You know the old saying: “What can go wrong usually will.” But in reality what can go wrong usually goes right. continued»

If you have been flying for any length of time, you know that stuff happens – there is just no way around it. continued»

Life has a way of throwing problems at you when you least expect them, and having an engine cowling open up in flight is just one of those problems. continued»

On November 26, 1999, about 1053 Eastern Standard Time, a Beechcraft S35, N8992M, was destroyed when it impacted a building in a residential area. continued»

Whether you use a pressure or vacuum system, the loss of your pneumatic system in IFR conditions can provide you with a very challenging last couple of minutes of your life -- and a pneumatic system failure can occur at any time. continued»

To an aircraft -- and whatever is inside of it -- fire is a fast-acting cancer. continued»

If you ever encounter fire in the cockpit, rapid and immediately action is required to save your life. continued»

Granted, your plane’s no Concorde or SUV, but a bad set of tires will make every effort to do for you what it’s done for them. continued»

From 1983 to 2000 there were 230 fatal takeoff accidents among pilots within their first 1,000 hours of flight experience. continued»

Getting too close to an obstruction can make for a really bad day. continued»

In recent months, there have been numerous cases of the control wheels breaking off of the control column, causing an in-flight emergency for the pilot of the plane -- so, no, this is not a culinary article. continued»

Engine failure is rare (and usually the result of poor fuel management), but if you ever find yourself sitting behind a stopped prop -- with concurrent heart stoppage -- don't forget the most important fact: at least the wings are still attached. continued»

Instrument pilots routinely bet their lives on the gauges and even VFR pilots depend on the instruments at times, especially at night... continued»

Partial panel flying isn't hard, but it does take practice -- frequent practice -- and there are a few tricks that will make your chances of getting home with a partial panel a lot easier. continued»

They say every accident is the result of an unlikely chain of events: On a Friday afternoon, a student and a flight instructor prepared for a flight lesson. continued»

When problems arise in the cockpit there are many levels of concern and, when asking for assistance, your terminology should reflect the proper level of that concern. continued»

Imagine helplessly watching as your airplane wrenches itself (and you with it) into an unusual attitude, rolls over on its back and points (nose down and inverted) at a schoolyard. continued»

Spin accidents don't happen every day, but when they take place they are almost always deadly. continued»

Problem: The Federal Aviation Regulations cover two-way communication failure quite nicely, but a total electrical failure can give you a nice front row seat in purgatory. continued»

If the engine quits, flying the airplane at a speed greater than stall speed is the number one priority, but once the airplane glide is safely under control, the pilot must make the next most important decision. continued»

What is the best thing to do if your engine quits while climbing out after takeoff? continued»

THUNK! As you rotate and lift off, you hear a healthy noise from the top of the plane, followed by a rattle. continued»

If you experience the full or partial loss of your two-way radio communications, you can still land at an airport -- even one with a control tower -- if you know how to get their attention. continued»

In my years as a pilot, I’ve had some bad days. I’ve been socked in, hundreds of miles from home, stuck to the ground by hard IFR. I’ve had instruments fail in flight, minor electrical problems ... even an instructor that seemed intent on killing me... continued»

There's little else quite as ingrained in the minds of pilots, or emblematic of flight itself, as the stick and rudder -- so what happens when they fail? continued»

Stomp hard on the rudder to control the yaw; force the pitch to stay slightly above the horizon, for blue line airspeed; bank into the good engine to combat the roll. Three seconds ago you were flying a twin... now you’re flying a single... continued»

Whether scare tactic or sales pitch... or maybe an altruistic safety warning sent to every instrument-rated pilot in the land, one aviation company has the right idea. continued»

Terrorists struck at the heart of America with acts against civilian targets... continued»

In the furor of the Post September 11th attacks, a subject seems to come up again and again -- that of whether or not flight crews should be able to carry firearms in the cockpit. continued»

On Monday July 1, two large commercial jets -- both flying IFR under ATC control, and both equipped with functioning electronic collision avoidance systems -- collided in rarified air some 35,000 feet over Germany... think it couldn't happen to you? continued»

You would think that our goal-oriented, law-abiding, type-A personalities would more often lose a battle with weather rather than lose face (and worse) from attempting some dumb stunt, but as Spiderman says, if somebody told you that, they lied. continued»

A recent television documentary discussed the “crisis” in general aviation safety. “600 people die every year in little airplane accidents,” heralds the narrator as scenes of post-crash devastation and amateur video of a Cessna in a deadly spin play and replay across the screen. continued»

When the engine stops, some numbers are more important than others -- but so are some actions. As pilots, we don’t talk through this problem nearly enough... continued»

When a pilot falls ill (or worse) at the controls of an airplane, it sometimes leaves a frantic passenger at the controls. Pilot incapacitation is a factor in less than one percent of all general aviation accidents; chances are one in many millions that the pilot won’t be conscious to land the airplane. continued»

There is a saying about old pilots and bold pilots, which ends with the statement that there are "few old, bold pilots." In fact, we see accident statistics every year that seem to reinforce this adage -- as we see several new pilots try to boldly do stupid things in flight that typically end badly! continued»

Whenever we fly, we become an integral part of a human-machine system -- we're also the least consistent and the least reliable part of that system. continued»

Excluding certain personalities, AvGas is the most explosive part of your piston-powered airplane. For the energy that AvGas contains, it actually can pose a significant threat to the safety of flight. continued»

I faced aeronautical temptation this weekend... a lot of temptation. continued»

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) calls it that -- they even publish an Accident Prevention Program Bulletin by that name to warn of its dangers. continued»

When an unauthorized airplane interrupts a Space Shuttle launch the results can be dangerous and expensive -- both to NASA and the pilot -- but the occurrence isn't as uncommon as you might think. continued»

Next to being on fire or having an engine failure, experiencing an electrical (or vacuum) failure in IMC probably gets the bronze medal for dread and distress -- dead radios would run a distant third, but it can still ruin your day. continued»

It's that time of year again -- know what the dangers are, know your defenses... continued»

Some things to keep in mind while we watch the Hurricanes sweep through the Gulf for destinations unknown and any day the wind blows. A few years ago, I had the chance to fly into Cheyenne, Wyoming, after escaping from Jackson Hole. continued»

Accident statistics indicate that pilots with the least experience have the most accidents -- but are there ways to turn that around ... are there ways to help you fly like you have 1000 hours? This week we start a new series on how to find out. continued»

Last week we defined a Danger Zone: A pilot who has between 50 and 350 flight hours is more likely to be involved in an accident than any other pilot. This week, we'll look at federal action taken to address the problem. continued»

Last week, we reviewed four of the eight "high risk situations" that lead to almost all lightplane accidents -- taking off with a known problem, midair collision, controlled flight into terrain, and flying an unstabilized approach. continued»

The air was absolutely still save for the far-off putter of an O-320 Lycoming at low power. A Cessna 172 hung silhouetted against high, scattered clouds stained yellow by the rising sun. continued»

Did your instructor ever pull the power on the upwind leg and then say: "OK, your engine just quit. What now?" Even as a student pilot, I knew that it wouldn't be a casual event on downwind at pattern altitude -- let alone at 250 AGL on the upwind leg. Needless to say, I do remember frantically scanning for some friendly real estate. Those taunting memories always bothered me. What would I do, if it actually quit? continued»

"I was climbing on top of the fog, looked down at my instruments, and when I looked up I saw the power lines..." Miraculously, all three aboard the Beech Bonanza escaped injury when the slick six-seater hit the power lines and slammed into a pasture. The aircraft was consumed in a post-crash fire. continued»

When problems turn up in your airplane, you need to be concerned -- whether the problem is large or small -- because may just be the tip of the iceberg. Usually, the problems are trying to tell you something, and if you don't listen, that something could cost you your life. continued»

A careful preflight won't protect you from some problems -- in the case of a flap problem though, that’s not necessarily the case. Knowing what to look for (and what to do if it happens anyway) can make the difference between a tough day and a bad year -- or no year. continued»

I received a letter recently from an old pilot friend of mine, who said he had experienced a proverbial "bad day of flying." After reading his letter, I was left with an impression -- while his day was certainly not great, it was a pretty good "bad day" for several reasons. Once I explain what I mean, I think you will understand... and agree. continued»

The participants in the first simulator session all appeared to be reluctant to tell the controllers that they had an emergency. What were they afraid of? Do pilots risk their certificates and bank accounts by declaring an emergency? continued»

So what happens after notification of an emergency reaches the Flight Standards District Office? What is more dangerous -- the emergency or the FAA? I interviewed an FAA Flight Standards Inspector, about the subject. continued»

"Man, my airplane is fast," boasts a pilot. "I was getting 150 knots true groundspeed." continued»

Get Lost! Think about how many times you have heard that in your life (alright, some of us more than others). When looking at this from the perspective of a student pilot, getting lost while in the air is somewhat scary, and the fear of getting lost is one of the key issues that ends future pilots when they obsess about that fear. continued»

I knew the pilot of the Piper Cheyenne turboprop that January 24 collided with a Cessna 172 near Denver. Midair collision -- it's a terrifying prospect. Running into another airplane, followed by an uncontrollable descent to the earth, may be the greatest fear among general aviation pilots. continued»

Recently this column focused on the collision between a Cessna 172 and a Piper Cheyenne just west of the Denver Class B airspace. Five aboard the two airplanes died in the tragedy; six on the ground were hurt, and at least two homes were heavily damaged. continued»

"The pilot stated that he set 10 degrees of flaps for takeoff from the relatively short runway. The 'aircraft was slow to climb' and once (it) was airborne, he raised the flaps. The airplane settled and collided with the ground. Additionally, the pilot said that the aural stall warning was operating throughout the attempted climbout." continued»

We had even more questions on fueling as a result of the article on explosive potentials in fueling your airplane from a fuel truck. One reader pointed out that he has a professional contractor's tank in the bed of his pickup, and that he uses that tank to fuel his airplane. He wondered if using this rig could expose his plane to a potential static electrical charge, and in doing so, introduce the potential for an explosion while he was fueling his airplane. continued»

Rosanne Roseannidanna warned us years ago: "It's always something." As pilot-in-command you may have meticulously planned your takeoff, and used the five-point method of predicting and evaluating takeoff performance. No takeoff will ever go exactly as predicted in the Pilot's Operating Handbook. Like the animal on the runway, there are often some outside influences, some extenuating circumstances that result in the true takeoff performance achieved -- and whether you will have to abort a takeoff. continued»

The number of our landings must always equal our number of takeoffs -- or so goes the adage -- but sometimes the safest way to ensure equality is to do neither. Unlike birds possessing the gift of flight and whose skills are instinctive, we have the gift of thought, but our skills are hard won. continued»

IT WAS ALL OVER IN A FLASH, literally in the blink of an eye. The airplane was trashed and a deer laid dead on the taxiway, half-butchered by the propeller of the now-blood-covered plane. How this happened is the sad story of a distracted pilot, the proclivities of nature, and just a bad combination of circumstances... continued»

Aborting a takeoff can be as uneventful as simply reducing power and rolling to a stop. It may even take the form of noting a problem during your engine run-up, and never taxiing onto the runway at all. A takeoff abort may require a quick "chop" of the throttles at rotation speed, or even a few feet in the air over the runway. In the worst case a takeoff abort may have to begin at a point where you can't come to a stop on the remaining runway. continued»

Sometimes, the choice to abort is complicated by other possibilities -- the unpleasant things that will likely happen if you stay on the ground but not on the runway. continued»

On April 27, 2000, a Canadian commercial helicopter pilot (who was also a helicopter flight instructor) took off with a maintenance engineer in a Bell 206 from an airport in Quebec to perform a test flight. Five minutes later, they disappeared from radar. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined (rather quickly) that the main rotor hub and rotor blades had departed the aircraft in flight. continued»

Transitioning to a new airplane can be a lot of fun, if you do it correctly. I can remember way back to when I was making the transition to my Debonair, and all of the fun and challenges that were included. This was mostly due to the fact that I was going from flying Cessna 172s, to flying a complex, high performance, retractable gear aircraft like the Debonair. Let's just say the experience was loaded with opportunities to expand my skills as a pilot. continued»

Emergencies are rare but that does not mean it's a good idea to be unprepared for them. Emergency possibilities offer an endless number of scenarios. Here are a few to get you thinking... continued»

Here's a story you don't hear very often. It is a tale of a hard IFR flight, and a chance encounter with a thunderstorm in a twin engine Cessna 421. The results of the encounter would challenge any pilot, and in most cases, would have cost a lot more... continued»

Anyone who has ever caught themselves flying while getting uncomfortably close to the big "E" will appreciate the following irony, and its potential lesson: Just when you think you've got the advantage, when you're holding all the cards, one could turn out to be a Joker. continued»

We have covered a lot of ground on the fueling of airplanes lately, but you can imagine our surprise when we heard a new risk to fueling aircraft. That risk allegedly comes from that ubiquitous communication device of the 90's, the cell phone. It seems that someone wants us to think that these little boxes, designed to allow us to communicate between each other whenever we want to, from wherever we happen to be, can really put some excitement into fueling your aircraft or any other vehicle. continued»

I leveled at 11,000 feet as Santa Fe slid beneath the left wing. Turning southeast onto the airway that runs the pass between the San Juan de Cristos to the north and the Sandias to the south, I set the Bellanca Super Viking's power and tweaked the trim for cruise. Reaching to the floorboards I moved the fuel selector to the AUX position, for auxiliary-tank fuel placarded "for use in level flight only." "Level off checklist complete," I spoke to myself after completing the level-off "flow pattern." But then... continued»

For most of us, if our engine quits, we're going down. It happens, though not often. About half the time, it's either because a pilot exhausted his fuel, starved the engine by attempting flight with a tank that had none left, or forgot about that red knob. An additional fourth or so are attributable to maintenance issues. And about another ten percent are attributable to fuel contamination. These data come only from those events in which a forced landing resulted in an "NTSB 830 classifiable accident" but based on these, a forced landing occurs about once every 200,000 hours: many times more than most of us will ever get to fly. continued»

When I heard about this story, I nearly fell out of my chair. A pilot and his passengers, with a flight plan on file but according to the NTSB's preliminary report not activated, had to wait an hour before he was cleared into the Washington area ADIZ. By the time ATC cleared him in, the aircraft ran out of gas and the aircraft landed deadstick in a field and collided with trees... continued»

It seems that the most obvious thing can become elusive when you don't concentrate on the details. A pilot and controller together looked past the obvious and almost caused a tragedy in Charlotte, North Carolina, one night. continued»

Some years ago I was deposed as an expert witness in the case of an aircraft accident. The aircraft manufacturer was being sued over a fatal accident where the airplane's cabin door had popped open just after takeoff and the airplane stalled. continued»

Tires are one of the most forgotten parts of our airplanes. After all, we spend a majority of our time flying through the air, our tires getting a “free ride,” as it were, not in contact with the ground. To the dismay of engineers and aircraft designers everywhere, most of the time an aircraft is in use, its tires are just sitting there being heavy. Unfortunately, because of their seemingly secondary role, pilots tend to neglect their tires to some extent, downplaying problems that could eventually come back to bite them in the tail – HARD! continued»

Most aircraft engines are limited by the structure of the atmosphere -- the higher you go, the less air is available to create power. Turbocharging, or mechanically compressing inlet air to provide more power at altitude, overcomes this limitation by boosting the air pressure to something greater than “natural” levels. Turbocharged engines particularly shine above 10,000 feet MSL, where sea-level (or greater) power is combined with reduced air resistance to provide spectacular true airspeeds. continued»

Not every engine-out need take you by surprise and even if there's nothing you can do about the problem, having some warning that its coming and some knowledge of its nature will always help. Generally speaking, your mission as a safe pilot is not simply to fly the airplane but also to account and compensate for those variables that might otherwise do you in. This means you must acquire knowledge of and / or take the proactive steps that will minimize or remove those threats. The steps listed below, are designed to help you prevent a forced landing due to engine failure, and survive one should it happen anyway... continued»

Flaps are a pretty standard device on airplanes, and one that many pilots take for granted. Whether we have manual flaps actuated by a lever on the floor, or fancy electric driven flaps that move at the touch of a switch, flaps can and do fail in flight. continued»

If we can spot where a pilot goes wrong on a flight, will it be easier to recognize the same point during our own flights? Last week we heard from a pilot who got in over his head with weather. He learned. Can we? continued»

Bad things can happen when a pilot flies without understanding the complete situation that surrounds them. Last week we learned from three pilots who did not have complete awareness and because of it, each had an accident on takeoff. Let's recap... continued»

Common sense and calculations were missing when two pilots ran out of fuel in flight and experience off-airport landings. Did you see where the pilots went wrong in last week's POD examples? continued»

Maybe one of the best "flying lessons" I ever got took place 60 feet below ground level! Back in the Bad Old Days of the Cold War I served as an Air Force Minuteman launch control officer. How I came to do that for a living, when I took command of the Air Force's Precision Sitting Team, the "Thunderchairs," and why I actually launched an ICBM in 1987 are all stories for some other forum. But the pressure-cooker environment of potential total nuclear war, 60 feet under the Missouri plains, strangely did much to prepare me for the single-pilot cockpit of a piston airplane. One thing the "missile business" did for me was to teach the concept of minor, major, and critical errors. continued»

Should the title of last week's accident report be, "When you gotta go, ya gotta go." Or, "Always know where the nearest airport is." A pilot who needed to make a restroom stop crash-landed instead of landing at an airport 2 miles away. The pilot was not thinking straight -- but he was dealing with a big distraction. continued»

I heard about this one from a wanna-be pilot in the California area, which if you've been following the news, seems to be just about completely on fire these days, and I don't mean in a good way! continued»

The accident numbers and NASA reports seem to cluster around particular areas of operation. This fact should serve as a warning sign. If pilots are repeatedly having problems in predictable situations, then whenever you find yourself headed into a similar situation you should know to get ready. continued»

The lack of position awareness takes place more often than we want to admit. In a post 9/11 world, even more than before, it is absolutely vital that pilots know exactly where they are all the time. continued»

Every year it happens. Pilots press on into deteriorating weather conditions. It is the leading cause of fatal accidents among pilots. But some pilots do survive their encounters with the clouds and live to tell about it. continued»

The lack of awareness continues to be a source of problems when aircraft move on the ground. Not too long ago, you would not find runway incursions listed as an accident category, but it is just as easy to get lost on the ground as it is in the air... continued»

Although not yet reflected by a huge wave of incident reports. Regardless, technological distractions are a growing problem and one of the Big 5 accident/incident producers. Recently designed aircraft (like the Cirrus SRV, Diamond's Katana line, their DA-40 and Lancair's 300 and 400) greatly expand the performance envelope made familiar to pilots by Cessna 172s and Piper Archers. They also often offer avionics that are exponentially more capable than those with which many pilots are familiar. It may be ironic, but along with the simplicity of flight and improved situational awareness these packages offer, there is a greater need for care when using and learning to use these systems. continued»

I happened to remember the other day while I was driving this experience from my life as a pilot. I was on my way back from an American Bonanza Society (ABS) Service Clinic, where experts on the Beech aircraft line went over my plane with a fine-tooth comb, looking for problems. They poked and prodded, did a retraction test of the landing gear, and found a few problems that needed to be resolved. continued»

STUFF HAPPENS WHEN WE FLY. Whether that stuff is exciting (like an engine failure), or it's just a distraction (like the failure of a radio), how we react to the event frequently determines whether it becomes a big deal, or an event easily corrected. continued»

It's nearing midnight. A damp fog rolls lazily off the Gulf of Mexico, thick clouds blurring the lines between earth, sea and sky. Lights pierce less than a mile through mist and fog under a 100-foot overcast. Dark silence envelopes the salt marshes of the Florida panhandle. Suddenly an otherworldly shriek shakes the trees and swamp, a wail punctuated with a dull thump, the squawking of birds, then a return to silence. An airplane lay mangled in the steaming marsh, its pilot dead at the controls. Why? continued»

And I have been taking notes. Over the course of many years I have had the opportunity to watch pilots at work. As an instructor I have seen students of every skill level flying and working the system. In flight simulators I have seen pilots handle problems that we hope we never face in the air. By collecting and grouping these observations, I think I have a fairly good idea of what good piloting is. For most, good piloting is one of those things you have a hard time describing, but you know it when you see it. Well, through prolonged engagement, I have seen the traits that make up skilled piloting ... and the traits that indicate the problems. continued»

Believe it or not, the cylinders in aircraft engines have been known to fail. While this doesn't happen every day (thank goodness!) it certainly can't hurt to know what you need to do, or to understand the telltale signs that will tell you your cylinder may not be a "cylinder" anymore. continued»

At about 11 AM, just as I arrived to fly an R-22 into a cool blue March sky out of Frederick, Maryland, a pilot proved once again that when you consider all weather phenomena, it is winds which are the cause of many accidents. As I was waiting for the instructor to return with his student and the helicopter, I heard a cacophony of sirens, but I just figured that it was coming from one of the local roads nearby. They weren't. continued»

According to a recent study, the elapsed time between the first indications of a hidden fire and the point at which an airliner becomes catastrophically uncontrollable has ranged between seven and 35 minutes. The average time is about 20 minutes. Twenty minutes is a long time, but the bad news is that those occurrences involved airliners. Things happen a good bit faster inside smaller aircraft. continued»