AircraftOwner Online

A Few “Heavy Iron” Procedures for the Light Aircraft Pilot

A Bonanza crashed at a nearby airport. Witnesses said the engine failed at an altitude of 75’ to 300’ and the pilot attempted to turn back to the airport. He did not make it. Both occupants died.

    The NTSB released the transcript of the US Air flight that crashed on takeoff at Lexington, Kentucky. Much was made of the pilots’ chatter about irrelevant information while the crew lined up on the wrong runway. That accident also revealed that there were not as many controllers working as there should have been, and the one controller who was working was not watching the doomed flight.

    “Sully” ditched in the Hudson, rather than trying to put it on dry land. How many of us, in our own aircraft, would have made the almost-instantaneous decision that we could not save our aircraft from damage, and that we were going to “get wet”?

    Some airline procedures, if properly and habitually used by private pilots, would allow those who fly with us to testify in court as to our habitual use of enhanced safety procedures beyond those that are required by regulation if we are ever involved in an aircraft crash. This could spare us, our families and our Estates, a great deal of humiliation and expense.

    These are a few suggestions:

Pre-takeoff briefing

On most professional flights, the pilot flying will brief the crew-members on the procedures that will be used for departure. Even if you have to say it out loud to yourself, this is a great habit to get into. “We have been cleared for takeoff on Runway 05. On the takeoff roll, if any instrument goes into the red, or changes suddenly in any way, I want you to tell me immediately. I will rotate at 85 knots and climb out at 120 knots. If we have not reached climb speed, I will abort the takeoff on the runway. Below 300’, I will land straight ahead, even if I go off the end of the runway. I will not make any turns. If we are above 300’, I will hold 106 knots, best glide, and attempt to land on I-95 with the traffic. Above 1,500’, I will determine whether it is safe to attempt to land back at the airport or at another landing area within our glide radius.

    This forces the pilot to think about a rejected takeoff or an engine failure at low altitude. We probably all know someone who tried to turn back to the airport at too low an altitude following an engine failure, and didn’t make it. Saying what you intend to do before you take the active can help you avoid the compulsion to try it too.

Sterile cockpit

Professional crews do not discuss any matters not concerned with the flight from engine start until 10,000’. Similarly, once the aircraft has been cleared to descend for approach to landing, until engine stop, the professional crew discusses only issues related to the present and upcoming phases of flight. Those of us who fly light aircraft can modify this rule so that, until established on initial cruise altitude and heading, no one says anything that the crew can hear unless it is directly related to a safety of flight item in the current or pending phase of the flight. Similarly, once the flight has been cleared to descend for landing, the passengers and crew should confine themselves to safety-of-flight items only. Many of us know pilots who chatter from engine start to shut down. How many radio calls were missed? How many checklist items were never checked?

Fly the airplane

Most of us learned this one in primary flight training. But it is vital, even in a small aircraft, to make sure that someone is always in command, and that someone is always actually flying the aircraft.

Use the system, but don’t depend on it

Whether flying IFR or VFR with radar advisories (flight following), use the system. Having people on the ground that know who you are, where you are going, and what you are doing, is a good thing. If the advisories become burdensome, cancel services and navigate on your own. Don’t become complacent. When you are advised unexpectedly, “Radar Service terminated, Resume own Navigation, Squawk VFR”, can you continue your flight without straying into restricted airspace? GPS and moving maps have made this easier than it used to be, but it is no less important.

Double check the controllers

Unless given an “immediate” instruction, there is usually time to make sure that the instruction makes sense. Controllers are human, and sometimes they make mistakes. If cleared onto a runway, look down the final approach course to see if someone is being landed on top of you. Look down the runway to see that the last guy is clear and no one is trying to cross the active. In flight, if an instruction doesn’t make sense, ask the question. Don’t blindly follow the instruction if that voice in your head is telling you that something is not right. Once cleared to land, check to see that the landing runway, and all crossing taxiways and runways, really is clear.

In an emergency, the insurance company owns the aircraft

If an airline crew is forced to land off airport, or on the airport with damage, the crew shouldn’t care about is whether the aircraft is going to get damaged. The crew is thinking: “how can I save my life and the lives of my passengers and crew?” Light aircraft owners often feel that the aircraft is a part of their family. We don’t want to see it get hurt, and we try to save it. The moment the engine quits, the fire breaks out, or something else extreme happens, think: “The insurance company owns this airplane now. I am going to sacrifice THEIR airplane as much as I need to in order to keep us alive.”

By applying these and other “big aircraft” concepts to your normal, habitual procedures, there is less of a risk of you being the one held responsible at trial, and your flying will be much safer.