Aviation Safety

Cracked, Shorted, Broken

Subscribers Only When a new rear wing strut was received from the manufacturer, there were two longitudinal cracks in the strut in the electrically welded seam of the seamless strut tubing one foot from the upper wing strut fitting. The defect is obviously due to the tubing manufacturing process and not by secondary operations or weldments. It is likely the entire batch of raw tubing has multiple defects and should be located and inspected. It is also likely this batch of tubing was disseminated to multiple customers in addition to the manufacturer.

Get Down, Slow Down

Subscribers Only I am an active pilot with Pilots 'N Paws, and was returning home to Wilkes-Barre, Penn., in my Piper Lance filled with dogs bound for their foster homes. The flight was progressing normally until we started picking up some trace icing at 7000 feet, so we elected to climb to 11,000 to find clear air and shed any ice. Without a turbocharger, I was not surprised to see the manifold pressure resting at 21 inches at 11,000 feet. But as I leveled off at 5000 approaching home plate, manifold pressure remained at 21 inches instead of returning to the 24 inches expected.

October 16, 2011, Daggett, Calif., Beech E33 Bonanza

Subscribers Only At 1256 Pacific time, the pilot reported loss of engine power. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain during the forced landing. The private pilot, who had rented the airplane, and his two passengers were fatally injured; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed.

October 16, 2011, Danbury, Conn., Cirrus Design Corp. SR22

Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged at about 2010 Eastern time when it impacted a hazard beacon tower during approach. The solo private pilot was fatally injured. Night visual conditions prevailed and the airplane was operating on an IFR flight plan. The airplane entered the traffic pattern on a right downwind leg for the runway. As the airplane turned from base to final, it struck an approximately 100-foot-tall hazard beacon tower. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and came to rest inverted against a residence.

October 15, 2011, Radnor, Ohio, Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee

Subscribers Only The pilot was unable to start the engine using the cockpit’s engine controls. He exited the airplane to rotate the propeller by hand in order to manually engage the starter’s drive gear to the propeller ring gear. As he rotated the propeller, the engine started and the unoccupied airplane proceeded across the airport, colliding with a hangar.

October 13, 2011, Cle Elum, Wash., DG Flugzeugbau GMBH DG 1000S

Subscribers Only At about 1558 Pacific time, the glider impacted terrain while being ground-launched from a tow vehicle. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured and glider sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported the launch’s first stage appeared normal and the glider became airborne within the first one-third of the runway. Shortly thereafter, the glider pitched to a steep nose-high attitude, then leveled off about 200 feet above the runway. It then entered a steep right bank and descended to the ground.

October 12, 2011, Cornelius, Ore., Cessna 172P Skyhawk

Subscribers Only During the training flight, the CFI initiated a simulated engine power failure. The student pilot trimmed the airplane for 65 knots and maneuvered to a nearby grass runway. During the landing roll, the airplane hit a “hole or obstacle” and the airplane bounced. The CFI applied power and aborted the landing.

October 12, 2011, Hollywood, Fla., Socata TBM 700

Subscribers Only The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing on a highway at about 1334 Eastern time, following total loss of engine power during the post-maintenance test flight. Visual conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot and pilot-rated other crewmember sustained minor injuries. There were no ground injuries.

October 8, 2011, Dixie, Ga., Luscombe 8A

Subscribers Only At about 1450 Eastern time, the airplane incurred substantial damage when it impacted trees following a total loss of engine power. The pilot received serious injuries and the passenger was killed. Visual conditions prevailed. About 20 minutes after takeoff, while cruising at 1500 feet agl, the pilot noted the engine oil temperature was rising. Once the engine temperature past the 200 degree point, he checked with the onboard GPS for the nearest airport.

October 8, 2011, Wadsworth, Ohio, Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee

Subscribers Only The airplane sustained substantial damage at approximately 1320 Eastern time when it impacted the visual approach slope indicator equipment during landing. The commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

October 7, 2011, Vidalia, La., Cessna 150L

Subscribers Only At 1640 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a field after a loss of engine power while on approach. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

October 4, 2011, New York, N.Y., Bell 206B JetRanger

Subscribers Only The helicopter crashed into the East River during takeoff from the East 34th Street Heliport at 1525 Eastern time. Visual conditions prevailed. Two passengers sustained serious injuries and one passenger was killed. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage.

October 4, 2011, McAllen, Texas, Eurocopter EC120B

Subscribers Only At approximately 1250 Central time, the helicopter sustained substantial damage while making a run-on landing to a grass field. The pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the Department of Homeland Security as a public use aircraft. Visual conditions prevailed.

October 2, 2011, Moorefield, W.V., Piper PA-32R-300 Lance

Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged at about 2055 Eastern time when it impacted trees and terrain before coming to rest inverted in a heavily wooded area. Night instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. The non-instrument rated private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured.

October 2, 2011, Ewell, Md., Temco GC-1B Swift

Subscribers Only At about 1545 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a ditching in the Chesapeake Bay following loss of engine power. Both the airline transport pilot and the passenger successfully exited the airplane. After the ditching, the pilot and passenger attempted to swim to Smith Island; The pilot survived with minor injuries. The passenger was unable to complete the swim and died. Visual conditions prevailed.

Midnight Special

Subscribers Only The private pilot certificate is often referred to as a license to learn. In many ways, it is: Suddenly, that piece of plastic allows you to go pretty much where you want, when you want. Ideally, the private is a rung in the ladder of experience, leading to other ratings and certificates. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with remaining a VFR-only private pilot, as long as one recognizes and stays within its obvious limitations.

Safety Pilot Concerns

Subscribers Only Staying current for IFR—with six approaches, some holding and course interceptions within the preceding six months—isn’t that hard for the active instrument pilot. When you enter engine replacements in your logbook instead of hours, you probably don’t need much in the way of practice. But the guy or gal who’s lucky to get their wings wet in some actual once or twice a year has a different challenge. Somewhere in the middle between the two extremes is where most instrument-rated pilots find themselves, of course. Regardless, even the ace of the base needs to go out occasionally and practice a few things, if for no other reason than to get through the next check ride.

Slips Who Needs ‘Em?

Subscribers Only When was the last time you flew a slip? Are slips a necessary maneuver belonging in every pilot’s skill set? Or are they an aerial anachronism, a holdover from earlier flying days, with little application to the modern world? Slips originated in aviation’s early days, when most, if not all, airplanes lacked wing flaps. They were and are used to increase the angle of descent on approach, and to get the airplane’s nose out of the way of the pilot (who often sat well aft) to better see the runway ahead when landing. Given the genesis of the art of slipping, should we still be expected to master it?

Trailing Edge Avionics Upgrades

Subscribers Only The dismal economy has been no help to the average aircraft upgrade budget. If you’ve recently solicited proposals for an ultra-modern avionics retrofit, you may have discovered the soup-to-nuts avionics upgrade you lust for probably isn’t affordable. Moreover, sinking half or more of the aircraft’s value into the panel pushes the boundaries of smart economics. Even the most modest of modern avionics upgrades could put the aircraft upside down financially. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t upgrade at all. In many cases, a budget that can’t afford the latest and greatest gear has the owner sitting on his hands. This leads to neglected panels while safety and utility hang in the balance.

You Are The Judge

Subscribers Only The little voice inside the pilot’s head nagged on and on: “Headwinds higher than forecast...groundspeed lower than planned...maybe you should recalculate your fuel?” The simple fact is pilots too often fail to act on their internal voices until it’s too late. Accident reports, NASA ASRS submissions and down-and-dirty, true-flight confessions in hangar flying debriefs tell the sad tale. According to NTSB data and analysis by the AOPA Air Safety Institute and the Flight Safety Foundation, improper decision-making—judgment failings, many of them—underpin the majority of the 75 percent of accidents attributed to “pilot error.” It’s not smart to ignore that little voice questioning why you’re ignoring your own best instincts. There are many scenarios where that little voice can start yammering in your ear, perhaps most especially whether there is sufficient fuel aboard.

Risk Management, Military Style

Subscribers Only No matter what we do in an aircraft, we cannot eliminate risk entirely. Instead, we can manage that risk and take positive steps to mitigate or reduce it; in rare cases, we may even be able to eliminate it. An example of the latter might be cancelling a trip for poor weather, or because of a mechanical issue. But we should be mostly concerned with mitigating and reducing the risks our flying poses.. Of course, there are many ways to accomplish these goals. I believe most of us in general aviation have sat through a presentation or seminar discussing risk management.

Turning The Prop

Subscribers Only I frequently glance at sidebars to gauge the depth/value of an article before reading the piece itself. As a round-engine pilot, I got a chuckle out of the first item in the “Don’ts” list (“Preflight Inspections,” November 2011). “Don’t rotate a propeller. Ever.” Really? If you are talking about a round engine and you want to destroy it, that advice works. If not, you might want to check for hydraulic lock by rotating the propeller enough to make sure all cylinders go through at least one compression stroke before you attempt a start.

Assimilating Winter Weather

Subscribers Only For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter has arrived. Parts of the U.S. already have seen their first snowstorm of the season and some fair-weather pilots have resolved to hang up their headsets until spring. That’s unfortunate, since winter flying offers some of the most satisfaction pilots can have. Think about it: The air is colder and denser, so the aircraft performs better, the air is clearer, so you can see farther, and fewer of your peers will be clogging the traffic pattern. Flying over a snow-covered countryside can be a special treat, too.