Contents

Decisions, Decisions
There are many things that can go wrong or create problems. Most of these will occur only once a lifetime but some more often. A pilot who has developed safe flight habits and sound judgment is going to have fewer mishaps. This pilot has reserved for himself the right to deviate in his flying procedures from genius to idiot. The opportunities for idiotic behavior far exceeds that of genius but this pilots information-processing brain will deviate toward genius since that has been the area of his training and experience.

My kind of pilot has remained mentally active. The mental seeing what is expected or habitual does not fool him. He is curious, critical and full of anticipation. His stress level is kept low because he is prepared, ahead of the aircraft, practiced in his procedures, and flying with 'what if' always on his mind.
What to Watch for:
--Mechanical systems malfunction, are misused, or fail.
--Avionics always seem to have a weak link in electrical contacts, switches, and cables.
--Weather has a unique ability to confound the latest technology's ability to make accurate predictions.
--Pilot Proficiency:
--Papers, legality, currency,
--Getting behind the aircraft, loss of position/situational awareness, inadequate fuel.
--Flying beyond capability of aircraft or pilot.
--Unjustified reliance on knowledge level, scud running, showing off.
--Flying below minimum safe altitudes.
--Health

Marginal Conditions
You must learn your own comfort limits. Keep track of the weather through Flight Watch after takeoff. If visibility drops you might consider canceling the flight. Poor visibility is the most likely cause of becoming lost. The hazard of being lost lies in the mental and emotional stress it puts on the pilot. Preflight planning that selects viable checkpoints can negate this stress. Use as many navigational methods and aids as you can.

When planning a flight use a sectional in conjunction with any weather pictures obtained. It lets you know the terrain you need to fly over. It shows where airports are in relation to weather and it provides easier selection of alternate routes.

Fly defensively by selecting off airway routes and selected altitudes. Turn on lights. Make occasional wing waves to get a better look around. Monitor frequencies of ATC and nearby airports. Telling the world you are flying by does no damage.
1. Look for traffic
2. Use your lights
3. Avoid congestion
4. Track your time
5. Follow your route
6. Fly your altitude

Emergencies Do Happen
If you should have an emergency, don't hesitate, declare an emergency. Student pilots are overly reluctant to declare an emergency when they should because they have 'concerns'. An emergency for a student pilot may not be an emergency for an experienced pilot. An emergency is whenever the safe outcome of flight is in doubt. When in doubt, it is an emergency, declare it and do a CCCC (Climb, Communicate, Confess, Comply) Use the frequency you are on (not ATIS or AWOS) or 121.5. If your concern is the FAA, you should understand that you are more likely to create an FAA inquiry by not declaring than by declaring.

The declaration of an emergency gives you all available assistance, plus the authorization to violate, in the name of safety, any regulations. More pilots have died from failing to declare an emergency than from making the declaration. When the FAA find that the declaration was justified that will be the end of it
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An Emergency is not an Emergency
There is no FAR definition of emergency. The AIM says an emergency is a distressful situation. I have flown in several distressful situations that the FAA would not consider emergencies. Once a passenger had a bladder infection and once a pilot had a gas-filled tooth that was under expansion pressure at altitude. Distressful situations but emergencies they were not. The only emergency recognized by the FAA is one that concerns flight safety. If the flight situation is in doubt and you are running out of options--declare an emergency because you are lost but never because you need the nearest bathroom.

In another area of this site I have written about such situations and that the FAA now allows the use of the word 'immediate' in your communications to indicate that you are effectively requesting priority from ATC.

Adage
Some of the most useless things in flying are, fuel in the ground, altitude above you, runway behind you and something you have at home but need now.

An FAA Accident
Once someone gets aboard an aircraft for flight until everyone is clear of the aircraft an FAA accident can happen. If any person is seriously hurt or dies it is an FAA accident. Where the aircraft is substantially damaged in structure (not skin) or a major component requires replacement it is an FAA accident. Over half of aircraft accidents occur at times other than in flight. That statement alone should warn you to be careful on the ground. Historically, propellers kill one person a month. A gear up landing that damages only propeller and skin is not considered an accident.

An FAA incident is anything that happens less than an accident. An FAA reportable incident is where damage is more than $25,000. Damage to landing gear or propeller is not reportable. Any accident, reportable incident or incident can get you a visit from the FAA and your insurance company.

Accidents Happen
Accidents are never caused by a single factor. A chain of events wrapped into a ball of factors causes accidents. Under the current airspace environment 75% near misses are 'stochastic' or caused by chance. The remaining 25% are deterministic and determined by the flying situation. This means that the probabilities are that sixty planes in the airspace available in the U. S. will collide every year. This totals thirty accidents or about one for every million flights. Half of all persons involved survive. Even these odds can be improved. Probability is one serious accident every 65,000 flying hours. Most dangerous period is 50 to 500 hours.

The ATC system is designed to keep air carriers from colliding with other airplanes. The independence of VFR flying is sacrificed for controlled safety when operating under the ATC system. Every day, in the U.S. there are at least five aircraft accidents and one aviation related death.

Pre-Accident Sequence
The recognition of how previous accidents have occurred and knowing how a sequence of mistakes had an inevitable end is essential pilot knowledge.

--Contradictory data:
There is a perceptual conflict between what is said, done, or perceived. There is a perceived time problem perhaps having to do with weather, fuel or scheduling.

-- Focused attention:
You attend to only one aspect of flight due to its perceived importance. Stress from any source, emergency or otherwise makes it so you are unable to consider options or other aspects of cockpit resource management. A distraction does this. A trivial anomaly can divert and focus attention from the primary task of flying the plane.

-- That feeling of uncertainty:
You become unsure of where your are, what to do, or your capability to perform. You are now under stress, with focused attention and unable to reasonably consider all available options. That is, unless you have pre-planned what to do.

--Failing to do responsibility # 1, fly the plane:
Letting the routine lead to absent minded procedures,

--Eyes outside cockpit:
The eyes must be kept moving in and out, left and right. Learn to make instant reads of your instruments and checklists. Use a heads-up display of sectionals and plates
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--Avoid creative flying:
Know your performance limits and capabilities, Know those of your aircraft especially regarding maintenance and discrepancies. Know the FARs both by the word and by practical application.

--Unrealized expectations:
Preconceived expectation of time, clearance, distance, fuel, altitude, weather, or capability are not being met. Failure to make appropriate decisions early on.

--Non-adherence to standard procedures:
Standards have been developed for efficiency and safety for all concerned. Failure to follow procedures increases everyone's risk.

--Communication:
Cockpit and radio communication may be "unheard", misinterpreted, or ignored.

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