83% of accidents are due to pilot-related factors

• ‘inevitability’ mindset
  • “everyone is bound to have an accident eventually”
  • accidents are not inevitable.
  • fly the airplane and give yourself options
• ‘get-there-itis’ causes obvious problems

AOPA resources

• mountain flying
• better way to escape imc

#1: Maneuvering flight (33% of total)

• Pilots who put on impromptu airshows or barnstorm
  • reckless operation at low altitude
• Traffic pattern
  • high power settings
  • low altitude
• Low-altitude jobs like crop dusting, photography, pipeline patrol
• It’s difficult to see obstacles at low altitudes
  • wire strikes involve 4 times more aircraft than helicopters
  • unlit towers – listen to notams!
• Most stall/spin accidents occur on takeoff, not the base-to-final turn
  • high power setting and AoA
  • lots of rudder to offset turning tendencies
  • low altitude
  • attempts to return to runway

#2: Weather (14% of total)

• Inadvertent IMC, often due to scud running, causes more than half of wx accidents
  • however, 43% of accidents involve IFR pilots.
  • 25% break up in flight, prior to impact!
• First priority on encountering poor weather: LAND
• On encountering IMC, use the autopilot to control the aircraft
  • 180° turn with heading bug!
  • at the least, wings level and full power!
• Know limitations – yours, the aircraft’s, the equipment’s!
  • set personal minimums and do not break them
  • fly with a CFII in marginal weather to determine comfort level
• DO NOT FLY IN:
  • thunderstorms!
  • ice!
  • heavy turbulence!
  • any weather below personal minumums!
• If the weather is bad, there are two choices:
  1. Don’t take off! If you have,
  2. Land, anywhere that is available.
• Consider teaching private students to fly a gps approach
  • downside: altitudes aren’t included in the hardware
  • plates can be confusing in sitting at a desk

#3: Takeoff & climbout

• Highest workload and demand on aircraft occurs during takeoff
  • high AoA
  • low speed
  • high power
  • lots of rudder (to deal with latter)
• Priority: keep it flying
  • use rudder for limited directional control
  • pitch for speed
  • stop the roll if not airborne
  • land straight ahead (on runway if distance remains) until at least 700 agl
• Do runway length calculations
  • leading cause of takeoff accidents is a lack of performance
  • add 50% to distances – performance numbers are not gospel
  • if runway length <2,500 ft or altitude >2,500 MSL, figure for density altitude

#4: Descent & approach

• Cancel IFR or close VFR flight plans on the ground at the destination
  • don’t blindly cancel when ATC asks you to report visual
• Practice instrument approaches all the way to the runway
  • consider diverting if you go missed in actual
• Practice crosswind landings
  • many accidents occur during the landing roll
• Need more than 30° of bank in the traffic pattern? Go around!

#5: Fuel

• 3 GA pilots a week run out of gas
• plan to land with 1 hr of gas
• if marginal weather, land or divert