by Bob Collins
EAA Chapter 54
Let's be clear. It can happen to anyone no matter how many flight hours one has. All it takes is a moment of distraction or one wrong judgement and you've lost control of your airplane.
That's the message the audience of the Saturday Open House and Coffee heard on September 7 when master pilot Bran Sagi presented his tips for staying safe as part of the Wings program.
Loss of Control (LOC) is the leading cause of accidents. Not surprisingly, those that occur in flight are the most likely to be fatal, but those occurring on the ground are the most often occurrences.
LOC is defined as what happens when control inputs do not have the intended result. The moment frequently involves either "freezing up" or making the incorrect command input. So the human factor is the oversized role, with a mechanical issue with the plane occurring far less frequently.
Sagi pointed to a November 30, 2019 plane crash in Chamberlain, S.D., as an example. The plane took off in snowy weather, crashing moments later.
The pilots and passengers who'd been on a hunting trip, used isopropyl alcohol to clean the wings but couldn't reach the plane's tail. "They figured the wind would remove the snow," Sagi said. All nine aboard were killed.
"A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid those situations which require the use of superior skill," Sagi said.
Airspeed awareness in critical in avoid LOC, he said. And quite often, the transition from a training aircraft to a more high performance aircraft is an area of risk. Training aircraft are typically not well insulated so the noise of an engine or the sound of the airflow is readily apparent. Additionally, training aircraft used fixed pitch propellors so the engine RPM is proportional to airspeed.
In a higher performance, airplane the cabin is often more quiet, and the sound of an engine with a constant speed prop affords no airspeed queues.
Many LOC are due to unnecessary distractions. An open door often diverts a pilot's attention from a more immediate responsibility: flying the airplane. "The plane will fly fine with an open door," Sagi said.
A pilot in Livermore, California learned the lesson the hard way on Christmas Eve 2022, he said.
According to the NTSB preliminary report:
The pilot reported that he departed runway 7L with the intention of remaining within the airport traffic pattern. During takeoff initial climb, the door opened. He then slowed the airplane and recalled hearing the tower controller say, “climb climb climb.” The pilot realized the airplane was descending and he “pushed the throttle in” with no response from the engine. The airplane continued to descend and impacted a building about 2,800 ft beyond the departure end of runway 7L.
The pilot survived.
Sagi said the proper steps in such a situation is "prioritize flying the airplane, analyze the situation and take appropriate action."
For instrument rated pilots, Sagi said the transition from IMC to visual conditions represents a high-risk situation, particularly when maneuvering to landing. "You have little time to react to diminished visual cues in a changing site picture. Always be prepared to go missed and always maintain a stabilized approach," he advised.
He also said spacial disorientation is a constant threat for pilots. His advice: be prepared for transition, focus on the instruments, limit head movement, and maintain a scan of instruments. "be proficient in missed approach to prevent a 'startle response'," he said.
His talk did not focus exclusively on flight. The high number of incidents on the ground, he said, is due to inattention. On landing, pilots stop flying the airplane, only to be redirected by a wind gust. You have to move the ailerons in response to the wind all the way to the hangar, he said.
And he advised that pilots not be fiddling with checklists or avionics while taxiing. Just stop for that, he said. "Follow the yellow line, and don't cut corners," he said.
Most of the audience questions focused on the value of "upset training", which he enthusiastically endorsed.
Chapter 54 opens the Chapter House for free coffee and doughnuts on most Saturdays when it tunes into the Saturday morning safety seminar. Attendees are eligible for Wings credit. Members of the public are always welcome.
