CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 12
ASI mESSAGE
IMC accident thought they could handle it; thought they'd just turn around
if it got too bad. That mindset seems to be a path to catastrophe.
We can learn from this tragedy in Arkansas. The pilots adopted technology
to help them be safer pilots. A known enhancement to safety is verbalizing
your plan, your concerns, and your options with a fellow pilot. They did that
and devised a specific plan with options to retreat if conditions worsened.
None of that helped in the execution of the plan, however. There's a big
difference between making a decision at zero knots with nothing on the
line, and making a decision operating in three-dimensional space, with
time racing and your sense of balance beginning to play tricks on you. This
disconnect between our deliberate, rational mind and our anxious, stressed
mind causes poor decisions airborne that lead to tragic consequences.
We can improve our airborne decision making by recognizing one
important aspect of our human mental process that seemed to be at issue
here. Once we go through the mental toil of making a decision, we are
inclined to stick with it, and defend that decision (even to ourselves). We
prioritize information, however insignificant, that supports our decision,
and we dismiss information, however significant, that suggests we should
reconsider. We've seen this too many times. Pilots who are on the verge of
a go/no-go decision decide to go, explaining " we'll go have a look. " When
conditions worsen while they're airborne, they rationalize pressing on.
The remedy is for all of us to be careful of our first decision, to be cognizant
of just how difficult it will be once we're airborne to change our momentum
and reconsider. At several points in this accident, the pilots could have
executed their plan and aborted or diverted: on takeoff, when the weather
was worse than anticipated; at cruise, when they entered IMC; or at their
planned divert point when weather was below their criteria. They kept
pressing, justifying, rationalizing until they were in extremis. A plan has
little value if we don't have the discipline to execute it. This tragedy teaches
us that once again.
Fly safe!
Richard G. McSpadden, Jr.
Senior Vice President, AOPA Air Safety Institute
Richard McSpadden is a commercial pilot and CFI with more than 4,500
hours in 30 years of flying a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He is a
former F-15 pilot and Thunderbirds leader for the U.S. Air Force, and he has
extensive experience in aviation safety, including ground, flight, and special
event operations.
Email: richard.mcspadden@aopa.org
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1
CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 1
CFI Notes
From the Editor: Webinars and Wings
Getting Their Wingss—Sign Those Students Up!
Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
Safety Webinars: Flight Deck Technology—EFB
ASI Message: Bail Out When You Said You Would
CFI News
CFI Tips: Coming Out of Hibernation
Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
There I Was…: Chute Pull Over Dallas
Chart Challenge: How Long Is The Runway?
CFI's Point of View: Briefing for Success
Real Pilot Story: Lost Elevator
You Can Fly: AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
Safety Quiz: Aircraft Preflight
CFI Tools: My Unintentional Spin—Aerodynamics 101
Chief's Corner: Special VFR and Class E Surface Aera Operations
Safety Tip: Taxi Controls
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 1
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Notes
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - From the Editor: Webinars and Wings
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 4
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Getting Their Wingss—Sign Those Students Up!
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 6
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 7
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 8
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Webinars: Flight Deck Technology—EFB
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - ASI Message: Bail Out When You Said You Would
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 12
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI News
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 14
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 15
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 16
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Tips: Coming Out of Hibernation
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 18
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 19
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 21
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - There I Was…: Chute Pull Over Dallas
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 23
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Chart Challenge: How Long Is The Runway?
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI's Point of View: Briefing for Success
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 26
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Real Pilot Story: Lost Elevator
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 28
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - You Can Fly: AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Quiz: Aircraft Preflight
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - CFI Tools: My Unintentional Spin—Aerodynamics 101
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 32
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Chief's Corner: Special VFR and Class E Surface Aera Operations
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 34
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - 35
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 1 - Safety Tip: Taxi Controls
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