Flight Training - October 2014 - 24

ACCIDENT REPORT

Dan Namowitz
"PRELIMINARY" accident analysis
refers to generally limited data
usually available within two weeks
of an accident.

DOWNHILL FROM HERE

MONITORING THE PROGRESS ON FINAL

S

ome pilots never miss an opportunity to squeeze some
practice time out of a flight. It's what you might call a
personal checkride that boosts confidence or addresses
some little bit of imprecision that still gnaws at the pilot's
proficiency and pride from the last time aloft.
Pilots of this kind of mindset are easy
to spot: Rarely do they stray more than
momentarily from practical test standards
for altitude or heading during cruise
flight. Arriving at their destination or back
at the home field, an observer can expect
such pilots to put themselves to a useful
test, such as getting "down and stopped"
before that first taxiway.
There are real proficiency gains to be
realized by challenging yourself to such a
voluntary test as a short-field, soft-field, or
no-flap landing-or any combination-at

Two of the airport's approaches require
right-hand traffic patterns.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board accident summary, the
pilot of a Piper PA-28-150 had learned
that the long, paved runway was closed,
but he proceeded with the flight, with
three other persons aboard. On arrival,
he was informed that the shorter Runway
12/30 was available-but a combination of
erroneous expectations and an admitted
failure to consider the effect of obstructions overcame the flight's safety margin.

ANY RESERVATIONS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO
GET "DOWN AND OFF" SUGGEST THE NEED
FOR A PROMPT GO-AROUND.
the end of your next recreational flight,
time and traffic permitting. Too often,
pilots flying from paved runways of 3,000
feet or more don't bother with such things
until the next flight review comes around-
and the results reflect the lack of rigor, as a
landing overshoot that occurred at a small
airport in New Hampshire on October 14,
2013, illustrates.
Picturesque Parlin Field in Newport,
New Hampshire, has a recently repaved
asphalt runway 3,448 feet long, and a
2,140-by-80-foot turf strip, with trees
prominently listed as obstructions and a
sloping runway surface also noted in the
airport's Airport/Facility Directory listing.
The airport possesses other characteristics to show that a modest size does not
necessarily suggest simplicity when it
comes to airports. Various runway lighting
installations at the airport are nonstandard. A power line, marked with balls, sits
at the airport boundary, about 900 feet
from the approach end of the turf runway.

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FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

"The pilot entered the traffic pattern
for the runway and configured the airplane for a short approach. Anticipating
an uphill landing, the pilot misjudged the
beginning of Runway 30 as it was lower
in elevation than he expected," it said.
(According to the A/FD, the runway slope
is "0.3 percent up SE.")
High and fast on final, the pilot found
that he "could not perform a go-around
due to tall trees at the end of the runway." An attempt to brake to a stop was
impeded by slippery grass. The airplane
struck a tree, causing substantial damage.
The aircraft's occupants were unhurt.

Air Safety Institute: Safety Briefs
The Air Safety Institute's Safety
Briefs are short publications designed
to offer practical guidance and useful
tips for every pilot (www.aopa.org/
Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute/
Safet-Publications/Safety-Briefs).

The NTSB determined the probable
cause of the accident as "the pilot's incorrect glidepath, which resulted in a landing
area overshoot and a runway excursion."
The accident makes a good reminder to
be ready, as a matter of preflight preparation, to select any landing technique that
a destination airport might require of an
arriving flight. For a short-field landing
it is important to configure your aircraft,
slow to final approach speed, and nail
your aim point in a properly spaced final
approach. Any reservations about being
able to get "down and off" suggest the
need for a prompt go-around.
One way to avoid the error of committing to landing without being certain you
can complete it safely is by recalling from
training that if your touchdown point
remains fixed in the windscreen on your
final approach, you are on target. Motion
of the touchdown point toward the bottom of the windscreen suggests the need
to steepen (or abandon) the approach.
Upward motion of your target zone warns
of a landing short of your aim point.
Refresh your understanding of slope
illusions, keeping in mind that a nonstandard runway width tends to compound a
confused sight picture. Does your runway
of intended landing slope up or down?
Read the fine print, then revisit your
pilot's operating handbook and adjust
your landing-roll and obstacle-clearance
requirements accordingly.
On that go-around, what kind of climb
performance can you expect on a warm
day with all seats occupied? Knowing
what your aircraft can deliver is another
critical factor as you monitor the progress
of your final approach.
Dan Namowitz is an aviation writer and flight
instructor. He has been a pilot since 1985 and
an instructor since 1990.

PLUS Review short-field landing
techniques in this video.
http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute/Safet-Publications/Safety-Briefs http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute/Safet-Publications/Safety-Briefs http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Air-Safety-Institute/Safet-Publications/Safety-Briefs http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG
Flight Training - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - October 2014
