Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 20

PREFLIGHT ACCIDENT REPORT

BY DAN NAMOWITZ

DOING IT YOURSELF
GRABBING THAT TIGER BY THE TAIL

ideas went awry. Avoid option two like the plague-
bystanders and propellers just don't mix. Option one
port all to yourself as you preflight your favorite rental
isn't much better.
aircraft for a pleasure flight in the still, crisp fall air.
That seems obvious, but it's still surprising how
The fuel tanks are topped, as you requested the prestrong the temptation can be to try to shortcut the
vious evening, and the wings are frost-free-no time
safest option. You may have to suffer a few weeks of
needed to polish down any frozen dew.
good-natured razzing about the tiedown rope if someLooks like there's no one around to hear your ritual
one you know happens to be among those observing
warning cry of "Clear prop," but you give it all you've
when you shut down to straighten things out, but that's
got anyway, then hit the starter to get the propeller
a far better predicament to be in than becoming the
swinging, tweaking the throttle for an easy 1,000 rpm
star of a YouTube video about a pilot trying to corral a
warm-up power setting.
runaway airplane.
All good so far, so after attending to the prelimiA more complicated scenario confronts the pilot
naries, you ease the power up a bit to taxi out to the
whose airplane must be started either by hand-proprunway-but the aircraft doesn't budge. That's OK, the
ping the engine to life or using external power
wheels are resting in small depressions in the grass of
to engage a starter. If every detail is not carefully
the flight line after all. So, you push up the power a bit
arranged, an airplane left to
more, your feet guarding the brake
its own devices can go on an
pedals against an anticipated lurch
unsupervised and dangerous
forward-which doesn't happen.
If every detail is not
runabout-leading to what the
Are you starting to get that
carefully arranged,
NTSB might describe as a "loss
what-did-I-forget feeling?
of control on ground" accident
You run through the possibilan airplane left to its
as it did concerning a mishap at
ities of a preflight omission: The
own devices can go on
a Missouri airport on November
tires aren't flat, you distinctly
an unsupervised and
10, 2019.
remember removing and stowing
According to the report,
the wheel chocks, and the tiedown
dangerous runabout.
"the pilot reported that, after
ropes-at least the ones you can
starting the airplane with a
see-are in plain sight, undone
ground power unit (GPU), he
and lying neatly coiled beneath
exited the airplane. He disconthe wingtips.
nected the GPU and removed the wheel chocks. The
But there's another tiedown rope you can't see-
airplane started to roll down an incline. He jumped
and the circumstantial evidence strongly suggests
into the airplane through the aft cargo door and
that the airport and the airplane are still joined by the
attempted to climb into the pilot's seat to no avail. He
tiedown rope fastened to the ring underneath the tail
pulled the fuel to cutoff, and the airplane impacted
(and now there are people showing up at the field,
the trees."
some of them standing by to watch you taxi out and
Other precautions had not done the job. The
take off ).
NTSB account also noted that the pilot "reported
Here are your choices:
that he had set the parking brake before starting
Set the throttle at idle, set the parking brake, and
the airplane but either failed to set it completely or
jump out and untie the tail.
bumped it when he exited the pilot's seat to disconTry to get the attention of one of the strangers on
nect the GPU." It determined the accident's probable
the ramp to come over to your side of the airplane so
cause as "the pilot's failure to properly set the
you can open your window and ask them (over engine
parking brake before exiting an operating airplane,
noise) to untie the tail rope.
which resulted in a runaway airplane and subsequent
Shut down the engine and do it yourself.
impact with trees."
Please vote for option number three. Believe me
when I tell you that there are many people out there
who wished they had after more convenient-seeming
dan.namowitz@aopa.org
IT'S A QUIET SUNNY MORNING AND YOU HAVE THE AIR-

20

FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020



Flight Training - November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - November/December 2020

Contents
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Intro
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Cover1
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Cover2
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Contents
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 2
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 3
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 4
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 5
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 6
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 7
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 8
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 9
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 10
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 11
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 12
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 13
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 14
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 15
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 16
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 17
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 18
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 19
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 20
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 21
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 22
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 23
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 24
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 25
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 26
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 27
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 28
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 29
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 30
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 31
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 32
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 33
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 34
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 35
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 36
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 37
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 38
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 39
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 40
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 41
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 42
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 43
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 44
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 45
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 46
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 47
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 48
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 49
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 50
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 51
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 52
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 53
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 54
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 55
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 56
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 57
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 58
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 59
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 60
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 61
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 62
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 63
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 64
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 65
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 66
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 67
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 68
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 69
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 70
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 71
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - 72
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Cover3
Flight Training - November/December 2020 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201712
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201709
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201707
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201704
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