CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3 - 5

FROM THE EDITOR
COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Use Technology to Your Advantage
during the last 11 seconds before the collision. The
NTSB listed this and the absence of visual and aural
alerts from both airplanes' traffic display systems
(while operating in a geographic area with a high
concentration of air tour activity) as the probable
cause of this accident.
IN MAY, THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
BOARD (NTSB) ISSUED A SAFETY RECOMMENDATION
THAT AROSE FROM A MAY 13, 2019, FATAL MIDAIR
COLLISION OVER GEORGE INLET NEAR KETCHIKAN,
ALASKA. The collision involved a de Havilland DHC2
Beaver and a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter during
daylight, visual meteorological conditions.
An analysis of the visibility of each airplane from
the cockpit of the other highlighted the inherent
limitations of the see and avoid concept. The Otter
was obscured from the Beaver pilot's view by the
Beaver's cockpit structure, right wing, and the
passenger in the right front seat. Similarly, the
Beaver was intermittently obscured from the Otter
pilot's field of view by a window post-most critically
In response to the NTSB safety recommendation, the
AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) has committed to
follow through with safety messages aimed at midair
collisions avoidance.
You too can help! Whether training new pilots or
giving flight reviews, make your clients aware of
how in-cockpit traffic displays and/or alerts can
enhance situational awareness and help mitigate
see and avoid limitations. Especially now that many
aircraft are equipped with ADS-B Out, why not get
ADS-B In, using its free Traffic Information ServicesBroadcasts
(TIS-B)? TIS-B can be displayed on panelmounted
avionics or a tablet, like an iPad, providing
air-to-air traffic information and radar targets sent
from ground stations. So, it gives a pretty complete
picture of other traffic in your area-and it's a free
service!
BY MACHTELD SMITH
If equipped, do remind your clients to use in-cockpit
traffic displays to help more effectively pinpoint
traffic and visually look out the window to scan and
identify conflicting targets. Also, make sure both you
and your clients are familiar with the equipment and
its proper operation, including devices that provide
aural and visual alerts.
ASI recently updated the Collision Avoidance
Safety Spotlight, to include techniques on using
in-cockpit ADS-B displays as an effective means
of enhancing situational awareness and traffic
avoidance. The spotlight explains how to identify
potential collision threats through proper scanning
techniques, vision physiology, cockpit resource
management, and use of cockpit technology to
enhance see and avoid capabilities.
Machteld Smith is an aviation technical writer for
the AOPA Air Safety Institute. She holds a commercial
pilot certificate with multiengine, instrument, and
seaplane ratings. She loves flying seaplanes and the
adventure of landing on rivers and lakes!
Email: machteld.smith@aopa.org

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlights/collision-avoidance https://www.nbaa.org/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-operations/safety/NTSB-Recommendation-A-21-23-Reducing-the-Risk-of-Midair-Collisions.pdf

CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3