Accident Report: One with the aircraft

It’s usually a compliment to describe a pilot as one with the aircraft. The idea brings to mind smooth and precise flying guided by control inputs so imperceptible as to leave an observer convinced that the pilot is controlling the aircraft by thoughts alone.

Being at one with the aircraft can have a downside as well. This latter brand of unity between pilot and machine is a bond that often must be broken to help a student pilot control an aircraft with more precision or perform better maneuvers. At times, it can also be a question of safety. One cause of this more extreme link between pilot and aircraft is simple lack of awareness. The other, riskier kind stems from tension or anxiety.

When a pilot flying practice instrument approaches in a Cessna 172 realized that a chart he needed was on the rear seat, on the right side of the airplane, it was predictable to observe the airplane pitch up and roll right as the pilot leaned back and to his right to grab the chart, his left hand still clutching the yoke. Returning to his regular piloting position, his first chore was to correct a 100-foot altitude deviation and 15-or-20-degree heading change. Had he let go of the control yoke when reaching for the chart, of course, the error correction would have been unnecessary.

For pilots who have acquired this aeronautical brand of separation anxiety, even routine chores such as rotating a trim wheel or setting a radio frequency can touch off unconscious control inputs. The undesirable slipping-skidding feel of the uncoordinated flight only adds to the overall discomfort. It’s a habit well worth breaking.

Then there are the pilots who fly sublimely as long as things are going well but undergo a Jekyll-Hyde transformation when their control begins to falter—such as during a stall recovery or a tricky landing. If you have ever wondered why a flight instructor doesn’t seem to be as relaxed as you are as you sail confidently around the traffic pattern, it is because the CFI has flown with Jekyll-Hyde types—and perhaps learned the hard way how quickly their cockpit demeanor can change.

How does it change? A common manifestation when stress overtakes a pilot’s ability to retain relaxed control is impulsive behavior. One example is a student pilot suddenly slamming on the brakes as the airplane rolls by a taxiway when a calmer individual would simply elect to roll along to the next egress point.

Another common symptom is starting to take a “death grip” on the controls. This can make it virtually impossible to fly with precision, and if the individual has become locked in physically while locked out mentally, it’s a dangerous development—especially in a high-workload situation, when it is most likely to occur.

On October 6, 2017, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter landed hard from an autorotation exercise during a training flight in Las Vegas. Neither occupant was injured, but the helicopter was damaged. The probable cause, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, was “[t]he student pilot’s tension on the flight control at a low level during an autorotation, which did not allow sufficient time for the flight instructor to correct and recover control before the hard landing.” According to the accident report, “The flight instructor reported that he believed that the student had tensed up on the throttle and collective as he tried to keep the helicopter level and cushion for the landing. The student pilot reported that, in hindsight, he was pulling up on the collective, but his hand (wrist) was locked, which prevented the governor to roll on and increase power.”

A human being makes a poor control lock, but as this and other accident reports suggest, people keep trying. Better would be to incorporate relaxation methods into your flight training, and to recognize the flight scenarios that trigger the most stress—and practice handling them until they induce—not fear or worry—but a state of calm.

You may be pleased to discover that your relaxed, serene state of mind produces relaxed, serene responses from your aircraft.