Private Pilots: Safety?

I've only been at this for a short time, but I know several people who have been invloved in light plane accidents. Some are still with us, some are not.

Several years ago, a friend of the family took off with his buddy in a Baron. They somehow got into a departure stall, crashed at the far end of the runway, and were killed instantly.

A few years after that, another family friend was on final when he suffered a heart attack. It remains unclear what killed him, the impact or the heart attack, but experts seem to believe the latter killed him before he hit the ground. If that's the case, I don't really count this one.

Not long ago, a friend of mine lost three friends in a week to light plane accidents. One was a highly experienced millitary pilot who had an engine failure in a 172 and was not in a good location for a forced landing. The other two were involved in a stall/spin accident, base to final, in a Cherokee. Toxicologists found high levels of THC in the PIC's blood, so I'm sure you can figure out what caused that skidding turn.

My instructor has delt sucessfully with two engine failures, one in a SB-3 Viking, and the other in a Cessna 150 directly after takeoff. I feel very safe with him!

Recently, an 80 year-old pilot, known to everyone around here, had to put his Baron down in a cornfield in NC because of an engine failure. He and his passenger were unhurt.

I guess, without the benefit of thousands of hours of flight time, I can only say this -- don't be brave, don't be haughty, don't allow any inconsistency to develop at any point in your training, don't be afraid to say no, don't ever get distracted, don't take any unnecessary risks, don't place 100% trust in the weatherman, and just be smart. You'll probably never have a problem if you don't create one...but, if one pops up, make sure you can deal with it to the best of your ability. Obviously, the aforementioned 172 pilot knew how to execute a forced landing. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and his number came up. There isn't much you can do about those things, but they are, thankfully, very rare.

I have to look at it like this -- If I die racing my car, flying my plane, or a shark decides I look tasty while I'm out surfing, at least I died doing something I think is fun, challenging, and worthwhile. Selfish, maybe, but noble in the fact that it's a high you must work for. From what you write, I think you can relate. The family issue is a huge concern, one that I have no experience with just yet. I doubt you will come to grief flying, though. Even though I haven't been around too long, I learned at a very early age that it's rarely the things we worry about that kill us, possibly because we become that much more carfeul and aware as a result of our fears. I feel pretty safe BECAUSE flying scares the hell out of me, but I know enough about myself to know that if I had a problem, I wouldn't freeze or panic.

A 10 year old boy was killed by a shark two miles from my beach house two summers ago. The surf is looking good this weekend, though...

 

I think that only applies to commercial flying.....

 

Is crawling safer than walking?
Walking safer than bicycling
bicycling safer than driving
childbirth ....
Cancer....
How about choking on the hot dog
Electrocution in the kitchen
Drowning in a bathtub
Crossing the street
Man-o-war attacks (Jellyfish)

Do you avoid marriage because 50% end in divorce?
Skiing, because you can become part of a tree, or rock?
Driving fast because you could have a brake line failure?

Do you have the same angst over any of the above?

Are you any more dead from a plane crash, than from a car crash?

Or any more devastated from the loss of a loved one depending on
what conveyance they were riding at the time?

Will your family miss you any less, if you die;
a) in a car crash,
b) in a train crash,
c) from Botulism,
d) bee stings

What's so different about flying? ? ? ? ? Perception..... that's all.

I think it's all in one's head. Life, is a risk..... PERIOD.

Forget about it, stop worrying, and enjoy what little life there is.


Just my $ .02
Charlie

 

General Aviation stats from the FAA tell us that there are 16 fatal accidents per million hours of general aviation.

By contrast, cars have 1.7 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles

If we do our best to convert, using an average speed of 100mph for a general aviation airplane, a million hours of flying is roughly 100 million miles.

Which means that cars are roughly 10 times safer than aircraft.


By contrast, airliners have a crash rate of 0.34 per million flight hours -- 50x safer than general aviation and, yes, better than highway driving.


Check out:
http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/
for enough details to make you regret you ever clicked "download."


And, just for fun, according to this year's Nall Report (annual safety report) shows that accidents are down by 6.7% and fatal accidents by 7.1% compared with last year. This decrease continues a trend of overall and fatal general aviation accidents, which have decreased about 25% over the past 10 years.

Or, as a friend put it: "we're doing a better job of keeping 'em out of the trees."

 

Consider this report on Scott Crossfield's fatal crash:

ATLANTA - The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield's single-engine plane indicates it broke apart during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.

Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while en route from Prattville, Ala., to his home in Manassas, Va., in his Cessna 210A.

The 84-year-old pilot was the only person aboard when the plane crashed into mountainous terrain in northern Georgia.

The NTSB report, released Thursday, said Crossfield checked in with Atlanta air traffic controllers and shortly after 11 a.m. asked to turn to the south because of bad storms in the region.

Radar contact was lost at 11:10 a.m. when the plane was at 5,500 feet, just after the plane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm, the severest type, the report said.

The Federal Aviation Administration says a Level 6 storm is characterized by high wind and severe turbulence.

According to the report, debris from the aircraft was found in two areas about a mile apart, with the main wreckage in a crater 4 feet deep.

"The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low-altitude in-flight breakup," the report said.

Limited damage to the tree canopy also showed the plane plunged nearly straight down, the report said.

Parts of the airframe, engine and propeller blades were taken to a local Department of Transportation accident reconstruction yard.

The report said investigators uncovered no mechanical or other problems with the plane that would have caused the crash.

 

I truly feel general aviation is as safe as you make it. If you dont try to do too much and dont get in over your head with weather, its hard to really injure yourself severely. I had one close call where I lost an engine on final but was able to make it in safely which I chalk up to good training. I did tons of engine off landings while training. Most pilots I know have had some sort of "emergency" and all but one lived. The one that didn't was on a flight down to Mexico with several other planes. He flew into coulds where as everyone else flew below them and he and his plane were never seen again.

Safety is huge. I don't know the statistic, but aren't most private pilot deaths people who recently got their licenses? I really feel danger is what you make it. Flying can be very safe, but also at the same time very unsafe.

I think what I'm trying to say is that if you are safe, trained well, and don't take unnecessary risks, flying can be a fun and safe hobby.

Mark

 

The stats I've seen as well show GA having more fatal accidents than cars per unit of whatever... but then again, when you look at the accident reports, usually you can see why it was a fatal crash, and usually it's because of a series of events that could have been avoided by using some caution. I agree that flying is as safe as you make it.

Also, interestingly enough, I read some stats on the experience level of pilots involved in accidents (I don't recall if they were fatal accidents or not), and the private pilot fresh out of a check-ride had far fewer accidents than the 500-1000 hour range (the most accidents), then it drops back off again after 1000 hours. Goes to show that complacency is the biggest threat to your safety, not necessarily your level of experience.

 

I read somewhere a saying similar to, "Like the sea, flying is unforgiving to those that are unknowledgable and unprepared" .

I too am a firm believer in "complacency is a killer."

 

I agree with all you guys ( not that whatever I think makes a difference) that flying is about ATTITUDE and too many pilots do not have it. Total mental separation from everything other than flying when you are in the airplane. Planning, focus, constant attention to what you are doing, adjust to emerging changes and revert to a back-up plan that was set up before take off, think before you panic if an emergency arises and have the necessary tools to get you and your passengers out of danger ( know the airplane systems, emergency radio procedures), and never tempt the weather.
Sweet sayings that I remember.....being screamed at me. " Don't become a passenger, FLY THE AIRPLANE". " If the engine quits, get the stick forward, pick a spot, and FLY IT THERE. " And best of all, " This beautiful piece machinery is going to try to kill you as soon as you get the prop turning. If you give the opportunity, it will take it."

 

You are completely correct. I remember reading this same stat while training, must have just slipped my mind when I posted above.

Mark

 

I had 70 hours, a fresh license, and was flying out of El Monte, also in the LA basin. I had taken my family (wife and 2 kids) up to Sacramento to visit relatives on the weekend before Christmas, dropped them off, and then returned home to do a couple of more days work. I went up again to stay over for Christmas with the plan being to return home 2 days after Christmas. That day dawned and Sacramento and the northern San Joaquin valley was socked in with IMC. OK, put it off to the next day. The next day and the morning starts off with 0/0 at the airport. Not a good sign, particularly as the time pressure now was building as my wife was supposed to be back at work at 3PM (medical occupation where 8 hours cancellation of a scheduled duty shift is thoroughly frowned upon, especially suspiciously close to major holiday breaks).

Another hour and the airport was at 500/1. The forecast was for VFR in another 1-2 hours. OK, head to the airport and see. Once we got there it was apparent that it would be clear VFR by the time we pre-flighted and loaded up. 5 hours to get my wife to work. An uneventful takeoff and clear skies. But 50-75 miles south I had to start dodging layers to stay VFR. I dropped from 11,500 to 9,500, then 7,500, then 5,500. Finally, at 5,500, it looked OK for a while despite being incredibly gloomy. By then we were 20-30 north of Bakersfield. 3.5 hours to get my wife to work.

Peering ahead, I didn't like the looks of the dark line I saw ahead of me over the Tehachapi mountains which are to the north of LA. I called for an in-flight weather briefing and was advised of bases down to 5000-6000' near the pass (the pass is about 5000-6000'), broken with bases in the LA basin at 3000-4000' and tops at 5000- 6000', forecast icing from 6000 to 12,000' and confirmed with 5-6 icing pireps. The briefer concluded with "VFR flight not recommended, in fact IFR flight isn't even recommended"!

My wife had been listening to this on the radio, and looked at me and asked, "what now". I have to admit that I toyed - although it was very briefly I did think about it - with the idea of climbing to 15,000', flying above the icing into LA, and looking for a hole to go down through the broken layer. Another wild idea was to fly west to the coast, duck under, and fly back east under the bases, over Santa Barbara, inland over the San Fernando valley, and then home - all at 2500'-3000'.

Fortunately, I looked down at that moment, saw Bakersfield below me in the clear with an 11,000' runway and replied to my wife, "we're landing right there". We landed and tied down, went over to the airline side, and got her a rental car. I decided to stay at the airport with the kids and fly back that night when it was forecast to clear (which worked out).

By the time she was on the road she had 2.5 hours to get to work with about 120 miles to drive. As it turned out, she was 1/2 an hour late (which was better than not showing up at all) because the highway through the pass (the same one we would have flown) had received several inches of snow (!) and had to be plowed for clearance. This slowed traffic speeds down to 1/4 normal. The icing was definitely there!

There's a saying to the effect of: you're not an accomplished pilot until you've made the decision to land and drive instead. About 4 months later, I read an NTSB accident report of a plane lost with all on board due to icing over that region while flying at 12,000'. I realized, and confirmed by checking the date against my logbook, that it was that same date.

 

Another case of " Get-there-itis" that was cured before it did some damage. GOOD FLYING.......GOOD THINKING.

 

Yin is right though - it could just as easily been him and his family in the newspaper.

What's the difference - that's the question. Is it fate or is it something else?

Next week - same time - same station.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by plasticpi
Also, interestingly enough, I read some stats on the experience level of pilots involved in accidents (I don't recall if they were fatal accidents or not), and the private pilot fresh out of a check-ride had far fewer accidents than the 500-1000 hour range (the most accidents), then it drops back off again after 1000 hours. Goes to show that complacency is the biggest threat to your safety, not necessarily your level of experience


TWO WORDS ----ETERNAL VIGILANCE

 

Seems that the easiest way to improve your chances are to get your IFR rating.

I saw some accident figures on the AOPA website a week or two ago. The weather related incidents (which account for a significant percentage of flying incidents) really drops off when you have a lot of hours flying AND are IFR rated.

I think that one of the most important issues is to train with someone who does flight instruction full-time for a living, and who is at least a CFII. My instructor flies 6 days a week and stays very busy. She keeps detailed records of how her students do when they take their writtens and their check rides. She isn't just doing this to get her hours -- it's her vocation.

 

That's a great observation and suggestion. I just hope that your instructor can make a decent living. We need more like her.

 

Ditto that. I was fortunate enough to have my last instructor to be "teaching for a living" some how I get the feeling also he does'nt NEED the $$ but just loves teaching.He is old enough to retire (not that he is OLD persay)The lessons are NEVER standing still even for a moment ...unless I say whoooo I need a 5 minute break.His attention to detail and explainations are w/out parellel.
I have learned something from every teacher BUT I really would be truly disappointed if HE decided not to be an instructor.
There was a article in Flight Training mag that described "to the teacher what was the code of ethics of a great teacher".My teacher was an ace on ALL the criteria.
It sure would be nice if someone could post that info .There are a lot of "would be pilots" (or better yet SAFER PILOTS)IF these standards were adhered to more often.

I'm not a pro-pilot but I own a service business which is a lot of what CFI's do "PROVIDE A SERVICE".Hopefully for the naive they get what they paid for.

MY355

 

My late husband encouraged me to earn my private several years before I lost him and I have enjoyed the privelage ever since. Climbing back in a plane after I lost him was one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences I ever had as an adult (I lost him in a plane crash). The day I took my check ride he said "that certificate is a license to learn, a good pilot is always learning no matter what number of hours you have". One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my CFI was to ALWAYS stay 5 steps ahead of the airplane, always be thinking ahead. I think if you always keep these things in the back of your head...keep learning and always stay in front of your plane, you will find flying to be one of the most rewarding endeavors you undertake.

On a similar, but statistical note...I once read that, in general, if you are a safe and attentive driver you will most likely be a safe and attentive pilot. Not a hard written rule, just a generality. Food for thought.

Good luck in your quest!

C

 

On a similar, but statistical note...I once read that, in general, if you are a safe and attentive driver you will most likely be a safe and attentive pilot. Not a hard written rule, just a generality. Food for thought.

Well that makes me feel a bit more cofident.
Not "overconfident" just cofident.
Eternally vigilent and 5 steps ahead.

Thanks,
MY355

 

Yesterday while practicing some instrument work in my Cirrus I stopped for a bathroom break in Mineral Wells, TX (KMWL, just outside the D/FW area). In the FBO for only 10 minutes or so.

At about 60 kts down the runway, 5 or so secs before rotation, a HUGE wasp lands on my arm. Instantly, that recent photo circling the internet of the King Air with the swarm of killer bees on the engine pops into my head. I abort the takeoff, popped the doors once we slowed down, and fortunately the little bugger was alone and flew out the door. Checked the rest of the plane and took off again without issue.

How did it get in? We left one of the doors to the open while we were in the FBO, hoping the plane would stay a little cooler. From now on, the heat won't bother me so much.

 

That's one of the reasons that we purchased good sunscreens for our Piper Archer. When we leave it on the tarmac at another airport, we put up the sunscreens, then close and lock the doors. Animals cannot get into the plane when the doors are closed. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if the plane and the avionics stay cooler with the sunscreens up than with the doors open. And, I don't want to be attacked by even a single bee during takeoff -- that would be very distracting.

 

I ENJOYED READING YOUR TWO CENTS COMMENT, VERY TRUE LIFE IS SHORT AND WE SHOULD ENJOY WHAT VERY LITTLE TIME WE HAVE.WE ALL KNOW THE OLDER WE ALL GET THE FASTER TIME GOES!!FLY AND BE FREE!