Flight Training - December 2014 - 58

ADVANCED PILOT»

ACCIDENT ANALYSIS

Going for a ride

Accidents from poor surface conditions
» By David Jack Kenney

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A DIVISION OF THE
AOPA FOUNDATION

WHAM-O INC. (which also brought us the
Frisbee) introduced the Slip 'N Slide in
1961-a long plastic sheet honeycombed
with perforated water channels. Connect it to a garden hose, and kids take a
running jump and hydroplane to the far
end. It's survived into this era of tablet
computers and commercial water parks.
Slipping and sliding on a runway is
considerably more exciting but far less
enjoyable. Recent years have seen an
average of about two dozen airplanes
get banged up after losing traction on
runways contaminated by snow, ice, or
standing water. About two-thirds are
landing accidents, which makes sense.
The groundspeed is highest at initial
contact, the wheels must spin up abruptly
from near motionlessness, and control
authority diminishes throughout. Every
year or two another airplane gets into
the NTSB database after slipping off a
taxiway.
Logic dictates that lack of traction
implies inability to keep an airplane from
sliding wherever it chooses to slide. Off
the runway's side and off its end are the
obvious candidates, and landing accidents include equal numbers of both.
Overruns during takeoff attempts from
contaminated runways are primarily
the result of gear bogging down in mud
or snow, preventing the attainment of

58 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

ﬂying airspeed-plus ineffective braking
after late decisions to abort. Noseovers
are also popular, especially in taildraggers, but about half of all sloppy-ﬁeld
takeoff accidents involve lateral excursions. Airplanes get pushed off the side by
everything from left-turning tendencies
to crosswinds to soft spots encountered
by one main wheel.
Helicopter pilots face their own
challenges. Many involve dynamic rollover-one skid sticks when the other lifts,
or one side of a landing site's ﬁrmer than
the other. Rotor wash can churn loose
snow into a near-total whiteout, while
operating from slick surfaces requires
precise pedal work to avoid spinning and
catching a skid.
In both aircraft categories, realistic
expectations and a willingness to go
around early are essential. If runway
length and wind direction allow an
airplane to land (or abandon a takeoff
attempt) and stop with no brakes and
only aerodynamic steering, ﬁne. Helicopter pilots with a touch ﬁne enough to test
the surface (with no yaw!) before setting
down can make it work. Keep the slipping
and sliding in the back yard.
David Jack Kenny, the Air Safety Institute's statistician, recently added private pilot privileges for
helicopter to his ﬁxed-wing ATP.

http://www.eFIRC.com http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - December 2014

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