CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2 - 6

A life cut short
By DAVID JACK KENNy
in thE dAy-to-dAy effort to bring students up to Practical Test Standards on every TASK defined in each required AREA OF OPERATION, it’s possible to lose sight of a broader concern: Student pilots tend to follow the examples set by their instructors. For good or bad, just about everything they know or believe

Safety spotlight

…the cfi said “i am gOing tO helP these clOwns Out” and OPened the cabin dOOr.
about aviation was picked up from their CFIs. Pilots training for advanced ratings still pay close attention to their CFIs’ procedures, techniques, general practices, and attitudes. As J.J. Greenway noted in “Mother Duck” (CFI to CFI: Volume 1, Issue 2), those early impressions have a way of staying with a pilot for years, whether they involve crosswind landing technique, weather evaluation, or tolerance for taking shortcuts. Of course, the strongest impressions are sometimes made by lessons the instructor hadn’t meant to teach. A little after noon on August 27, 2010, a Piper Warrior taxied out for departure at Beverly, Massachusetts. In the left seat was a 130-hour private pilot studying toward his instrument rating. The right seat was occupied by his CFI. The two were on friendly terms; the private pilot later mentioned that they sometimes “hung around together” outside of lessons.

He also mentioned that the CFI, usually “very detailed and safety oriented,” seemed distracted on that day. Apparently he’d developed a romantic interest in one of his commercial students, but couldn’t pursue it while he served as her instructor. Her checkride was scheduled for later that day, but a few days after that, she’d be leaving to join the armed services. As they taxied, the instructor was trying to determine when his schedule might allow time to ask the lady out. Another of the flight school’s airplanes, a Piper Sport, was in the run-up area when they arrived. This model features a bubble canopy that’s hinged in front, and this particular example had suffered problems with the canopy’s latches ever since the school had acquired it. As they taxied up, they could see another instructor struggling to secure both latches so he could take a prospective student for an introductory flight. The instructor in the Warrior had first-hand experience with the problem, having flown the Sport back from New York. Seeing his friend in the same predicament, he said, “I can’t believe this stupid plane!” and took the flight controls, maneuvering the Warrior behind and to the right of the Sport. After a few minutes, the CFI said “I am going to help these clowns out” and opened the cabin door. The instrument student recalled looking down to review a checklist as the instructor climbed out, then hearing a thud. Looking up, he saw the CFI’s sunglasses on the ground, and at once shut down the engine and radioed the tower. The two men in the Piper Sport saw the CFI climb onto the Warrior’s wing walk and then “either jump or stumble” off the front of the right wing into the arc of the propeller, which killed him instantly. It’s still not clear whether he deliberately stepped off the leading edge, or tripped. The Warrior’s door is designed to guide passengers down the wing walk and

away from the propeller. Investigators noticed that a secondary door stop installed on the right wing had been bent forward, possibly by the instructor’s weight as he fell against the door. On the other hand, several members of the flight school’s staff, including the CFI in the Piper Sport, had sometimes seen him jump off the leading edge after the last flight of the day on his way to install the propeller lock. Could he have reverted to that habit with the engine running? He’d spent plenty of time around moving propellers; his 4,000 hours of total flight time included 3,600 hours of dual given. Still, with other things weighing on his mind, it isn’t out of the question. The shock to the witnesses was as severe as you’d expect. Two were briefly hospitalized for observation; a third had to have a friend pick him up at the airport, as he was too shaken to drive home. The only record of the prospective student in the FAA’s airman database is a student pilot certificate issued nine days before the accident, so it’s possible he abandoned his training as a result. The NTSB’s Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report contains a space for the operator’s or owner’s recommendations on how the accident could have been avoided. The president of the flight school made three—all succinct and to the point. Two were specific to this particular case: “Shut down the aircraft whenever leaving the cabin. Never step off the front of the wing regardless of whether the engine is running or not.” Both are excellent rules, but his best suggestion was the most general, and the one he listed first: “Take things slow and think before doing.” That’s advice worth remembering, especially when you feel inclined to take shortcuts. David Jack Kenny is manager of aviation safety analysis for the Air Safety Institute, an instrument-rated commercial pilot, and owner of a Piper Arrow.

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CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 2

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