Flight Safety

In 1997, the National Transportation Safety Board asked major participants in the investigation to submit their findings and recommendations. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), The Boeing Company, and US Airways all submitted lengthy reports, the full text of which are available here. We were fascinated by the diversity of findings among these three parties, […]

91.527 Operating in icing conditions.    (a) No pilot may takeoff an airplane that has –       (1) Frost, snow, or ice adhering to any propeller, windshield, or powerplant installation or to an airspeed, altimeter, rate of climb, or flight attitude instrument system;       (3) Any frost adhering to the wings or stabilizing or control surfaces, unless that […]

NOTE: This narrative was compiled from interviews with the pilot, Jim Hawley, and one passenger who played a key role in the incident, Jens Lundy. All times are local; Loreto, Mexico is one hour ahead of Phoenix, Arizona. It was supposed to be just a fun father and son weekend, fishing off the coast of […]

 Some pilots who hear the term “humanfactors” dismiss whatever comes afterward because they think it is all a bunch ofpsycho-babble. But if you take the time to think about aviation accidents it doesn’t takelong to realize that every one of them has some form of human input — whether the resultof actions by the pilot, […]

The following NASA memorandum illustrates that no matter the size of the aircraft — Cessna 152 or Shuttle — or how much training a crew receives, it’s fundamentals like instrument cross-check and airspeed control that count. We’ve de-identified the folks involved, and we’ve attempted to decode all the arcane acronyms unique to the shuttle program […]

In-Flight Loss of Control (The Jessica Dubroff Flight) Cessna 177B Cheyenne, Wyoming HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT: On April 11, 1996, at about 0824 mountain daylighttime, a privately-owned Cessna 177B collided with terrain after a lossof control following takeoff from runway 30 et the Cheyenne Airport, Cheyenne,Wyoming. The pilot in command, pilot trainee, and rear seat […]

Aircraft cruising at FL370 with L-NAV, V-NAV, the center autopilot and both flight directors engaged. Heading is 189 degrees. 2125:40 First Officer: Well let’s see, we got a hundred and thirty sixmiles to the VOR, and thirty two thousand feet to lose, and slow down to boot sowe might as well get started. 2125:49 Captain: […]

Parts of this book are disturbingly familiarfor those who follow the FAA’s internal infighting, politicking and intrigue.Mary Schiavo, as the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation,tried to dig into the inner workings of the FAA, intrude on the good-old-boynetwork and root out mutual hand holding between the inspected and the inspectee.Unfortunately, she achieved only […]

Moving is difficult for a family, but in these days of “upwardcorporate mobility” it’s not unusual for mid-level managersto change domiciles routinely as new opportunities arise. Severalyears ago, a private pilot moved his family and household goodsfrom California to New Jersey, then returned to the West Coastto pick up his Bellanca 260A and bring it […]

Pilots transitioning from one type of aircraft to another havea responsibility to themselves and to their passengers to ensure that theyare comfortable and safe in the new aircraft. Others, from instructors todesignated check airmen to company managers, have the job of overseeing theprocess and ensuring that when a recently upgraded pilot makes his firstflights in […]