AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2014 - 102

NEWS & NOTES

AOPA FOUNDATION

Did you know you can donate your airworthy airplane to the AOPA Foundation?
Bypass the hassle of selling and gain a tax benefit, while fueling GA's future
with your donation (www.aopafoundation.org/aircraft-donation).

Accident Case Study:
Communication Breakdown

VIEW THE

VIDEO

IT'S THE AFTERNOON OF FEBRUARY 29, 2012, and a pilot and two passengers
are returning to the Melbourne International Airport in Florida, after a local
flight in N544SR, a Cirrus SR22. At 4:58 p.m. the weather is good, traffic at
the towered field is flowing smoothly, and the airplane is in perfect condition. At 5:01 p.m. the same airplane is a smoking pile of wreckage just off the
approach end of the runway.
The mistakes that put it there are the focus of this Air Safety Institute
Accident Case Study. How could things have gone so wrong under such
benign circumstances? Using audio of the pilot's interactions with Melbourne

Tower and factual information from the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the video reconnects the links of the accident chain and seeks out
lessons in the tragedy (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/
acs-comm).

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND COMMUNICATION
ARE EVERYTHING
"HOLD YOUR POSITION, JUST STOP!" Those

were the air traffic controller's exasperated
words when it became clear that things had
gotten thoroughly messed up in the dense
fog that cloaked the airport and hampered
visibility from the tower and from the
cockpits of three large aircraft-one taxiing after landing, one taking off, and one
holding for takeoff.
That night of December 6, 1999, United
Airlines 1448 had made one wrong turn
while taxiing in severely reduced visibility: It became the first link in a series of
mistaken assumptions by its crew and the
tower controller. View this video animation
of the eerie events that took place that dark,
foggy night at Providence, Rhode Island's
Theodore Francis Green State Airport
and learn how the pilots communicated
and averted a serious accident (www.air
safetyinstitute.org/pvd-incursion).
Runway incursions happen in just seconds, whether a single miscalculation or
a host of slipups converging at the wrong
102 | AOPA PILOT March 2014

time. That's why it's important to communicate clearly and appropriately, double check
clearances, be vigilant, and have good situational awareness when maneuvering on
the airport. Prior to ground movement-
especially at an unfamiliar airport-it is
important to study the airport diagram and
notams, and be extra vigilant about proper
communication and visually clearing the
area, be it during approach, takeoff, or taxi.
There is a host of free airport safety
education available from the Air Safety
Institute, such as the Runway Safety
online course produced with the support
of the FAA's Office of Runway Safety, runway safety flash cards, Ask ATC videos,
and safety quizzes-including one on airport signs and markings (www.airsafety
institute.org/runwaysafetyspotlight).

FLYING THE WEATHER
Pilots are constantly evaluating the
weather when flying, including before
takeoff, en route, and before landing.
But unless you're a seasoned meteorologist and well-trained in interpreting
and applying practical weather theory,
weather is one of the more difficult
elements to grasp. Whether you face
a checkride or would like help in
assessing the big weather picture
before a long cross-country flight, you
might enjoy some help from ASI's
Flying the Weather video series, aimed
at deciphering weather phenomena
and their impact on flight. In the first
two installments, Airframe Icing and
Picking Up Ice, AOPA Pilot Editor at
Large Tom Horne discusses how
airframe ice affects the aircraft's handling, what to look for, and why early
detection of ice accumulation is critical
to your safety. Stay tuned for upcoming
installments in this new series that will
teach you the all-important aspects of
flying the weather (www.airsafety
institute.org/safetyvideos).

NEW ASI WINTER/SPRING SEMINAR
ACCIDENT CASE STUDY: LIVE
WEB Visit (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars) for dates and locations near you.

http://www.aopafoundation.org/aircraft-donation http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/acs-comm http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/acs-comm http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/runwaysafetyspotlight http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/runwaysafetyspotlight http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/pvd-incursion http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/pvd-incursion http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2014

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