AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019 - 26

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

Flying in the last frontier

BY RICHARD MCSPADDEN
Executive Director
AOPA Air Safety Institute

Bringing safety enhancements to Alaska aviation
ALASKA FLYING is some of the most spectacular in the
world. Denali at over 20,000 feet high, glaciers, wide-open
tundra, large and rapid rivers, and coastal regions with
dynamic tidal flows. All of it roamed by intriguing wildlife. It's easy to be mesmerized by the spectacle of it all,
and there's no better way to see it than flying your own airplane, over your own route, on your own time. No wonder
it's on the bucket list for so many general aviation pilots.
This magnificent flying comes with elevated risk. The
AOPA Air Safety Institute estimates Alaska's fatal accident rate at 1.2 per 100,000 flight hours, some 30 percent
higher than the nationwide GA fatal accident rate of 0.89
per 100,000 flight hours.
Concerned with a recent increase in fatal accidents
with Alaska Part 135 operators and frustrated by slow
action on NTSB recommendations, the NTSB hosted
a summit in September at the University of Alaska
Anchorage, dedicated to "charting a safer course" for
Part 135 operations. FAA Regional Administrator Kerry
Long kicked off the event, moderated by NTSB Chairman
Robert Sumwalt who questioned a panel of some 20
experts from across the Alaskan aviation landscape. The
evening before the NTSB summit, the Alaska Airmen
Association hosted Sumwalt and me for a Part 91 "hangar
talk" in their headquarters on Lake Hood, in Anchorage.
These events brought new attention to problems long
plaguing pilots flying in the "last frontier." Flying in Alaska
can be more challenging than in the lower 48 and the supporting aviation infrastructure is less complete. General
aviation's vital role providing critical services to numerous small, remote villages-difficult to access by any other
means-and carrying passengers on tight vacation timelines to challenging locations can create a cultural force in
Alaska flying that adds risk. Dynamic, extreme weather;
dramatic terrain; limited supporting infrastructure; and a
cultural pressure to complete flights are a veritable cocktail for aviation risk. Solutions to improving Alaska's safety
record break down into three broad categories.
1. INCREASE IFR FLYING
AOPA Air Safety
Institute Executive
Director RICHARD
MCSPADDEN was
an panelist on the
recent NTSB summit
on safety in Alaska.

Alaska pilots have an old quip: "The weather's too bad to
fly IFR, so we'll go VFR." Driving down the accident rate
in Alaska begins with rendering this witticism obsolete.
Expanding IFR will require better, more complete ADS-B
coverage as well as weather reporting, broader communications for reliable radio operation, an expansion of

26 | AOPA PILOT November 2019

GPS-based terminal transition routes (T-routes), and
lower minimum en route altitudes that acknowledge
modern navigation tools.
2. ENHANCE THE VFR FLYING EXPERIENCE

Alaska pilots fly a lot of VFR and likely always will.
Expansion of weather cameras, often the only source of
timely weather information for pilots, to more airports
and in more mountain passes is needed. More AWOS systems are needed. Broader ADS-B coverage will help pilots
better assess weather and avoid traffic. It seems counterintuitive for such a sparsely populated region, but midair
collisions are a consistent risk because of terrain and tourist sites that can channel traffic into confied areas.
Flight service stations, vital to Alaska flying, need to
be maintained and in some cases upgraded. Much of the
machine-to-machine data transfer that provides us so
much convenience and situational awareness doesn't exist
in Alaska because of the limited infrastructure. Flight service stations are often exclusive sources for collecting and
disseminating vital weather and TFR information, coordinating flight activity, and providing traffic advisories.
3. UPDATE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Some FAA policies established decades ago need review.
Alaskan pilots face restrictions that don't exist elsewhere,
limiting or adding requirements to certain GPS usage.
Policies requiring full-route communication coverage
dictate higher-than-necessary minimum en route altitudes, which force pilots to make tough choices to either
fly above the MEA and into icing conditions, or stay lower
and "scud run" in mountainous terrain. Procedures that
allow for known communications gaps of relatively short
duration would be a far safer approach. A fresh look at
these and other dated policies will improve safety.
AOPA has been working with the FAA and other
groups, such as the Alaska Airmen Association, to address
these issues. There's been progress, but not enough and
too slow. An industry/government entity must form, collaborate with interested parties, set priorities, advocate for
action, and track progress. Until that happens, the NTSB's
summit and all of the collateral talk will remain just that.
Go fly in Alaska. When you do, bring your very
best airmanship.
AOPA
EMAIL richard.mcspadden@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019

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