Aircraft
Accidents, Why?
Heretofore, I have always written my “Plane Talk” column
in third person, as a reporter of aviation events with a knowledgeable
perspective on this technical aspect of modern society. Recent events, and
discussions with pilots involved in aircraft crashes, required me to change
perspective to that of a concerned participant in the act of aviating. Aviating
is more than just the set of motor skills needed to control an airplane, but
also an activity that requires the faith in the physics of flight as well as
the judgment and adaptive skills needed to be a safe pilot.
One recent tragic
accident took the lives of the pilot, Adam Pasori,
51, of Solvang, and five of his family members during an approach to landing at
Kern Valley Airport, an airport within a valley with Sierra Nevada mountain
peaks rising to almost 10,000 feet in all quadrants. An airport elevation of
2,600 feet above sea level and warm afternoon atmospheric conditions can make
the aircraft perform as though it is at a higher altitude, where engine
performance suffers. The four-seat single-engine Lancair
Columbia, although a small aircraft, is nevertheless considered a
high-performance aircraft for many technical reasons. If it is controlled by a
well-trained pilot, the Lancair is a safe and
efficient personal transportation tool because it is well equipped with most of
the modern instruments.
The weather at
the time was clear, however winds, which can be unpredictable in mountainous
areas, were not reported in the initial National Transportation Safety Board
report.
The rules that
the pilot of the Lancair operates under is number 91
of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Those rules require that passengers
occupying a seat with approved seat belts can hold passengers who have not yet
reached their second birthday. On this flight two children, one of five months
and another of two years were reported as passengers and were most likely held
on the laps of the two passengers in the rear seats of this four-seat
aircraft.
The set of
circumstances were: 1) the warm summer afternoon, which reduces lift, 2) the
seemingly narrow mountain valley, 3) heavier than normal load, possibly over
the maximum allowed weight or beyond the rearmost allowed balance point for
safe flight and 4) the higher density altitude sapping performance, while
maneuvering after a too high initial approach altitude. These all contributed
to the decision to continue flight into an unsafe maneuver that lead to a
common stall and or spin landing accident. Each element, by itself is not
inherently dangerous or beyond the capability of a well trained pilot, combined
to put the airplane in a flight regime that the pilot was unable to safely fly
out of.
The second
accident related to me recently had to do with the flight of a small
single-engine aircraft’s forced landing upon inhospitable terrain after the
loss of engine power. Although the aircraft was destroyed and both passengers
in the classic two-seater were seriously injured, the outstanding flying
skills, courage, and will to survive by the pilot were directly responsible for
the happier outcome of this accident, whereas the pilot in the first example
lost control of a high-performance and well-equipped aircraft within gliding
distance of a hard surface runway, with a running engine. The pilot in the
second example was faced with having to make the best decision on landing
conditions right up to the point of impacting a pine tree instead of the side
of the mountain (the tree is softer and it gives more on impact).
The third
aircraft incident that was recently related to me had to do with a landing
accident in a restored 75-year-old antique flying machine. While on a yearly
pilgrimage made by owners of a similar aircraft, the local owner of this
classic aircraft went for an afternoon flight to an unfamiliar airport. Pilots
are required by Federal Aviation Administration flight rules to “familiarize”
themselves with information on airports of intended landing including “the
length of available runways.” This pilot, careful and conservative, who had
many years of experience in classic and antique aircraft, did in fact consult a
pilot information resource to gather information on the airport and runway.
However, a simple mistake of transposition caused him to read the altitude of
the airport above sea level of 75 feet as the width of the runway. The actual
width of the runway was only 45 feet, far too narrow for the safe landing of
this particular airplane. Of course, upon landing, as the tail settled onto the
runway blocking the view of the runway ahead and the lower wing of the biplane
blocked the view of the runway edge, the wheels rolled off the edge of the
asphalt runway onto the soft mud of the recently rained on airport. Unable to
maintain directional control the classic aircraft rolled at low speed into a
3-foot deep ditch and nosed over onto its back.
Although neither passenger was injured the damage sustained to the
wings, tail, propeller and engine may spell the last flying day for this
classic.
Three accidents,
three quite different outcomes, possible errors in judgment combined upon one
another, the courage and control exhibited by a pilot in the face of engine
power loss, while low, over inhospitable terrain and the simple misreading of
two numbers in six-point type.
Flying is as much
an act of faith as it is an act of skill. We rely on our skills to get into the
air and off the ground higher than we’re willing to jump, we then must rely on
the faith we place in the judgments we’ve made to get us back down safely.
Airport Closure
Starting as of
Monday, Sept. 17 and lasting to Sept. 28th, the one runway at Santa Ynez Airport, runway 26-8 will be closed to all aircraft
traffic during a resurfacing project.
Taxiways and airport roadways will also be closed on a rotating basis
until September 28, the anticipated date of conclusion of the project. The only air traffic allowed should be the
county sheriff helicopter or other country fire service helicopters. No fixed wing air traffic will be landing or
taking off from Santa Ynez Airport until after the
completion of the work on the runway and taxiways.