In case you didn’t already know the government thinks you’re stupid, here’s some assistance the FAA is offering pilots to avoid fatal airplane crashes.
Ready?
OK kids, the FAA is running a #Flysafe national safety campaign to help you avoid loss of control (LOC) accidents this flying season.
First, let’s explain what Loss of Control (LOC) means:
Fly Safe: Prevent Loss of Control Accidents
A Loss of Control (LOC) accident involves an unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight.
That means if you lose control of the airplane you are then officially in an LOC situation.
Since there is one fatal LOC accident every four days, the government is going to help you make a difference with the Fly Safe campaign. Each month (during which approximately 7 LOC deaths will have occurred), faa.gov will provide the remaining pilots with a Loss of Control scenario and a solution developed by experts. This will help pilots prepare for unexpected events.
The FAA and industry are working together to prevent Loss of Control accidents and save lives. You can help make a difference by joining our Fly Safe campaign! Each month on faa.gov we’re providing pilots with a Loss of Control solution developed by the team of experts. They have studied the data and developed solutions – some of which are already reducing risk.
Now, can anyone tell me what an unexpected event is?
No Johnny, it is not about your sister getting pregnant.
An unexpected event during flying is something that requires rapid appropriate action. It is something that will trigger the human “startle response”.
Unexpected events – especially those occurring close to the ground – require rapid appropriate action. However, humans are subject to a “startle response” when faced with an unexpected emergency situation and may delay or initiate inappropriate action in response to an emergency.
What kind of situations may take the pilot by surprise?
partial or full loss of engine power after takeoff landing gear fails to retract after takeoff, or fails to extend when ready to land bird strike control problems or failures
Don’t you agree those situations would bring on the startle response?
Did you know?
Fatal general aviation accidents often result from inappropriate responses to unexpected events. Loss of aircraft control is a common factor in accidents that would have been survivable if control had been maintained throughout the emergency. In some cases, pilot skill and knowledge have not been developed to prepare for the emergency. In other cases, an initial inappropriate reaction begins a chain of events that leads to an accident.
So, did you know that? We thought not.
The FAA suggests it would be helpful if you gave some thought to abnormal events ahead of time and imagine ways to handle them. It is also a good idea to
Have a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) join you to train and plan for emergencies.
Good luck and if you’re thinking of flying soon, we hope your LOC situation isn’t the example planned for next month.
Like unexpected consequences, it’s hard to come up with an expected plan of action when an UNEXPECTED event occurs. But then, what should we expect from the bloated bureaucracy in DC.