared for annual medicals and lots of paper work.  Hopefully the medication works . . .

Another solution

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the results of major Type II diabetes clinical trial involving 3,234 people (Click HERE for more information about this study) The results study showed that a modest weight loss (5 to 7 percent of body weight) and light exercise (a 30 minute walk each day) brought a 58 percent reduction in progression to diabetes.

Curiously, this weight loss and exercise regime produced the same results as similar clinical trials where medication was used to control diabetes!  In other words, modest weight loss and exercise can be as effective as medication to prevent or control Type II diabetes.

The choice is ours

Our risk of acquiring Type II diabetes increases dramatically as we age, particularly if we tend to be even modestly overweight.  Let's not wait for the AMA to detect this condition on our next medical.   Instead, see your regular doctor.  If he suspects that you are at risk for Type II diabetes, begin that weight control program and begin exercising. 

If that does the trick, you'll remain off of the AME radar screen.  More importantly, you may prevent or effectively control the progression of this very serious disease.  

Take a Piper Archer (PA28-180) with a conventional 50 gallon (48 gallon useable) tank and fly it for 5.7 hours.  Just how many more minutes could you expect to go before running out of gas?  (Hint:  According to the POH, at 75% power this model consumes 10 gallons per hour.)

This guy played the game and lost!

Our hapless pilot in this tragic scenario took off in August, 2005 with his wife and two passengers from Delaware Airpark, Delaware enroute to Randolph, NY.   Arriving in Randolph, he dropped off his two passengers and he and his wife flew on to Niagara Falls, NY, about an hour north.

He considered re-fueling in Niagara Falls but complained to the FBO clerk about the high fuel prices.  Without refueling, he returned to Randolph, NY where he apparently planned to refuel and pick up his two passengers with the intent of returning to Delaware. 

Unfortunately, there were no fuel services at Randolph, so he elected to fly a short distance over to Jamestown, NY to refuel.

Arriving after dark in Jamestown, he discovered that the FBO was closed.  Ignoring the after-hours telephone number for fuel services, our fuel-hungry pilot set off for Erie, PA, some 40 miles to the west.  By this point, he had logged over 5 hours since fueling.

Not night current

According to NTSB investigators, this pilot had not flown at night for over six months.  Thus he was not legal to fly passengers at night per FAR 61.57.  Equally perplexing, this pilot was clearly ignoring the reserve fuel requirement per FAR 91.151.  Do you see an accident picture development? 

How many rules must one violate before the pistol cylinder with the live round gets fired? 

The rest of the story

About 12 miles east of Erie, the pilot reported fuel exhaustion to the Erie Approach Controller.  He attempted to glide the airplane to runway 24, but it impacted trees one mile east of the runway.  The pilot and two passengers were killed.   The third passenger was seriously injured.

The single live bullet finally found its way to the firing chamber - boom!

The annals of aviation accident history are replete with tales of dead pilots skipping the steps, breaking the rules, and pushing the envelope. 

But before we point the judgmental finger, however, stop and think.  Have YOU ever pushed that envelope?  Be honest.  I have and was fortunate enough NOT to have found a live bullet in the chamber.  Next time, neither of us may be so fortunate.

A cursory look at the most recent NTSB reports of GA accidents (about 5 a day, on average) suggests that about 70% of them involved poor aeronautical decision making (ADM).  In simple terms, the pilot exercised poor judgment, either in commencing the trip or in electing to continue it when circumstances dictated otherwise.

There have been lots of tools and techniques developed over the years to help impart proper ADM skills to pilots.  One that I recently developed and have spoken of in talks around the country is "The 4 Ms".

The 4 "Ms" explained . . .

Some folks like to reduce poor ADM to simply "dumb pilot tricks."   In truth, poor ADM has many causes.  Sometimes it is ignorance, or arrogance, or the feeling of invincibility, or impatience.  Something interfered with the pilot's ability to exercise sound judgment.

If we pilots simply pondered these 4 "Ms" before each flight, our chances of arriving at our destination safely will be significantly enhanced!

The FAA appears to be on the right track in finding ways to reduce the chronic GA accident rate.  Called Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team (FAASTeam), this program became operational on October 1, 2006.

Claiming to have resolved many of the larger safety problems through its Aviation Safety Program (ASP), the FAA's new program is designed to get at the more troubling, difficult to solve problems.

A systematic daily reading of the newspaper weather page or viewing of the cable weather channel, coupled with proper flight instruction, can transform a neophyte, fair-weather only pilot, whose world is limited to the practice area and a couple of nearby airports, into a weather-savvy veteran capable of year-round transcontinental flight!

Sound like a pipe dream?  Not really.  The science of meteorology has advanced to levels that make it possible to reliably predict the kind of weather that posses excessive risk to small airplanes.  The key, however, is our ability to properly interpret what the meteorologists are telling us.

Translating weather depictions

Most of us recall the difficulty we had deciphering those crude weather charts we had to know for both the private and instrument knowledge tests.  Unfortunately, many of those same charts continue to appear in these tests . . . despite the fact that the US Weather Service has moved into the 21st century.

One of the difficulties we had was translating these obtuse weather depictions into a real world understanding of what was actually going on outside.  Looking below, for example, we see a typical weather depiction chart showing converging cold and warm fronts. 

Below is a graphic illustration of the same weather system in bright colors.

 Below is a photograph of the same system as it appears to the airborne pilot.

The above photo is facing north.  Imagine yourself entering the photo from the east, over Columbus, OH.  You are flying westward.  Your destination is Indianapolis.  You are descending into the clouds.  The OAT (outside air temperature) is +6d C.  So far, so good. 

As you descend through the depicted air mass boundary, you notice the OAT dropping quickly.  The rain beating on your wings suddenly turns into freezing rain!  Your windscreen turns opaque.  Your airspeed and altimeter each begin to unwind in heart-stopping fashion.  

Seconds earlier you were in warm IFR and now you are in the throws of a full-blown emergency!  You give ATC the "E" word as you apply power to get back up into the warmer air.  Nothing!  Your airplane is coated with two inches of clear ice.  It is unable to maintain altitude;  the control forces are mushy;  your hands are sweaty and your stomach is in knots.  You issue another panicky call to ATC.

Choices . . . better make the correct one.

You have two choices.  Struggle to climb back up into warmer air and risk stalling.  Or, you can push the nose downward to build airspeed and "hope" to get below the freezing rain conditions.  As for me, I'd pick the latter choice.

The best choice, however, would have been to evaluate this weather system before departing in the first place.  The first weather depiction, above, should have sent warning flags up all over the place!  Converging cold and warm fronts are nearly always the aviation equivalent to the Bermuda Triangle.  You can expect the worst that Mother Nature has to offer.

The message here is simple.  Become a student of meteorology.  Endeavor to understand each day's weather depiction published in the newspaper or displayed on the Weather Channel.    You will begin to recognize areas of hazardous weather.  More importantly, you'll begin to interpret the kinds of challenges you can expect if you elect to penetrate that weather.

A Cirrus SR20 apparently succumbed to airframe icing three weeks ago while flying between 11,000 and 14,000 feet near Maybell, Colorado.  The airplane was enroute from Ogden, Utah to Lincoln, Nebraska.  The pilot and private pilot rated passenger were fatally injured.

According to the NTSB report, the pilot reported to Denver (DEN) Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) that his airplane was encountering icing conditions. The pilot requested several altitude changes.  He was assigned an altitude of 11,000 feet and was asked if he could maintain terrain and obstacle separation. The pilot acknowledged in the affirmative.

Shortly thereafter, radar and voice communications with the flight were lost.  An Alert Notification (ALNOT) was issued and search and rescue operations were initiated.

The wreckage and debris path were located by law enforcement personnel. The initial impact point was located at an elevation of 7,100 feet msl. A debris path extended from the initial impact point, for approximately 2 miles. A witness in the area observed a portion of the fuselage being drug by the deployed aircraft recovery parachute.

Icing season is upon us . . .

Despite the fact that surface temperatures remain seasonably comfortable, the air aloft is getting cold . . . and this means the threat of icing is again upon us.  It also means that anybody operating in sub-freezing clouds better have an iron-clad, instantly accessible "backdoor" should the stuff begin to stick to the wings.

The operative phrase in the previous sentence is "instantly accessible."   Unless the aircraft is equipped with TKS, inflatable boots, or some other form of effective anti-icing or de-icing gear, an instant retreat from icing encounters is essential.

Do I wait for ATC approval before changing altitudes?

Fortunately, ATC is very responsive to pilot reports of icing.  In most cases, they will permit you to maneuver as required to escape icing conditions.  What if, however, you are unable to reach ATC?  Do you make your move without a clearance and subject yourself to a violation of FAR 91.123?

While this question is likely to spark considerable "hangar talk" debate, my personal choice would be to key the microphone then say the "E" word. 

Yep, airframe icing, particularly in a thin wing aircraft like the Cirrus or Columbia, constitutes a genuine emergency.   Don't be proud.  Go where you need to go under your emergency authority.

The important thing is to act immediately!

I spend a good deal of my wintertime flying in icing conditions in and around the Great Lakes.  My airplane is certified for flight into known icing conditions.  It has inflatable boots, a heated propeller, super-heated Pitot tube, a heated stall warning sensor, and a hot windshield. 

Does all of this enable me to continue flying through icing conditions?  Absolutely not!  Whenever encountering icing conditions, I cycle the boots as necessary and then take whatever steps are necessary to escape icing conditions.  ATC has always been immediately responsive, but should I ever need to change altitudes or make a bolt for VFR conditions due to icing and I cannot reach ATC or obtain a clearance, I'll exercise my emergency authority. 

Curiously, if you read enough witness statements contained in the daily reading of NTSB accident reports, you'll come to the conclusion that relatively few airplane crashes occur in a wings level flight attitude.  Instead, the pilot managed to get the airplane over into a steep bank, spiral, or even inverted before hitting the ground.

Banking does strange but predictable things to airplanes

The chart to the left illustrates two bad things that begin to happen anytime we roll our airplanes into more than 20 degrees of bank. 

First, our stall speed begins to increase.  Instead of those wings level stalls we experienced in the practice area, we discover that our airplane will stall at 80 knots or more whenever we're banked over 60 percent.

Next, and more insidious, our load factor or "G" force begins to increase dramatically after rolling 60 degrees.  This means that any error in our weight and balance computation can have disastrous effects whenever we're in a steep bank.

For example, imagine a Cessna 172 at maximum gross weight of around 2,400 pounds.  Roll that airplane into a sudden 80 degree bank, its new weight is 14,400 pounds! 

Do you think the wings will remain attached with this load?  Are you willing to bet the farm on this?

Getting the most out of practicing steep turns

Most student pilots are taught to perform steep turns within the limits specified in the Practical Test Standards (PTS).   They are seldom shown the effect of this bank angle on stall speeds.

Next time you are practicing steep turns, try reducing the power to idle, while maintaining altitude and your 45 degree bank angle.  You might be surprised by what happens!  Be sure, of course, that you have an experienced CFI with you.

Understanding the intricacies of the vacuum system is key to remaining upright in the clouds.  Despite this fact, many pilots fly into the scud without even glancing at the vacuum pressure gauge.  Things seem right at first, then the heading indicator stops turning and the blue side of the attitude indicator slowly changes places with the black or brown side.

When this occurs inside the clouds, the pilot had better be proficient in partial panel flight.  If not, he likely dies.

What happened?

What happened is that little $600 vacuum pump gave up the ghost . . . with no warning.  It simply self-destructed, likely from excessive heat and relentless spinning.  As it came to a stop, the fast moving air in the vacuum lines, needed to spin the gyros inside the heading indicator and the attitude indicator, stopped as well.

How do we prevent this from occurring?

The best defense against a loss of vacuum pressure is to have a second or back-up source of vacuum pressure.  One way is to have a second vacuum pump operating in the system.  Another is to have a mechanism to draw vacuum pressure from the engine's intake manifold.

The attitude indicator

Pictured left is an attitude indicator.  Looking carefully inside the instrument housing, you will see a gyroscope. 

Vacuum pressure draws fast moving air along side the cupped edges of this gyroscope causing it to spin.  This spinning gyroscope remains rigid in space, regardless of the pitch or bank attitude of the airplane.

Note the horizon reference arm attached to the gyroscope.  This reference arm, with its attached blue and black card representing the sky and ground respectively, remains upright relative to the actual horizon as the airplane climbs, descends, and banks.   

The heading indicator

The heading indicator operates on the same principle.   An internal gyroscope, spun by a fast flow of air produced by the vacuum pump, remains rigid in space as the aircraft turns around its vertical axis.

While the vacuum system typically includes a vacuum pressure gauge and sometimes a low vacuum warning light, the heading indicator and attitude indicators have no warning flags to alert the pilot when these instruments, themselves, fail.  Instead, they simply stop operating, leaving the pilot to figure out what went wrong.

Before going into the clouds

Before entering the clouds, the proficient pilots ALWAYS checks two items.  The first is OAT (outside temperature).  If the OAT is below 40d F., the pilots turns on the pitot heat.  The pilot also checks the vacuum pressure gauge.

Dew . . . those little drops of harmless water typically stream off of the airplane as we fire up the engine.   Those drops of dew are created when the wing and fuselage surface temperatures fall below the dew point temperature.  This causes the moisture in the surrounding air to condense on the aircraft surfaces.

So far, so good.  Problems emerge later in the night when the air temperature dips below freezing.  Those harmless drops of water turn into frozen crystals or frost.  When this happens, a definite flight safety hazard results.  Frost disrupts the flow of air over the wing and can drastically reduce the production of lift.   It also increases drag, which, when combined with lowered lift production, can eliminate the ability to take off.

It doesn't take much frost to destroy lift

As difficult as it may be to imagine, frost as fine as medium course sandpaper can cause an airplane to drop from the sky soon after leaving ground effect on the take-off roll.  The tiny, almost microscopic, bumps created by frost on the smooth wing surfaces interrupt its lift carrying capability. 

Many pilots over the years have met their fate by launching with frost on their wings.  Comforted by the fact that they could fly in ground effect, what happened after leaving ground effect was tragic

Past Issues of 
 

Click HERE to open any previous issue(s) of Over the Airwaves and to search for any past articles.
 

 

[Disclaimer:  Material contained in this e-newsletter is for informational purposes only.  It should not be construed as directive, doctrinal, or instructive.  Readers should consult with their flight schools, certificated flight instructors, Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and/or appropriate FAA publications including the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), and applicable FAA Advisory Circulars (ACs) for specific guidance relative to any information or before employing any recommendations contained in this e-publication.  Further, nothing in this e-publication is intended to be inconsistent with or contrary to any official FAA rule or regulation, nor should such material be interpreted or construed as such.  Over the Airwaves is intended exclusively for the purpose of promoting and enhancing heightened reader awareness of flight safety issues. This website is not a substitute for competent flight instruction.  There are no representations or warranties of any kind made pertaining to this service/information and any warranty, express or implied, is excluded and disclaimed including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Under no circumstances or theories of liability, including without limitation the negligence of any party, contract, warranty or strict liability in tort, shall the website creator/author or any of its affiliated or related organizations be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages as a result of the use of, or the inability to use, any information provided through this service even if advised of the possibility of such damages.]