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Reducing Loss...
recovery margin. Twelve of the 31 stall
events occurred while banking during
circling approaches, which are performed
more frequently in business compared to
scheduled carrier operations. This implies
that operator policies and procedures for
circling approaches merit close attention.
Nine of the 31 stall accidents involved
degraded aerodynamic efficiency due to
in-flight icing and/or inappropriate adjustment
to airspeed for such conditions.
Ice-induced binding was also implicated in
(continued from page 3)
a number of the flight control anomalies,
underscoring that icing and LOCI frequently
associate to safety's detriment. A review
of NASA ASRS and FAA reports of nearLOCI
events was generally consistent with
the accident study, with wake turbulence,
automation mismanagement, near-stalls
at low altitude, atmospheric turbulence,
and high altitude maneuvering as precursors
to the reported incidents.
The lethality of LOCI has spurred effort
across the board to reduce its occurrence.
A multi-pronged approach will likely involve
policy adjustments, aircraft automation
and instrumentation enhancements, and
pilot education and training interventions.
Paul Ratté, USAIG Director of Aviation
Safety Programs, served 25 years as a
U.S. Coast Guard aviator, where he logged
more than 5,000 helicopter flying hours,
commanded two Air Stations, and was
twice awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross for lifesaving rescues.
FLIGHT VIS
"Flight Vis" shares opinions on safety issues from
professionals operating on aviation's front lines.
Countermeasures for Distraction
Why Text and Drive When You Can Text and Fly?
BY TERRY LASCHER
their own good judgment.
It doesn't matter if you're
The use of electronic devices has proven
to be a dangerous distraction. According
to the National Safety Council there are
1.6 million traffic accidents a year involving
cell phones. A 2014 study sponsored
by AT&T found that 98 percent of people
surveyed believe that texting and driving
is dangerous, yet 74 percent of those
people say they have done it anyway. From
this data, we can conclude that for a lot
of people the appeal to check their messages
and other media outlets overpowers
4
driving a car or flying a plane,
distractions can get you into
trouble. One may argue that
the average driver isn't a highly
trained professional pilot. I
agree: However, spend a few
moments monitoring the shenanigans
of "professional"
pilots on the Guard emergency
frequency, and you'll hear a lot
of chatter and noise that would
make you think junior high students
have taken over. If these
pilots-who I'm sure are the
minority-are so bored that they
resort to playing on the radio,
what other things are they doing
in the cockpit? In 2009, there
was that infamous Northwest
Airlines crew who overflew Minneapolis by
more than 100 miles, citing use of their
personal laptops during the incident. In
2010, an Australian airliner aborted a
landing because the pilot says he was
distracted by incoming text messages.
Then in 2013, a single pilot helicopter
crashed in London after the pilot became
disoriented. The pilot had been texting in
flight moments before the crash.
A recent National Business Aviation
Association (NBAA) survey asked department
managers, "How serious do you feel
the risk of distraction from inappropriate
use of personal electronic devices (PED)
is in your flight organization?" More than
60 percent said it was a minor risk or no
risk at all. In the same survey, more than
30 percent said they either have a policy
that is frequently violated or no policy at
all. A smaller number, only 25 percent,
said they have a policy and it is followed to
the letter. Last year, the FAA instituted a
"Prohibition on Personal Use of Electronic
Devices on the Flight Deck" for FAR Part
121 Air Carriers (FAR 121.542 (d) and
InFO 14006). The agency encourages
other operators to incorporate procedures
and training on the subject in their manuals.
Part 91 operators do not have any
type of sterile cockpit or electronic device
regulation, and the FAR Part 135 sterile
cockpit regulation (written in 1981) does
not address noncritical phases of flight.
This is why it is the responsibility of Part
135 and Part 91 operators to create their
own policies.
I have been told that in the "old days"
navigating was a full time job. With the
equipment we have available to us today,
pilot workload has been drastically
reduced. This leaves pilots with little to do
in cruise flight. Without countermeasures
(continued on page 5)
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=876a5479e164189676f634d8a24aa1d4&node=se14.3.121_1542&rgn=div8 http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/all_infos/media/2014/InFO14006.pdf
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