October 2001
July 31, Cojimar, Cuba / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 16:47 eastern time, a Cessna 172N suffered a collapsed nose gear while attempting a landing on a road near Cojimar. The student pilot received minor injuries. The flight had originated from Marathon, Fla., at about 15:30. The student had made three touch and goes and the instructor signed him off for his first supervised solo. The instructor said the student entered a left traffic pattern for a return landing on runway 7, but the student then reported on the radio that he could not fly the airplane, that his hands were cold, and that he did not know what was wrong. On final approach at about 200 feet, the airplane broke off the approach, turned to the southwest and disappeared from...
July 31, Xenia, Ohio / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At about 09:00 eastern time, a Beech BE-55 crashed near Xenia, killing the commercial pilot and the multi flight instructor. Witnesses reported hearing engines sputtering and saw the airplane in a flat spin as it descended toward the cornfield. The landing gear and flaps were extended. The left and right throttle levers were found in the idle position. The left mixture control was found in the lean position, and the right mixture was mid-range. The left propeller lever was found in the mid-range position, and the right lever was found just forward of the feather position. The commercial pilot was scheduled for a lesson on engine-out procedures, including the effects of various airspeeds and...
July 29, Jacksonville, Fla. / Cessna 152 and Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 10:05 eastern time, a Cessna 152 struck a standing Beech 35-B33 at Herlong Airport. The commercial-rated pilot in the Cessna and the three occupants of the Bonanza were not injured. The Cessna pilot said he was running the engine on the parking ramp in an attempt to clear some roughness prior to flight. The Bonanza pilot and passengers had boarded, but the engine had not yet been started. The Cessna pilot said his feet slipped off the brakes and the airplane moved forward and struck the Bonanza....
July 29, Oshkosh, Wisc. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At 11:34 central time, a Beech C35 crashed left of runway 27 while landing at Wittman Regional Airport. The airplane struck the runway’s visual approach slope indicator lights before coming to a stop. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. Witnesses observed the airplane in a tight right base for runway 27. The base-to-final turn was reportedly as steep as 60 degrees, at which point the airplane stalled and struck the ground left-wing low....
July 28, Westfield, Mass. / Piper Malibu Mirage
Subscribers Only About 16:55 eastern time, a Piper PA-46-350 struck a building during a go-around at Barnes Municipal Airport, killing the pilot and leaving two passengers with serious injuries. The air traffic controller on duty at the time said the airplane was sequenced behind two other airplanes for a visual approach to the 9,000-foot runway 20. The airplane was on final approach at about 150 to 200 feet agl when the controller instructed the pilot to go around because the previous airplane had not cleared the runway. The Malibu pilot said he wanted to remain in the pattern and was instructed to make left traffic. The airplane then banked steeply left, almost 90 degrees of bank according to several witne...
July 28, Esperance, N.Y. / Aeronca Chief
Subscribers Only At 18:42 eastern time, an Aeronca S-65-CA struck wires and crashed during low-level cruise flight in Esperance, killing the pilot and passenger. The accident site was 1 mile from the pilot/owner’s private strip. Several witnesses said they often saw the airplane flying low down a nearby creek. On this particular pass, one witness, the chief of the local fire department, said the airplane came in low, about 100 feet over his house, climbed over the tree line and then made a steep left turn back into the creek basin, and struck wires suspended 50 feet above the water....
July 28, Pelham, Ga. / Cessna 188
Subscribers Only At about 09:30 eastern time, a ground refueler was killed when he walked into the turning prop of a Cessna A188B agricultural airplane at Pelham. The pilot landed and waited in the parking area to be refueled and have chemical added for aerial application. Another airplane was parked in front of the accident airplane and was also being refueled. The refueler put fuel in the left wing of the forward airplane and the right wing of the accident airplane. Then the refueler turned to his right (toward the engine) and walked into the prop. The refueler had worked for the company for four days....
July 27, Charleston, N.Y. / Lancair 320
Subscribers Only At about 17:33 eastern time, a Lancair 320 struck trees while maneuvering near C4C Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and says he has no recollection of the accident flight. A witness said he saw the airplane fly over the neighbor’s private airport “very low and very fast.” He buzzed the airport a second time and pulled up sharply. On the third pass, he did not pull up in time and struck trees. The owner of the airstrip was a friend of the pilot but was not expecting him to visit....
July 26, Orlando, Fla. / Piper Arrow
Subscribers Only At about 08:25 eastern time, a Piper PA-28R struck a fence during taxi at Orlando International Airport. The commercial-rated pilot was not injured. The pilot was taxiing to park in preparation to meet a flight examiner for a flight evaluation ride. He looked to the left to ensure that he would be clear of another aircraft and the right wing hit a chain linked fence....
July 24, Placerville, Calif. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 22:46 Pacific time, a Cessna 172M crashed on initial climb following an aborted landing on runway 23 at Placerville Airport. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The pilot had obtained his private license about six weeks earlier and the accident flight was the pilot’s first nighttime, solo, cross-country flight since certification. He said that on his first approach the airplane appeared too high so he went around. On the second approach he also believed he was too high, but the airplane touched down on the runway. The pilot did not think he could stop on the remaining runway, so he applied power to go around. The airplane stalled and crashed about a half-mile west of the airport....
July 23, Fryeburg, Maine / Lancair IV-P
Subscribers Only At 09:33 eastern time, a homebuilt Lancair IV-P lost power and was damaged during a forced landing in Fryeburg. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he was climbing through 8,000 feet for 14,500 feet, when the manifold pressure, which had been about 34 inches, dropped to about 15 inches. He turned toward Eastern Slopes Regional Airport but touched down about 100 feet short of the runway with partial landing gear extension. The pilot reported that he had just completed his phase 1 flight time requirements and had inspected the airplane. During the inspection, several people, some of whom were not rated mechanics, assisted the pilot. The engine cowling had been removed, and...
July 22, Biddeford, Maine / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 15:10 eastern time, a Beech 36 was damaged during takeoff at Biddeford Municipal Airport. The pilot, also a flight instructor, sustained minor injuries. Post-accident examination revealed the control column lock had not been removed from the control column....
July 22, Benton, Ill. / Cessna Cardinal
Subscribers Only At about 18:40 central daylight time, a Cessna 177 crashed on initial climb from Benton Municipal Airport. The pilot and two passengers were killed. Within three minutes of the crash, the area was enveloped in a thunderstorm....
July 21, Mattituck, N.Y. / Piper Cherokee
Subscribers Only At about 14:15 eastern time, a Piper PA-28 overran the runway at Mattituck Airbase and crashed into trees. The four aboard were not injured. The pilot was following a Mooney in the traffic pattern and landed about halfway down runway 01 at a high rate of speed. Winds at an airport 10 miles to the southwest were from 200 degrees at 9 knots....
July 21, Bamberg, S.C. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 09:15 eastern time, a Beech F35 crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from Bamberg County Airport, killing the pilot. The airplane had been delivered to a maintenance facility at the airport for an annual inspection on June 12. The work was completed on July 12 and the pilot came to pick up the airplane on July 21. He paid his bill and then started the airplane, taxied to the end of the runway and took off, all within what witnesses called “two minutes.” When the airplane climbed to about 100 feet agl the engine began to sputter. The airplane banked almost 90 degrees to the left and the airplane crashed nose-down....
July 20, Garrettsville, Ohio / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only At about 13:30 eastern time, a Cessna 206G overran the runway at a private airstrip in Garrettsville and struck a house. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he purchased fuel at a nearby airport and returned to his private airstrip. During the landing, he overflew 2,000 feet of grass runway and touched down on 700 feet of concrete runway. The concrete was contaminated by buckshot from a nearby skeet shooting range and the airplane could not stop. The pilot was landing to the west, but winds were reported at a nearby airport as from 130 at 11 knots....
July 19, Millville, N.J. / Cessna 152
Subscribers Only At approximately 09:40 eastern time, a pilot in a Cessna 152 lost control on landing at Millville Airport and struck a runway sign. The pilot was not injured. The 35-hour student pilot was trying to land with a 90-degree, 15-knot crosswind....
July 19, Las Vegas, Nev. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At 15:50 Pacific time, a Beech J35 lost engine power and was damaged in a forced landing while in the traffic pattern at McCarran International Airport. The pilot and two passengers were uninjured. The power loss was blamed on fuel starvation. The airplane’s main tanks were empty, but the auxiliary tanks were nearly full. The POH for the J35 stipulates that the auxiliary tanks not be used for takeoff and landing. The pilot landed on a dirt road a quarter-mile from the runway threshold....
July 18, Sidney, N.Y. / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At about 08:30 eastern time, a Beech BE-58-TC crashed on its third approach to Sidney Airport after missing two similar approaches. The pilot and two passengers were killed. A witness heard the airplane miss the two VOR Runway 25 approaches, then got a phone call from one of the passengers saying they were going to try one more time. The airplane crashed about two miles north of the airport at an elevation about 650 feet higher than the airport. Weather at the time was ceiling about 200 feet with 1½ miles visibility at the airport. The accident site had a 100-foot ceiling with ¼-mile visibility....
July 18, Englewood, Colo. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At 22:40, mountain time, a Beech 35-C33 made a gear-up landing at Centennial Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he had been practicing landings and the tower controller asked him to cut his pattern short. In so doing, the pilot said his habit pattern was broken and he forgot to lower the landing gear....
July 15, Matawan, N.J. / Boeing Stearman
Subscribers Only At about 17:00 eastern time, a Boeing A75L300 nosed over during the takeoff roll from runway 27 at Marlboro Airport. The pilot was not injured. Witnesses and the pilot said the airplane made a takeoff roll of about 400 feet and, when the tailwheel came up, the tail just kept rising until the propeller struck the ground. The 15,000-hour pilot said the brakes may have been binding on the takeoff roll....
July 14, Duffield, Mich. / Quicksilver
Subscribers Only At 13:31 eastern time, a Quicksilver crashed while maneuvering over a field in Duffield. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger reported minor injuries. The pilot was dropping candy from the airplane to a group of people on the ground when the candy flew back into the pusher prop. The prop failed and the airplane was damaged in the ensuing forced landing....
July 13, Carterville, Mo. / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At 00:57 central time, a Beech E-55 departed controlled flight and crashed in a residential area three miles east of Joplin Regional Airport. All six aboard were killed. The airplane lost power on one engine and was making a single-engine instrument approach. Witnesses saw the airplane pitch up 30 degrees, roll counterclockwise and dive 45 degrees nose-down to the ground....
July 12, Spring, Texas / Van’s RV-6
Subscribers Only At 15:10 central time, an experimental Van’s RV-6 lost power and crashed while on approach to Hooks Memorial Airport. The pilot/builder suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the engine began to run rough as he turned base and quit entirely when he turned final. The airplane touched down between two rows of trailers at a trailer park and the right wing struck a tree. This was the airplane’s initial flight....
July 12, Las Vegas, Nev. / Mooney M20J
Subscribers Only At 15:35 Pacific time, a Mooney M20J struck a pole while taxiing to parking at McCarran International Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was behind a “follow me” golf cart en route to parking. As the truck passed through an opening between a parked airplane on the right and a metal pole on the left, the left wing of the accident airplane struck the metal pole. The opening was 78 feet wide and the airplane’s wing span is 35 feet. The pilot said he became distracted while ground control was attempting to provide him with a telephone number to call after securing his airplane. The controllers wanted to discuss an air space violation that had occurred while the pilot was en route to M...
July 12, Boca Raton, Fla. / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At about 17:35 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T struck a light pole and seven vehicles while making an emergency landing on a highway just after takeoff from Boca Raton Airport. The two occupants of the airplane and 14 people on the ground reported minor to no injuries. The pilot said he took off from runway 24 when the left engine lost power. He retracted the landing gear but the left prop would not feather. He could not maintain altitude and airspeed had bled below Vmc, so he elected to land on Interstate 95. He landed in a southerly direction on the northbound lanes of the highway....
July 11, Amargosa Valley, Nev. / Cessna 310
Subscribers Only At 14:40 Pacific time, a Cessna 310I ran off the end of a taxiway as the pilot was trying to take off from Jackass Aeropark. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot stated that he attempted to depart on a runway heading 230 degrees and hit a berm at the end of the runway. In fact, the airport has only one runway 14/32, and the pilot was in fact departing from a 2,100-foot taxiway. All of the taxiway and runway surfaces at the airport are dirt. The airport elevation was 2,640 feet msl, the airplane was near maximum gross weight, and the ambient temperature was 100 degrees Fahrenheit....
July 11, Kissimmee, Fla. / Lancair IV
Subscribers Only At about 16:30 eastern time, a homebuilt Lancair IV crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from Kissimmee Municipal Airport, killing the pilot. A witness saw the airplane about a mile south of runway 24. He heard the engine “sputter” and saw the airplane turn back toward the airport. The airplane banked about 90 degrees and crashed nose low....
July 10, Medford, N.J. / Grumman American AA-1C
Subscribers Only At 12:58 eastern time, a Grumman American AA-1C struck the ground while on approach to South Jersey Regional Airport, killing both occupants. The flight had originated from Northeast Philadelphia Airport 13 minutes earlier. A witness in another airplane reported seeing the accident airplane making a turn from downwind to base in excess of 60 degrees of bank, followed by a 2½-turn spin to the ground. The pilot’s logbook reported 319 total hours, with 4 hours in the preceding 90 days....
July 08, Sea of Okhotsk, Pacific Ocean / Pilatus PC-12
Subscribers Only At approximately 02:45 UTC, a Pilatus PC-12/45 flying from Hakodate, Japan, to Magadan, Russia, lost engine power and was ditched in the ocean. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the three passengers were uninjured. The pilot said he was cruising at 8,100 meters when the engine failed. The aircraft descended through multiple cloud layers, breaking out 100 feet above the ocean, which had 8- to 12-foot swells. He ditched the aircraft and all four occupants boarded a life raft. About 15 hours later they were picked up by a Russian container ship....
July 08, Boston, Mass. / Cessna 402
Subscribers Only At 12:15 eastern time, a Cessna 402C crashed just after takeoff from Logan International Airport. The pilot reported minor injuries. The pilot had requested an intersection departure on runway 22R. The ground controller advised the pilot that there would be a delay due to wake turbulence from a departing Boeing 737-300, and the pilot replied that he would waive the wake turbulence delay. A witness said the airplane was passing through 30 feet with the gear retracting when it made an “abrupt left roll” to 110 degrees left wing down. The left wing then struck the runway and the airplane crashed. The 737 pilot estimated he used about 5,000 feet of runway before taking off. The accident pilot de...
July 06, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. / Cessna Caravan
Subscribers Only At 19:00 eastern time, a Cessna 208B lost power and ditched into the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles east of Fort Lauderdale. The pilot and co-pilot were not injured. The pilot said they were cruising at 6,500 feet from Freeport, Bahamas when the engine came to a “screeching halt.” Attempts to restore engine power failed and all warning lights in the cockpit illuminated except for the fire light....
July 06, Cortland, Ohio / Sonerai II
Subscribers Only At 19:40 eastern time, a homebuilt Sonerai II was damaged during an aborted takeoff from a private airstrip. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the airplane had been stored at his residence since he purchased it 2½ years earlier. This was his first flight in the airplane. The pilot said the airplane “lost its climb rate” at about 15 feet agl and put it into some brush because he did not think it would clear trees at the end of the 2,500-foot turf runway....
July 05, Friendly, Md. / Stinson 108-3
Subscribers Only At about 11:00 eastern time, a Stinson 108-3 lost engine power after takeoff from Potomac Airfield and made a forced landing into trees. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger was seriously injured. The pilot said he had just purchased fuel and was returning to his home airport about two miles to the east. The engine ran rough immediately on startup, but then smoothed out. He departed runway 24 but the engine lost all power on initial climb. The pilot believed he had a magneto problem....
July 02, Stevensville, Md. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 17:10 eastern time, a Cessna 172P was damaged while landing at Bay Bridge Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he came into the 2,903-foot runway 11 high and fast. The airplane bounced and began to porpoise. The nose wheel tire ruptured and the propeller struck the asphalt....
July 02, Queen Anne, Md. / Zlin 526F
Subscribers Only At about 18:00 eastern time, a Zlin 526F crashed near Queen Anne, killing the pilot and leaving the passenger seriously injured. The pilot-rated passenger said the two were going flying and the owner had him sit in the rear, primary pilot position. The two donned parachutes because they contemplated flying aerobatics. The pilot flew the airplane to a local aerobatic training area and performed several aerobatic maneuvers. The airplane entered an inverted spin and the passenger released the canopy and bailed out. His parachute had barely deployed when he hit the ground. The pilot, who held a CFI rating, did not bail out....
July 01, Broomfield, Colo. / Cessna Cardinal RG
Subscribers Only At 11:25 mountain time, a Cessna 177RG was damaged during landing at Broomfield-Jefferson County (Jeffco) Airport. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot said he heard a loud “pop” and noticed the landing gear unsafe light was illuminated. The main landing gear was partially extended and could not be fully extended or retracted. The pilot eventually landed on runway 29L at Jeffco, where the nose gear held and the main gear collapsed. Initial examination of the airplane indicated the high pressure “up” hose failed. The airplane was in compliance with an AD that addresses this problem....
Surprise Adventure
Subscribers Only Elaine, my 21-year-old-daughter, was a senior in college and was to get married in less than two months. She and I have shared that special close bond that is unique to dads and daughters, so we planned one more father-daughter adventure before she tied the knot. She had one day open on her busy pre-wedding summer schedule, so I cleared my schedule too. I just hoped the weather would be VFR for our planned flight to Ocean City, N.J., a place that holds many great memories for my wife and Elaine. The evening before the flight I checked the weather forecasts on the AOPA website and filed a flight plan as well. We planned to lift off at 5:45 a.m. to arrive at Ocean City by 7 a.m. Breakfa...
Defeating a Trap
Your cover story, Tech Trap, [Airmanship, August] definitely underscores a very acute problem today for both pilots and CFIs. The NTSB report of the JFK Jr. accident concludes that Kennedy did not have the autopilot engaged at the time of the crash. Neither Flight Safety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla., where both John and I received much of our flight training, nor any other flight school in the United States is mandated to train on the use of autopilot, GPS, weather, terrain or traffic warning equipment in order for a pilot to earn private, instrument or commercial rating. Last fall I had my new Garmin 530/430-equipped Piper Saratoga upgraded to include Honeywell’s new Enhanced Ground P...
Strut Protection
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- The NTSB has recommended that initial and repetitive non-destructive inspections be accomplished on main landing gear spring struts of Cessna tailwheel airplanes. These recommendations stem from an investigation of an accident in which the main gear spring failed at the upper axle attachment to the spring strut. This particular spring strut underwent major repair for previous damage prior to this accident. FAA Service Difficulty Reports indicate that failures can occur in the gear spring struts at the axle attachment. Generally, such failures occur from corr...
Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 246 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in July 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. July 01, Broomfield, Colo. Cessna Cardinal RG At 11:25 mountain time, a Cessna 177RG was damaged during landing at Broomfield-Jefferson County (Jeffco) Airport. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot said he heard a loud “pop” and noticed the landing gear unsafe light was illuminated. The main landing gear was partially extended and could not be fully extended or retracted. The pilot eventually landed on runwa...
Unseen, Unheard
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] Here’s a news flash: There is no such thing as a perfect flight. Every pilot is forced to examine the airplane he is about to fly, his own skills and the demands of the mission, and make judgment calls about the risks involved and how to minimize them. Sometimes the calls are easy, with the intended flight well within the limitations of the airplane and pilot or so far outside those capabilities that a decision is black and white. Most times, however, the choice requires not so much a go/no-go decision as an analysis of where the pitfalls of the flight might be. In those cases, a pilot’s experience leads to certain assumptions, for better or for worse. Just as you may expec...
When Flying in Ice
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] On Valentine’s Day 2000, Indy racer Tony Bettenhausen went down in a Baron 58 that was approved for flight in known icing conditions. FAA records show that in mid-afternoon the day before his fatal accident, he called Nashville Automated Flight Service Station to file an IFR flight plan and get a standard weather briefing. He was told that along his route of flight there was a convective Sigmet reporting a line of thunderstorms 30 miles wide, with tops to 30,000 feet. In addition, the forecast called for moderate rime and mixed icing from the freezing level to 24,000 feet, with moderate turbulence below 15,000 feet. He updated the weather later, then wisely decided to cancel...
Fallen Icon
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] When the magnificent Concorde thundered down runway 26R at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport in July 2000, it became one of the most scrutinized airplane accidents on record. After a spectacular display of flaming fuel, the aircraft climbed to about 200 feet agl, pitched up, rolled inverted and crashed. All 100 passengers, six flight attendants and three cockpit crew members were killed, along with five people on the ground. Aircraft accident investigators often refer to the “chain of errors,” preventing any one of which would stop the accident from happening. The Concorde mishap is perhaps an all-time classic in this regard, since there was a clear indication that there were...
Repelling Terrain
Subscribers Only There are large parts of this country where the terrain can impede your climb-out after takeoff. Sometimes it can even be a factor during en route climbs. It takes just a quick glance through the NTSB database to find dozens of accidents in which the aircraft was unable to outclimb rising terrain. Those accidents reveal a number of common factors involved with this type of accident, in addition to the rising terrain. High density altitude carries much of the blame, to be sure, but so does restricted maneuvering area, adverse winds, heavy aircraft weights and relatively low power-to-weight ratios. When most people think of rising terrain, they picture mountain peaks that rise nearly 1...
Involuntary Gliding
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] In singles and even light twins in some circumstances, an engine failure means the airplane is going down. The pilot’s job at that point is to pick the best spot to land and properly execute the forced landing. Sounds simple, but it’s a procedure that pilots routinely botch, either because their skills are so rusty or because they don’t know the right way to make a forced landing. Glider pilots are sometimes smug about their ability to land without power, but in fact, an airplane with a windmilling prop is markedly different from a glider. For one thing, the lift/drag ratio is about three times higher in gliders than in powered airplanes. An airplane can’t gain altitude in...
Why Engines Fail
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] Except for those who fly gliders, most pilots live in fear of an engine failure. Some are so wary they fly multi-engine airplanes for no reason other than to give them more options should an engine decide to imitate a brick. Pilots of singles, of course, have no choices. When the engine crumps, it’s time to hit the softest thing you can find as softly as you can manage. But the fear of imminent engine failure is in some ways misguided. Annual inspections, preflights and runups are all designed to catch little problems before they become big ones. In addition, the relatively simple engine design helps make them more reliable. On the other hand, there are forces at work agai...
Weighty Matters
It was time to introduce a non-pilot friend to aerobatics. He had been expressing interest for some time, and finally our schedules meshed and we headed out to the airport to strap on some unusual attitudes. He had flown in the Citabria once before, on a flight where we did some spirited maneuvering, but no aerobatics. I like to introduce neophytes this way because it allows them to get used to the motion and I can avoid having to wash out the interior of the airplane afterward. Before that first flight, we were waiting for the fuel truck and I asked him how much he weighed. “A buck eighty.” I ran the weight and balance and found we could carry full fuel and still be comfortably within...
Flying a Fleet
Subscribers Only For the average owner/pilot, it’s not hard to stay knowledgeable about the systems and procedures of the airplane you’re flying. You fly not only the same make, model, and year, but the very same airplane every time you fly. If you’re lucky, you have a panel equipped the way you want it, with the avionics you chose, laid out in the pattern you found most convenient. Switches fall easily to hand and, after you learn them once, you know exactly how to operate each piece of equipment. You know how it works, how to make it do what you want, what it can do and what it can’t. Airline pilots are in much the same situation. Even though they don’t fly the same airplane, there is much consiste...