Accidents occur more frequently in localized hotspots. As pilots, we should identify these areas and increase our vigilance when operating near them. Some of these hotspots are generic and are found everywhere while others are specific to a local area. Generic hotspots include airports and VORs. For example, mid-air collisions are… more likely to occur … Read more
[Update: Take our new GPS Survey here] Last year, the FAA asked me to write a series of safety tips they could email to airmen registered at www.faasafety.gov. If you’re unfamiliar with the Web site, go there now to register to receive email notification of safety seminars in your area. You’ll also find useful online … Read more
[UPDATE: See Comments for reference to NTSB report for similar crash of Atlantic Coast Airlines in 1994]Last week’s aviation news was dominated by the NTSB hearings that sought the cause of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash that destroyed a home while en route to Buffalo, NY. Info on crash details was released on the … Read more
Yesterday, in Part I of this article, I talked about the “Impossible Turn,” the risky maneuver of attempting to turn back to the runway after a takeoff engine failure. The article must have struck a nerve, as I think it generated more reader comments, which you can read here, than any previous article. A couple … Read more
An email exchange I'll share reminded me of this quote from Rod Machado: "The most important decisions you’ll ever make in an airplane should be made before you enter the airplane." If you haven’t previously thought through and decided what you’ll do if the engine quits on takeoff, I encourage you to take a few … Read more
The 2007 crash of a Cessna Citation flying a University of Michigan medical team may have resulted from the wrong push of a button by the copilot. So says an article in yesterday’s Detroit Free Press. While the final NTSB report has not been issued, preliminary data points in several directions including the possibility that … Read more
As the facts emerge over the crash of a Pilatus PC 12 with 14 people aboard in Butte, Montana, one thing is clear: there were more passengers aboard than there were seats or seat belts. What is not clear, and won’t be for many months, is exactly what caused the crash. However, the simple fact … Read more
Dramatic video shows the landing that led to the fiery crash of a Fed Ex MD-11 cargo jet a few hours ago at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. The video shows what appears to be a hard, bounced landing. Shortly after the bounce, the nose of the aircraft appears lower than the tail as the aircraft contacts … Read more
When I wrote Max Trescott’s G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook, I couldn’t have imagined that it would connect me with pilots around the world, some of whom have come to California to fly with me and others for whom I’ve traveled to fly with them at their home airport. For example, this week I’m flying with … Read more
Audio tapes of the conversation with the pilot of the Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in December killing 4 people were released today. At the same time, it was announced that 13 Marine Corps personnel were being disciplined for errors in the incident. While typically general aviation pilots … Read more