General Aviation Safety

Seminar: How to Buy an Airplane for Business or Pleasure and Stay Safe

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I have created a new seminar called Buying an Airplane for Business or Pleasure. We’ll discuss the buying process and alternate forms of ownership including partnerships, lease contracts, managed fractional ownership and leasing aircraft back to a flight school. I noticed a tragic downside that occasionally occurs when a pilot acquires an airplane. Some pilots crashed their dream airplanes soon after purchase and sadly a significant percentage of these accidents occur on the flight home. Here are some thoughts on how you can maximize safety while enjoying your newly acquired airplane.

What all Pilots Can Learn from Alaska Plane Crash Rescue

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It’s the worst kind of rescue one can imagine—one where the weather is so bad the rescuers crash and need rescuing. You’ll find the details in a well-written, 3-part feature story by Craig Medred in the Alaska Dispatch about a little reported plane crash last summer. The story is as compelling as a novel, but is virtually unknown because it was shadowed by a plane crash that killed Senator Ted Stevens the following day. Buried in the story are lessons that all pilots should heed.

Glassy Water Landing in a Lake Amphibian LA-4-200 Seaplane

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Glassy water landings are among the most difficult water landings to make, since it’s often impossible for a pilot to judge his or her height above the water. Seaplanes pilots use a glass water landing technique where they descend at 100 to 150 feet per minute until they contact the water. In this case, with a narrow canal, there were many visual references around me, making my glassy water landing much easier than if it were performed on a larger body of water, far from shore.

Night Flying Safety—What Your CFI Didn’t Teach You!

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There’s a common myth that flying at night is no different than flying in the daytime because the airplane doesn’t know it’s dark. While perhaps clever, that’s irrelevant. What does matter is that night accentuates the shortcoming of pilots’ senses and perceptions, which makes it harder to fly safely at night. Not surprisingly, the night accident rate is abysmal. Based on surveying hundreds of people who’ve attending my seminars, I’m confident that most GA pilots log less than 5% of their flight hours at night. Yet fully 21% of all fatal accidents in the U.S. occur at night. In the San Francisco Bay area, nearly 50% of all fatal accidents occur at night, probably because of the unique combination of fog and mountains.

New NTSB 830 Rules May Increase Reports of Near Mid-Air Collisions

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The pilots of United Flight 889 initiated the report of their near mid-air collision with a Cessna 182 near San Francisco last week. New NTSB rules may make those reports more common, so don’t be surprised if the number of reported near mid-air collisions rises in the coming year. All pilots are required to receive ground instruction on regulations found in NTSB 830. As of March 8, new rules add to the list of reportable events that require immediate notification of the NTSB. This may ultimately lead to more stories in the press about these events and eventually to theories that the number of near mid-air collisions is increasing.

NTSB investigating Near Miss Between United Jet and small airplane near SFO – ATC Audio

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The NTSB emailed a press release about 1 PM PDT today stating “NTSB has launched an investigation to determine why a commercial jetliner and a small light airplane came within an estimated 300 feet of colliding over San Francisco on Saturday.” While much of this event has been made by news media, a review of the San Francisco tower tape shows that both aircraft were in contact with the tower and followed their instructions. Transcripts of the ATC audio suggests that neither aircraft was in danger, though the aircraft may have been a little closer to each other—a loss of separation in FAA parlance—than permitted.

NTSB Glass Cockpit Safety Study Concludes Pilots Need More Training

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On Tuesday March 9, the NTSB held a public Board meeting to consider a study on whether glass cockpit-equipped general aviation aircraft are safer than aircraft with traditional round gauges. The NTSB wanted to identify any difference in operational characteristics of glass and non-glass aircraft and determine how glass has affected safety. To do this, they decided to compare accident information and activity between matched groups of aircraft, specifically glass and non-glass aircraft manufactured between 2002 and 2006. The Board reached the same conclusion as other similar studies. Glass Cockpits have the potential to increase safety. However pilots need additional training, both initially and on a recurrent basis, to reap the benefits of these technologies. Five of the six study recommendations were related to training. Recommendations on developing your own plan for getting the best glass cockpit training.

New Jersey Pilot Kills Himself and Son in Predictable Plane Crash

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The pilot was 53 years old, had a total of 395 hours and was not instrument rated. According to witnesses, the pilot had originally planned to depart KOBI, the Woodbine Municipal airport in Woodbine, NJ, for a family hunting trip to Indiana two days before the accident, but weather postponed his trip. The day of the accident, IMC prevailed, but the forecast called for conditions to improve as the day progressed. The recorded weather conditions at the airport reported an overcast ceiling at 300 feet above ground level (agl) for the period from 10 AM to noon. This is considered low IFR and in fact the ceiling was below the minimums for the published instrument approach procedures at the airport. Witnesses universally reported a solid overcast ceiling was present at 200 to 300 feet agl, that “there were no holes” in the ceiling, and that “there was no sun” shining anywhere that they could see.