AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 79
These two figures from the NTSB's final report show the
flight paths of the Piper and the accident airplane as they
entered the pattern at Ak-Chin Regional Airport (A39). The
Piper's route follows a standard pattern-the accident
airplane's does not.
then re-entered the pattern on a
45-degree entry. All these options
would have allowed a standard
pattern and sufficient separation.
Another key reason to follow a
standard traffic pattern is to ensure
terrain clearance. The FAA only
guarantees terrain clearance within
a certain space of the runway
threshold at paved airports like
A39. The standard traffic pattern is
within the " safe " area. Operating
outside that safety bubble as the
pilot did introduces risk, and in this
case, it led to tragedy. Be careful of
deviating from standard, especially
in environments like night flying.
These higher risk environments-
even ones that seem familiar, as
the often-flown route likely did to
the accident pilot-require higher
vigilance every time.
The Zenair pilot was not taught
to fly the type of pattern he flew
the night of the accident, but he
also likely did not realize how far
from standard he was operating.
It is easy to let our skills slide as
time goes on, and it can be hard
to recognize a normalization of
deviance in ourselves. One way
to combat this is to fly with a CFI
(or at least another experienced
pilot you trust to give you honest
feedback) more often as an audit
of skills and to catch any bad or
potentially dangerous habits that
might be developing.
It is possible that an instrument
rating also would have helped. A
common practice at night is for
instrument rated pilots to use an
instrument approach as guidance,
even in VFR conditions. This helps
ensure minimum safe altitudes and
a stable approach. You may recall a
similar, high-profile accident that
changed the way we approach crew
resource management: the Korean
Air Boeing 747 into Guam that did
not follow instrument approach
guidance while VFR at night and
crashed into the side of a hill.
Night flying, when properly
prepared for, can be a rewarding
experience, something the Zenair
pilot knew well. But for a variety of
converging factors, this pilot set out
on a June night to enjoy the stars
and refuel his airplane, and because
of a seemingly small change-a
wider and lower pattern-it ended
in tragedy. Following standards
are key to safe flight. Deviations
from them may bring unintended
results.
alicia.herron@aopa.org
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 4
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 57
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 61
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover4
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