Risk Management

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All pilots know the basics of night flying and much of the literature talks — rightly so — about the need to adapt your eyes for darkness and about the rules and regulations. Most of us can parrot back that to carry passengers at night we need to have made three takeoffs and landings, at […]

Flying is a lot of fun and isn’t particularly dangerous for pilots who actively manage the risks. Since three-quarters or more of accidents are pilot-induced, we’re largely in control of our fate if we pay heed to the missteps of others and avoid risky behaviors. Hence, it’s totally appropriate that many government and private safety […]

Cessna Twins Spar Corporation36 Columbia Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735-2606 Tel: 516-847-0002 February 23, 2005 Ms.Mary GradyEditorAVWeb Dear Ms. Grady, Per your request, the following are CTScs comments regarding the spar cracks discovered in two Cessna 402C aircraft. The recently discovered spar problems on two extremely high-time Cessna 402C aircraft used in commuter service indicate that […]

A number of readers were unable to view the images associated with thedestruction of a C-130 that touched down at night on a runway that was (unbeknownst to the crew) undergoing a facelift. So we’ve stripped out the images and made them available online, for the benefit of those readers who can’t view them in […]

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in coordinationwith the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Air Force RapidCapabilities Office, is conducting a series of tests through Jan. 20of a ground-based low-intensity Visual Warning System in the NationalCapital Region. The system being tested is intended to warn pilots who are violatingthe Air Defense Identification Zone […]

A number of readers were unable to view the images associated with thedestruction of a C-130 that touched down at night on a runway that was (unbeknownst to the crew) undergoing a facelift. We’ve stripped the images out of theoriginal PowerPoint presentation and present them here for your benefit: CLICK FOR FULL-SIZE IMAGES

The title of this article, which was made famous by Gene Kranz during the Apollo 13 mission, popped into my head recently while I was climbing my ham radio tower. Whenever I unhook my climbing safety belt and start to climb down, I take a moment to focus and remember to have one hand securely […]

The majority of all aircraft accidents are attributed to pilot error. Most accidents occurred because of a chain of events or factors that contributed to the accident. If any one of these events in the chain had been broken or stopped it is likely that the accident could have been avoided. Break the chain, prevent […]

This article appeared in the December 2001 edition of Aviation Consumer and is reprinted here by permission. Like the speed of light and the freezing point of water, one of the constants in the universe is this imponderable question: Is a twin safer than a single? Does having two motors really add measurably to the […]