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Greetings,

Jim Timm and Fred Gibbs write columns in this newsletter each month detailing GA accidents in Arizona. How great would it be if neither had to write anything at all? That would mean we all flew safely, made safe decisions, and we calculated risks accurately. In my time with APA, we haven’t had a month like that. Fuel starvation and controlled flight into terrain accidents are all too common and completely preventable. While that’s often the final ruling, typically a series of events led up to the accident. Because risk factors are additive, it can be difficult to isolate which factor contributed most to the accident. Airlines recognize this and shifted to focus on a “culture of safety.” They now have extensive training on cockpit resource management (CRM). Primary flight instruction has pivoted to focus on aeronautical decision making (ADM). So has content used during Flight Reviews. We now have the IMSAFE checklist that we’re all following. You are following it each flight, right? Despite the change in instruction and information available to us, pilots still wreck airplanes. 

I’ve had a couple of instructors over the years who taught the Rule of 3. Once three things aren’t quite right, they’d call off a flight. Forget the hangar keys when you walk out the door? That’s one. Left main tire is low on pre-flight? That’s 2. Get in and buckle up and realize the keys are still in your pocket? That’s 3 and we’re calling off the flight. Yep, it’s that strict. Some things are in our control, like remembering keys. Some are partially in our control, like tire pressure. Individually, none of these items seem to be a safety of flight issue. However, leaving the keys at home tell me I’m distracted. I’m not focused on flying. Ok, get my head back in the game and ensure the rest of the time leading up to the flight is good. Low tire pressure? Sure, put some air back in and we’re good to go. But what if that points to some neglect of maintenance? The plane may be well within annual, but perhaps it’s been a while since I’ve flown it. Again, isolated, not a big deal. Now, I’m sitting in the seat buckled up ready to go, but keys are still in my pocket. Three strikes, I’m out. I’ve been distracted, I potentially have a maintenance concern, and the worry about that led me to become forgetful. Today’s just not my day to fly.  

This type of thought process puts safety in the forefront. The vast majority of accidents Jim and Fred write about could have been prevented by removing just one risk factor from that flight. Rarely is only a single factor the actual cause. I believe Homer Simpson said it best. “Doh!” If that quote comes to mind after forgetting something or observing something, that's likely a strike against the three. My fictitious, but realistic examples above are all “Doh!” moments. Try practicing this each day, even when you’re not flying. When you get to three, reflect back and see how it could have impacted a flight. Together, let’s help reduce the amount of work that Fred and Jim need to put into the accident report. Fly safe!

 

Blue Skies,

Brian

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