The Laughing Wolf

Air Accidents

This post at Bou's raises some good points and some food for thought. Flying truly is one of the safest forms of transport we currently have available. As a pilot, however, I am also well aware of the many things that can go wrong.

When I trained, a lot of the training had to do with handling those "wrong" things.

What do you do if your engine(s) quit? Well, that depends on when they quit. As you start to take off? Coast and get onto a taxiway. Once you are in flight? Coast to the nearest airport if high enough, if not find a good road, field, or other such delight and head in. I have always wondered if those people about 50 miles from the airport, with a backyard, that was a perfect grass runway, ever figured out why all the planes kept descending towards them... As you are landing? Make the landing. It may be hard, it may be rough, but it can be done. There is one phase during takeoff where you are pretty much just screwed if it happens, but other than that, you have options and can get it down. Good pilot training has the instructor kill the engines and get you to make it. Mom witnessed one such practice landing, and asked why I had come in sideways at the end. I told her that the instructor had killed the engine a mile or two out, and told me to make it. I did, on a straight-in, but had to crab the last part in order to stay on glide slope. Kicked back straight over the outer marker and made a smooth touchdown just past the end/start of the overrun. Perfect in my book. Mom, who hated heights anyway, never flew with me...

Electrical or other problem take out the instruments? You have mechanicals in most planes to give bare basics, and smart pilots (IMO) wear a Breitling and have a flight rule as well. Especially in smaller planes. With those you can navigate your way to safety, or at least to a point where you can FBR (Fly By Road, a more common practice than many pilots care to admit).

The list goes on. In short, the things you really worry about and can't do much about are engine(s) out at critical portion of liftoff, and catastrophic failure of some sort, from landing gear failure at landing to loss of key pieces of the airframe. That and weather/anything that mucks with airflow.

Weather has almost gotten me twice. First time was finding a line of thunderstorms where none were supposed to be. I almost put down in a pasture, but was able to find a way through/around that met the minimums. Had a couple of words with the Met officer over that one... Second, I was not supposed to be right seat (was supposed to be cargo as had attended a funeral and wake), but was made to fly it anyway and the dip in the left seat flew us into a major thunderstorm despite assurances he would not do so. One of the hardest things I have ever done was not take the controls as we went up on our side and down a thousand or few feet in a matter of a few seconds. Had we done that maneuver any other way, the wings would have departed the plane. As it was, with us over mountains, it made the trade of altitude for control extremely interesting. Have never flown, and never intend to fly, with that person again.

I've been on passenger jets when I knew we were in trouble. First time of an significance was in Atlanta, when we had to change planes because of mechanical troubles, and then found the second one had them as well. We were declared good to go, but on the runway... Well, let's just say that we passed the abort point for that plane still on the ground, no V0 or V1, and I just quietly got ready to put my head between my legs and brace. We finally got off the ground at the overrun and did not have a normal climb out. We were not amused... Second time was in Russia, and I remember looking out the window and picking out where we were going to hit. We didn't, thankfully, but I bloody well kissed the asphalt when we landed. Not sure someone not a pilot would have even realized what was going on, but there were some apparent control issues there...

I don't like Air Chance,er, France, but the worst I will say for them is that we made a carrier landing one day at Atlanta. That is, we stopped in about the length available on a carrier. The undercarriage of the plane made interesting loud noises as we did so. It made even more interesting noises when we finally taxied to the terminal. My bet is that the maintenance staff (and the Comptroller) just loooved that pilot... I am extremely thankful, and amazed, that there was no loss of life the other day. That there were none moves towards miracle in my book.

Laughing Wolf's Quick Guide To Passenger Air Safety: Wear natural fiber clothing as much as possible, as it will not melt into you; if something does happen, stay low but not low enough to get trampled; your shirt/undershirt can make a decent filter/mask for smoke: not perfect, but it can buy you time; count the seats to the nearest exits fore and aft of you; and, be prepared.

All in all, I will still take flying over about anything else. Just as Bou says, however, it really does bite to be that 4-6 percent.

LW