Over the years, I have read more than my share of accident reports and articles about accidents. You have probably read them as well. We read that “everything was going fine until the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion.” Or “everything was going fine until the plane hit the side of the mountain.” Or that it was “a normal landing until the crosswind proved to be too much for the pilot to handle.” And generally, the article goes on to point out that the pilot had all of the data available to avoid the accident. He should have known the fuel was low, he was close to the mountain, or the crosswinds were excessive. And while I agree that’s a fair conclusion, the fact is, up until the moment of disaster the pilot truly thought there was no need for concern.
But there is another class of accidents I think we can really work with our students to eliminate. How about those accidents where the first words afterward are, “Well, I didn’t really feel good about that. I guess I should have turned around when I first felt uncomfortable.”
These are situations in which the pilot thinks, “Well, the fuel level is a bit low, but I just don’t have time to stop. I think I can make it.” Or, “Yeah, I can’t see the top of the mountains now, but I think it will be OK if I follow the highway through the pass. I bet the weather will be better on the other side. Or this one: “If I take the runway that is aligned with the wind I will have to taxi farther. Besides, I have a perfect downwind entry for this runway. So, I will just go ahead and land downwind.” And there is another statement that I sometimes hear around the airport on Saturday mornings: “Well, I wouldn’t fly that airplane with my family on board, but I think that it will be OK if it’s just me.”
I see a couple of thought processes going on here, and we need to help our students see them as well. One thought process is that we have a plan set in stone, and regardless of the changing situation, we decide that we need to follow that plan. Another line of thought is that some pilots think the laws of physics are somehow set aside for them if they are by themselves. There is this thought that there are rules to follow, but they only count if someone else is watching.
Another facet of this mindset is that we don’t think others are involved in our decision making if they are not actually in the airplane with us. Actually, all of our day-to-day decisions affect those we care about. Here is a statement from a widow that I recently came across: “Why did he take off in that weather? Couldn’t he think that we would have been just as happy to have him home tomorrow instead?”
On several occasions during more than 40 years of flying, I have looked at continuing to my destination with deteriorating weather ahead, or with fuel-gauge needles moving to the left. And as soon as I get that “This is not comfortable” feeling, I look for that alternate I gave myself.
The first time I decided to land 20 miles short of my destination and top off the tanks, I felt a little foolish since the airplane had more fuel than I imagined. But, I realized the peace of mind I gained when I left that fuel stop was worth the 30 minutes I spent. And furthermore, no one cared that I arrived at my destination 30 minutes later than expected.
So, put these two ideas into your “best practices” and pass them on to your students. First, if a situation gives us the “something’s wrong here” feeling, then something is wrong. Now is the time to act, while there are still some good options.
Second, make your students realize that everything they do affects those who care about them, whether in the airplane or not.
Whether we are flying solo, or with every seat filled, we need to fly as if we are responsible for those we care about—because we are.
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Over the years, I have read more than my share of accident reports and articles about accidents. You have probably read them as well. We read that “everything was going fine until the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion.” Or “everything was going fine until the plane hit the side of the mountain.” Or that it was “a normal landing until the crosswind proved to be too much for the pilot to handle.” And generally, the article goes on to point out that the pilot had all of the data available to avoid the accident. He should have known the fuel was low, he was close to the mountain, or the crosswinds were excessive. And while I agree that’s a fair conclusion, the fact is, up until the moment of disaster the pilot truly thought there was no need for concern.
But there is another class of accidents I think we can really work with our students to eliminate. How about those accidents where the first words afterward are, “Well, I didn’t really feel good about that. I guess I should have turned around when I first felt uncomfortable.”
These are situations in which the pilot thinks, “Well, the fuel level is a bit low, but I just don’t have time to stop. I think I can make it.” Or, “Yeah, I can’t see the top of the mountains now, but I think it will be OK if I follow the highway through the pass. I bet the weather will be better on the other side. Or this one: “If I take the runway that is aligned with the wind I will have to taxi farther. Besides, I have a perfect downwind entry for this runway. So, I will just go ahead and land downwind.” And there is another statement that I sometimes hear around the airport on Saturday mornings: “Well, I wouldn’t fly that airplane with my family on board, but I think that it will be OK if it’s just me.”
I see a couple of thought processes going on here, and we need to help our students see them as well. One thought process is that we have a plan set in stone, and regardless of the changing situation, we decide that we need to follow that plan. Another line of thought is that some pilots think the laws of physics are somehow set aside for them if they are by themselves. There is this thought that there are rules to follow, but they only count if someone else is watching.
Another facet of this mindset is that we don’t think others are involved in our decision making if they are not actually in the airplane with us. Actually, all of our day-to-day decisions affect those we care about. Here is a statement from a widow that I recently came across: “Why did he take off in that weather? Couldn’t he think that we would have been just as happy to have him home tomorrow instead?”
On several occasions during more than 40 years of flying, I have looked at continuing to my destination with deteriorating weather ahead, or with fuel-gauge needles moving to the left. And as soon as I get that “This is not comfortable” feeling, I look for that alternate I gave myself.
The first time I decided to land 20 miles short of my destination and top off the tanks, I felt a little foolish since the airplane had more fuel than I imagined. But, I realized the peace of mind I gained when I left that fuel stop was worth the 30 minutes I spent. And furthermore, no one cared that I arrived at my destination 30 minutes later than expected.
So, put these two ideas into your “best practices” and pass them on to your students. First, if a situation gives us the “something’s wrong here” feeling, then something is wrong. Now is the time to act, while there are still some good options.
Second, make your students realize that everything they do affects those who care about them, whether in the airplane or not.
Whether we are flying solo, or with every seat filled, we need to fly as if we are responsible for those we care about—because we are.
Related Articles