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Running head
In this issue
Summer 2015
18 Safe to Touch
Stephen Furner has some original and stimulating thoughts on the importance
of touch amongst the various sensory inputs experienced by a pilot.
P10
22 True North
Dusty Miller argues that it is high time that we said goodbye to Magnetic North.
24 GASCo News
and uv0h dfl vodnvj8
28 Accident Reports
N Sadly, the February AAIB reports brought us a mid air between a Kitfox with a 46
year old pilot and a Cessna C177RG with a 56 year old pilot. Both aircraft were
NW
NE
en route. A Personal Collision Avoidance System (PCAS) might have saved them.
The March bulletin has yet another low level Loss Of Control fatality. A Yak
P22 with a 50 year old ATPL pilot and a passenger carried out a level turn, climbed
W
sharply and entered a stall or spin. The April bulletin has a distressing report of
GASCo is working to reduce accidents a Cessna 150L that appeared to lose power on the climb out and subsequently
within British General Aviation
stalled at low level. The pilot died. The GASCo Stall/Spin Report of 2010 drew
SE
SE
The views expressed in this magazine are attention to the strikingly high fatal stall/spin accident rate of the Cessna 150 K.
S
not necessarily those of the General Aviation
L and M models. The problem appears to be the light stick force in pitch. There
Safety Council. While reasonable efforts are
taken to check the accuracy of statements in was also a PA-38 Tomahawk fatality in strange circumstances.
the magazine, no reliance should be placed
upon them unless independently checked
Editor: Nigel Everett Pictorial Editor: Michael Benson
and confirmed by an appropriate authority.
nigeleverett@btconnect.com mgsbenson@me.com
A letter to the Editor in the 2014 Winter A range of AoA devices are available commercially.
edition of the GASCo Flight Safety magazine
from Robert Jago described an ingenious measure a wings AoA. Displays can be part
device that displayed AoA using a piece of of an EFIS or stand-alone units. Some
bent wire and a tuft of wool. showing reserve lift available, others use a
Robert puts the case for AoA very linear scale colour coded to represent high
succinctly In the conventional control of the and low AoA. Some have an audio function
approach the IAS is always the surrogate for as well. Whatever system becomes popular
the angle of attack and the relationship may the basic principle remains the same. The
vary (for example when banking or pulling G wing always stalls at the same angle of attack.
Knowing where you are relative to that
Stick your hand
or with varying AUW). The actual angle of
attack is the crucial measurement. The effect of critical AoA is vital whether you are
manoeuvering, approaching to land,
out the window of
this device is transformative. I cannot
overemphasise the reassurance that comes from coping with an engine failure, towing a
banner, dropping parachutists, or in a
a moving car and
looking directly at the instantaneous
representation of the actual parameter which cloud wondering which way is up. feel how a wing
determines the stall. Robert goes on to say
that in his opinion if all aircraft had AoA What can I do if I dont have an AoA
device? Most people will be in this
works.
devices, and pilots understood the
significance of, and were trained to fly using situation for many years to come. However,
an AoA indication, then the incidence of there is a lot we can do to get aboard the
Loss of Control would be sharply reduced. AoA revolution. For a start, most aircraft
Many great new designs of AoA gadgets already have a basic AoA device fitted the
are coming on the market, some use vanes stall warner. The very name suggests
and some have pressure tappings to danger we tend to avoid them going off
and students are (rightly) taught to recover almost directly ahead of the wing, very little
immediately if the stall warner activates on air is being displaced, AoA is very low, lift is
approach. However, for more experienced low, G force is less than 1... The speed right
pilots, it could be regarded as an AoA/ now is very low, in fact it could easily be less
airspeed calibration device and, if set than the book stalling speed.. but the stall
correctly, a stall warner going off as a light warner does not go off. As the nose drops,
aircraft touches down might be considered pull out of the dive by increasing AoA then
a good thing. I particularly like the Cessna level off.
172/182 pressure measuring-type device Both of these exercises are simple from
that starts with a gentle squeak and with a flying point of view, but the point is to
increasing AoA develops into a blaring think of AoA and not speed.
squeal.
Apart from thinking of the Stall warner Limitations and food for thought It is
as an AoA measuring device, here are a important to understand that any AoA or
couple of mind exercises to help improve stall-warning device will have its limitations.
Glider pilots have for years used tufts of wool
awareness of angle of attack: Stalling AoA may change if flaps or slats are
to show out-of-balance flight. However, here a
Imagine you are Flying Straight and used. Ice will change the shape of a wing
Pilot has improvised a wonderfully simple and
level at a low angle of Attack (ie at high and probably reduce the critical AoA. Wings
reliable AoA device I would imagine quite
speed). Look out along the wing and do not necessarily have constant span-wise
a useful Head up Display in a Thermal no
imagine where the airflow is coming from. AoA. Several factors, including slipstream,
doubt the budget would even stretch to having
The angle between that and the wing chord asymmetric wing loading (fuel imbalance,
one on both sides!
line is your angle of attack. Now, staying use of ailerons, ball not in the middle, a
level, increase the AoA (ie slow down twin engine-out etc) will mean that one
while maintaining S & L). As the speed part of a wing may in fact be quite close to
decreases the AoA must increase to keep the critical AoA while another is still happily
lift the same (= weight). Increase the AoA producing lift. Just a small overall demand
all the way to the point when the stall for more lift can cause the high-AoA part of
warning goes off. Fly there for a while, the wing to stall, in which case a flick or
think again about where the airflow is spin can result. Some aircraft have no
coming from; the angle between that and washout which makes them prone to tip
your chord is now close to critical AoA. stall if even a small amount of aileron is
Next, try loading the wing. Before we present in a high AoA situation videos of
start, however, first a health warning it both the 2012 Red bull air-race accidents
should be obvious that none of the following illustrate this very well.
is applicable to flex- or rotary-wing aircraft.
Push overs should not be practised in In Summary, Stalls/Spin accidents have
aircraft that cannot operate safely at low or been around since aircraft first flew.
negative G. From straight and level in a Low Traditional emphasis has been on speed,
AoA cruise (you got it high but Angle of Attack ALONE determines
speed) look out along the wing, pull when a stall occurs. AoA awareness is vital
back gently on the controls and for pilots of all aircraft. AoA measuring
think about what is happening. As devices are becoming readily available.
you increase the angle of attack you Pilots should be educated in Angle of
displace more air, lift increases, the Attack concepts if the full potential of this
aircraft accelerates towards the new technology is to be realised and the
centre of a huge vertical circle current trend towards more and more Loss
which you feel as a G force of Control fatal accidents is to be reversed.
pushing on the seat of your pants Gerry Humphreys
and you go up. The stall warner
might sound during the pull up,
Gerry Humphreys
especially if you pull too hard, not
Gerry has been flying for 40 years and
because you are slow, but because
logged 10,000 flying hours in over 100
you have a high Angle of attack.
types, mostly single-engine aircraft. A
Now, before you run out of energy,
retired RAF Harrier pilot, he instructs at
gently relax the pull. As you do so,
the Atlantic Flight Training Academy in
the angle of attack decreases, less
Cork specialising in aerobatics, spin and
lift is produced, G force reduces
upset recovery training. He is chairman
and the aircraft stops rising. Now
of the General Aviation Safety Council of
push forward gently as you go over
Ireland.
the top of a giant imaginary roller-
An F22 at High AoA shifting lots of air!
coaster. The air is now coming from
Loss of Control
The Seminar
This is a very condensed The seminar at Coventry University was a GASCos Chairman, Air Cdre Rick Peacock
very successful attempt to get together a Edwards, former Lightning pilot, RAF
report on the GASCo wide range of experts in the one chamber Inspector of Flight Safety and Director of
to put forward their considered thoughts Eurofighter.
seminar at Coventry on this intractable subject. I doubt whether A more comprehensive account of the
University last November. there has ever been assembled in one room papers delivered can be found at www.
in the UK before, audience as well as gasco.org.uk and anyone interested in the
The very full day was speakers, such a knowledgeable and wide subject would do well to study that rather
GASCos latest move in ranging body of expertise in LOC as it than this necessarily condensed version.
affects GA. Among the audience was The speakers were, in order of speaking:
its battle to reduce the
remarkably high rate of PEDRO PINHEIRO
fatal and serious injury Safety Performance Analyst at the CAA. (Because of his unavoidable
absence his paper was delivered by Nils Jamieson, GASCos Regional Safety
accidents to UK pilots and Officer North).
passengers as a result of Pedro Pinheiro offers us the benefit of what The conclusions that Pedro draws from
Loss Of Control. little research into these areas has so far been this chart are that neither age nor
carried out by the CAA. He is clear that experience are, in isolation, likely to
LOC-I VMC fatalities easily dominate the indicate whether a particular pilot is less or
sum total of GA fatalities, from which we more likely to suffer a LoC I VMC accident.
might conclude that an improvement in The data evidenced the natural ageing
this area would have the greatest effect on process and the increasing individual
the total of GA fatalities. He demonstrates experience patterns. In this context, the
convincingly that neither age nor experience accumulation of experience does not reflect
influence the likelihood of a LOC-I VMC necessarily enhanced safety performance.
fatality: its never something that you grow Simultaneously, the data illustrates that
away from. Currency, however, does appear the currency levels have been progressively
Nomenclature to be a relevant factor so keeping current declining over the years, indicating that
will reduce the risk of this sort of disaster pilots are flying less regularly, and this
Back in the day these accidents were
befalling you and your passengers. element is the most prominent safety factor
commonly called Stall/spin accidents but
Note: Currency in the chart below is identified.
this title fell out of favour because there
hours flown in the past 90 days.
were often cases where a spin could not be
said to have developed before the aircraft
hit the ground. Loss of Control (LOC) has
now been adopted as a more accurate
general description but it has become
necessary to distinguish between loss of
control on the ground and loss of control
in flight and the latter is sometimes known
as LOC I.
Finally there has arisen the need to
differentiate between LOC I accidents in
VFR and IFR so that we now have the title
LOC I VFR for the type of accident that
kills or seriously injures so many UK GA
pilots and their passengers. This is the type
that particularly interests GASCo at present
and in this article it is referred to simply as
LOC.
DR MIKE BROMFIELD
Senior Lecturer in Aerospace at
the Faculty of Engineering and
Computing at Coventry University.
Mike Bromfield reminds us of those
essential truths in flight safety: the Heinrich
Pyramid and the Swiss Cheese theory. He
argues for an agreed taxonomy for GA so
that we can evolve a common, systematic
and holistic methodology to analyse
Human Factors competently and so acquire
an evidence based insight into accidents.
DR DAVID JOYCE
Europa self builder and extensive tourer with a particular interest in
stall/spin accidents.
David Joyce brings us a practical pilots point of view. He argues for re-equipping
with one of the new angle of attack style of voice based warning systems and in
doing so he is in tune with recommendations coming out of the US General Aviation
Joint Steering Committees Loss of Control Report of October 2014.
He also advocates turning back in the right circumstances on an EFATO
although we doubt that many private pilots will keep themselves trained sufficiently
to follow safely his recommendations here.
DR GUY GRATTON
Head of the UKs facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements.
Guy Gratton reports upon some captivating research involving many aircraft types into which is the best procedure for stall recovery
amongst three standard methods commonly recommended.
ALAN CASSIDY
Four times British Aerobatic Championship winner and a member of the
British Aerobatic team on seven occasions.
Alan Cassidy argues that a pilot properly and the accident record of the British
trained to advanced aerobatics standards is Aerobatic Association seems to bear this
unlikely to get caught out in a LOC accident out.
This diagram shows load factor against speed and includes the Stalled Every light aircraft flying in the UK already has an Angle of Attack
Region, the Minimum Level Speed, the envelopes at aerobatic and indicator fitted and here it is!
normal weights, V max manoeuvring, Vne and Vd.
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Safe To Touch
Stephen Furner has flown Touch is a great friend. The change in feel panel; but, of course the control layout is so
of a textured surface or shape of a handle radically different between weight shift and
a variety of GA aircraft and can be really helpful in distinguishing 3 axis that there are lots of tactile cues to
between individual controls. Touch can prevent confusion between them.
has found that touch can enable you to detect very small differences After my instructor again yelled I have
be a useful guide at times, in surfaces1 during walk round checks control shortly followed by major control
feeling along cables or smooth surfaces can reversal, this to prevent me turning us in
but not at other times. reveal subtle kinks and distortions the eye the wrong direction and departing the
Beware! has missed or reveal loose fixings, rough runway or descending into the runway
spots or jerking felt in mechanical control when we should have been climbing away,
movements can indicate hidden problems. it became clear that just because something
Touch provides a pilot with many cues feels right doesnt mean that it always is.
about an aircrafts condition to support his Confusion can arise where even very large
or her skilled operation of it. tactile cues such as holding a horizontal
control bar and not a control yoke or
Microlights for fun column, an open cockpit with the wind in
your face, vibration from an engine in the
I recently decided to broaden my experience rear etc can break down and errors
of flying into the world of flexwing result.
microlights. Converting from three axis Clearly, difference training to build
Cessnas to weight shift is not quite as skills in handling the weight shift is needed
straight forward as it might first appear. so that the cues from the very different
The controls on the weight shift all work in look and feel between weight shift and 3
reverse to the Cessna even the steering axis can bring the relevant skills into play
and the primary throttle is a foot pedal not when needed. Pilots can and regularly do
a knob or quadrant in the instrument move safely between these two systems for
controlling an aircraft.
For me at least, this does raise the
question of whether there are perhaps more
subtle situations where a private pilot could
be confused by touch? Its such a common
part of daily life easily taken for granted,
always on, always there in the background
only rarely the focus of attention. Can this
be both a strength and a weakness that a
pilot needs to be alert for as a human factor;
one that should not be taken for granted?
If it is, then is there any obvious evidence
to support this idea?
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Recreational Aviation Community forward with the glider which started to climb upwards with the
pilot clinging onto its A-frame. The aircraft climbed a few feet
nosed down and whipped vertical to dive straight into the ground
with the pilot still griping onto the A-frame for support. The pilot
(Formerly Funkwerk-Avionics) had failed to connect his harness to his aircraft. Possibly, again
the pilot had been misled by the feel of the harness and jacket.
Mistakenly he believed it all felt right so it was.
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True North
Checking the DI against Our daily work has lots of colourers. WHITE Magnetic Heading the M V T part of the
/ GREEN / BLUE at the right time great formula from above. This is taken from the
the magnetic compass, Tea on the way. Not so good when AMBER U S Agency that publishes a worldwide half
and lets hope not RED showing as we had decade program that it inserted into the
then applying Variation then better take notice and earn our pay. sealed INS boxes according to the time they
and Compass Correction Aviation is stuck on using an are manufactured. The overhaul life of the
increasingly unsure Magnetic North as a INS is 10 years, then back to the
would cease to be reference, so a little reminder of C D M V manufactures for update and overhaul and
necessary if we all worked T west is least . Is that all coming back to off we go for another 10 years. This does
you? 8W+/ degrees 40 years ago around not appear to be happening as most
to True North using UK now near 0 deg in 2015. Most public equipment is now on condition and
NE
SE
3 NDB approaches mandate the aircraft INSs age and the situation is fast
to be within 5 degrees of the final becoming RED NOT ACCEPTABLE. Czech Sport PS-28 CRUISER (2012)
course before the final start down or
drop down to the beacon crossing This last example is the one most worrying
height. Are you sure your heading is as on several occasions while going South
correct and within limits? AMBER in the west London area another aircraft
Especially if you have no cross checks given same heading with now reduced
on position and without a verified separation a climb along side. Yet even
compass. These are not conventionally this distance starts to reduce with much
swung any more, even the standby E2. comment from ATC about not flying the TT 110Hrs. Annual/ARC both valid Oct/2015. 100HP
What if you have radio/ electrical given heading. The truth is though that the Rotax 912-S2 (Certified). Operates on MoGas
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or AvGas. Garmin SL30 NAV/COM, Garmin GPS
deviated out? the different ages of the Variation program
695, Garmin GTX 328 Mode S Transponder, Dynon,
4 In parallel trail, current separation is the actual headings can be different.
some 10 miles laterally but if a Radar The costs of forever updating variation
D-100 EFIS PFD, Dynon HS-34 Navigation Extension
heading is given, this can reduce to 5 on Ground Aids/Radar heads/compasses/
Module, Dynon, D-120 Engine Monitor, Magnetic
miles. If however the compass has an charts/ GPS receivers yes they must also Compass, Backup AI & ASI, Ameriking AK451 Triple
error, how will that separation be have this variation program and may not FrequencyELT, PS Engineering PM3000 Intercom.
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The Welcome Return of cooperation and collaboration and the rest also reminded us of how we can make the
Military Civil Air safety Days of the day lived up to that idea. For any pilot most of a systematic scan while also using
operating in this area there was a rich diet of radio and transponder to increase electronic
(MCASD)
information and insight during the day, conspicuity. The value of a transponder
When commanders and staff at the Royal which could readily be used to good effect. now and in the future, especially Mode C
Naval Air Station, Yeovilton decided that There were many real nuggets during or S, was made crystal clear by Jonathan
they would like to hold a safety fly-in day the day, for example knowing the types Smith of NATS who gave us a glimpse into
for GA pilots who operate in the vicinity of operating from Yeovilton, their duties and the not too distant future by describing the
the Air Station and its Area of Intense Aerial their operational areas was really interesting trials currently underway on an affordable,
Activity and discussed the idea with and very useful. low power ADS-B transceiver (LPAT) that
GASCo, it seemed obvious that the best A variety of types operate regularly incorporates the minimum functionality to
way to proceed would be to follow the from Yeovilton. Merlin, Lynx, Wildcat, and make GA aircraft visible and enable some
much loved format of a MCASD. Sadly, in Sea King Helicopters, Hawks, Tutors as well key safety functionality.
recent years these have rather fallen by the as the RN Historic Flight (Swordfish, Sea Before adjourning to meet the crews of
wayside, largely due to the operational Fury, Sea Hawk and Chipmunk.) and thats types of aircraft operated from Yeovilton
demands placed on military resources. before fast jet diversions from Boscombe which were ranged in a very impressive
GASCo discussed the possibility of Down or aircraft practising NDB approaches static display, there were three short
resurrecting the idea with the CAA which from Bournemouth are taken into account. presentations on small unmanned aerial
readily supported the initiative and so on Looking at the size of the AIAA on the map, vehicle systems (SUAVS). Military and
Thursday 30th April 2015 some eighty GA it would be easy to think that the airspace commercial operations were covered first
pilots took part in a fulfilling and would be empty, but with Yeovilton and and then Lawrence Hay from the CAA
interesting day with a third being able to Merryfield generating over 100,000 covered the regulatory aspects. Maplin
take advantage of the opportunity to fly-in. movements between them annually, Electronics, Yeovil kindly put on a static
The aim of the day was to promote contact with the AAIA radar service seemed display with some examples of accessible
understanding among all the airspace users a very sensible thing to do if in the AAIA. SUAVs on hand to view and staff to answer
in the area, especially the Yeovilton Area of Commandos being delivered to Dartmoor questions and explain the lengths to which
Intense Aerial Activity (AIAA) and this was or Merlins and Wildcats heading for the the firm goes to ensure that potential
very much achieved. Presentations were Danger Areas off the South Coast mean recreational operators were aware of the
given by all the resident Squadrons, which that aircraft sometimes operating below legislation. In summing up, Commander
covered all aspects of the airspace use and a 1000feet but often transitting at up to Mitchell said chillingly that it wasnt a
real insight was gained into the types of 6000feet are a possible source of conflict to question of if but when it came to mid air
operational flying that originated from GA aircraft en route to Dunkeswell or collisions between UAVs and other aircraft.
Yeovilton and the heights and routes they Compton Abbas. The next MCASD is due to be held at
typically followed. The tone set by the There was a presentation on avoiding RAF Linton-on-Ouse on Saturday 26
Commander Flying, aka Wings, airborne conflict and collisions, a priority September 2015. Details will be published
Commander Henry Mitchell, in his for both civil and military operations. Even in the aviation press, the CAA website and
introduction, was that safety is best the best radar service does not mean a good in Flight Safety Extra and on the GASCo
promoted through understanding, lookout is not required. This presentation website.
Seminars
The Ditching and Sea Survival seminar at the
RNLI College, Poole on Thursday 24th
March 2015 was fully subscribed and we will
hold another one in March next year. As
always, the practical sessions using GA life-
saving equipment in a realistic environment the Small Helicopter Safety Seminar at Sywell popular seminar on Weather Decision
were voted most useful. There is really no that was due to take place on 7th May due Making at The Met Office is all set for
substitute for hands on practice when it to lack of support, but we hope to offer Thursday 24th September and registrations
comes down to it. Sadly, we had to cancel another date later in the year. The ever will open shortly via the GASCo website.
NATS reported infringements the five year record to 28th February 2015
700
638
605 607
600
546
500
High Risk
400
Medium Risk
300
Low Risk
200
100 65
51 38 44
3 3 4 0 10 2 0
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
60 Higher Risk
Lower Risk
40
20
0
Southampton
Manchester
Birmingham
LTCC Radar
Glasgow
Bristol
WEE
Aberdeen
Farnborough
LTCC No Sector
LAC
Oceanic
Cardiff
Belfast
London City
Edinburgh
Heathrow
W2
LTCC refers to the actual controller being in the London Terminal Control Centre. Others listed above are LACC = London Area Control, MACC = Manchester
Area Control and ScACC = Prestwick Control (Scottish).
WRITE IT UP!
If you have something that will help other pilots improve
their safety, please lets hear from you. By working together
we can make all of ourselves safer.
Contact nigeleverett@btconnect.com Tel 01626 776199
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Accident/incident summary
Accident/incident
summary
This information is published in the interests of flight safety and must be regarded
as provisional and subject to subsequent alteration or correction.
Some Recent Airprox Reports
These are short and incomplete summaries only. Full reports are available on www.airproxboard.org.uk.
2014140 The Robin pilot was cleared to cross Wycombe ATZ en route at Height 1500 ft, 2 nm to the northwest. While doing
9 Aug 2014 so he saw the PA28 fly beneath him on a reciprocal track frighteningly close. The PA28 pilot had recently taken off
Robin DR221/ from Wycombe and was transiting back through the ATZ prior to calling Luton for transit clearance. He had switched
PA28 to Luton frequency early to make the clearance request. His Monroy TAS sounded and he saw the opposite traffic at
400 m. Discussion of the risks in re-entering the Wycombe ATZ without clearance or radio contact.
2014173 The helicopter pilot was flying to a private site near Wellesbourne and was receiving a Basic Service from Birmingham
8 Aug 2014 Approach. They advised of traffic near Wellesbourne and advised him to contact Wellesbourne. He did so but ATC
Robinson R44/ was closed. However another pilot advised of two aircraft operating in the area and the R44 pilot passed details of his
PA28 flight. He saw the PA28 in his 11 oclock about 300 m away in opposite direction and at the same height. No
avoiding action was possible in time and they passed at 50 to 100 m distance. The PA28 pilot had no recollection of
such an incident but believed that he was probably swapping between Wellesbourne and Coventry frequencies at
the time.
2014145 The Chipmunk pilot was aerotowing the K21 glider out of Husbands Bosworth, climbing through Altitude 1500 ft in
17 Aug 2014 a gentle left turn. He saw the Falke coming straight towards him at the same height and steepened his turn to avoid.
Chipmunk & At the same time the K21 pilot, who had also seen the Falke, released from the tow in anticipation of trouble. The
ASK21/ SF25 Falke was on a airfield familiarisation and field landing refresher training. Both pilots pushed forwards to avoid
Falke collision. Discussion of enhanced collision risks in an aero tow out area. Regret that the Chipmunk was not fitted with
Flarm or Power Flarm. The Falke was using Flarm and this would have given a warning to the Chipmunk pilot.
2014161 The helicopter pilot had lifted for a short local flight from Goodwood with clearance to depart to the North. He
16 Aug 2014 began to level at Height 900 ft and saw the PA12 in his 9 oclock coming towards him. He descended and the PA12
R44 helicopter/ turned behind him. The circuit height for helicopters at Goodwood is 900 ft and for fixed wing it is 1200 ft. The
PA12 Piper PA12 pilot was joining for a Vintage fly in and was flying a tight circuit as vintage aircraft often do. He had
Cruiser commenced a gentle descent from 1200 ft on the downwind leg from abeam the runway when he saw the R44 in
his 2 oclock climbing towards him. He made a turn to pass behind. The Board decided that contributory factors
were: (1). The PA12 pilot did not fly the recommended [circuit] track or altitude. (2). The FISO did not pass traffic
information to either pilot.
2014167 The pair of Typhoons were squawking Modes C and S and flying low level along part of the Machynlleth Loop in a
9 Sep 2014 valley at Height 250 ft when they saw the gyrocopter less than 1 nm away. There was no room to turn so they flew
Typhoon/ beneath the gyrocopter, which was some 350 ft higher. The gyroplane pilot was with a student on a cross country
Gyrocopter exercise and was squawking Mode C. He saw the Typhoons approaching from behind too late for any avoiding
action. Neither aircraft had any sort of Traffic Advisory System. Discussion of the dangers of flying below Height 2000
ft in areas and at times popular for military low level flying. The Machynleth Loop is well known to military pilots
and marked on military maps with flow arrows. Recommendation that HQ Air Command reviews GA education with
regard to flow arrows.
2014198 The paraglider pilot was ridge soaring on Rushup Edge near Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire when a DJI Phantom
2 Oct 2014 FC40 type quadcopter approached him, descending to about 20 ft above his canopy and following him up and
Paraglider/ down the ridge. The quadrocopter flew concerningly close on occasions and seemed to be making a video of his
Untraced flying. He was unable to locate the operator. Concern expressed by the Board at the growth of this type of activity.
quadcopter. It is illegal and can be dangerous for others but the operator may not appreciate this.
2014201 The Saab 2000 pilot was flying an ILS approach to Cambridge and was fitted with TCAS. When fully configured on
27 Sep 2014 the approach at Height 1500 ft he received Traffic Information of traffic at 11 oclock at 5 nm. Shortly afterwards the
Saab 2000/ TCAS gave a Traffic Advisory followed by a Climb, Climb command. The autopilot was switched off and a shallow
Cessna 170 climb established with the configuration unchanged. He then saw the C170 at 10 oclock crossing left to right. It
passed 300 ft below and 50 metres behind. The C170 pilot was in constant visual contact with the Saab and was not
in contact with Cambridge ATC being in good VMC. Concern that two previous recommendations had been
rejected. These were that the CAA reviews the required content of airfield briefs with specific emphasis on informing
foreign visiting pilots of their responsibilities under ATSOCAS. This places responsibility for collision avoidance in
Class G on every pilot, even those flying an instrument approach. For his part, the Board opines, the C170 pilot was
enjoying a local area flight in fine weather conditions and under VFR without the aid of an Air Traffic Service. Although this
was entirely acceptable for many GA flights, flying within 300 ft and 0.3 nm of a 22 ton, 50 seat passenger airliner, on the
approach path to an airfield that was clearly marked on the chart and causing a TCAS RA, was not.
31 Oct 2014. Aircraft landed in field following engine failure after take-off exercise.
201415538. Cessna 152. Pilot of aircraft reports aircraft landed in field following engine failure after take-off exercise. No injuries or
Lycoming. Initial climb. apparent damage. Aircraft later recovered after engineering attendance.
Wycombe Air Park..
201416971. A/c was observed to have infringed the NW corner of the EGKK CTA at altitude 2200ft for approx 2mins at
CTSW. Rotax 912. En 1237 UTC. As the a/c was wearing a squawk from EGKR, I called them to take action but although they said
route. Gatwick. the a/c was on their frequency they could not contact him. I then called EGKK TWR to suspend SAM and
BOG deps as I felt there may be an issue with the infringer if they were allowed to continue. After approx 3
mins, a/c was observed descending rapidly below the CTA and turning left to exit to the West.
201416976. On Saturday the 06/12/14 I decided to go on a pleasure flight, I was approx 40 mins into the flight and had
Piper PA28. started returning to the airfield. I was approaching approx 16nm to the n/e of the airfield at 2200 feet when
Lycoming 320. all of a sudden there was a loud audible warning in the cockpit. Initially I was not sure of the source of the
Approach. warning but it became pretty obvious when the cockpit started becoming hazy due to smoke/fumes I then
Southend. checked the carbon monoxide alarm in the glove box and confirmed my suspicions that we possibly had an
engine issue. My passenger then asked how I was feeling as he was light headed at this stage I realised we
were in serious danger of been overcome by the fumes and decided to declare a PAN so that I could be given
priority to lands kept an eye on vital instruments and gauges and continued my now hurried approach. At
this point I decided to open the window and door to allow fresh air into the cockpit as I had started feeling
slightly lightheaded and sickly. Joined and landed safely and shut down on the runway and evacuated the
aircraft. We were attended to by the emergency services and it was decided that due to carbon monoxide
absorption we were to be taken to the hospital. After 6 hrs of high flow oxygen my passenger and I were
released. On inspection the next day it was found the exhaust silencer had failed due to fatigue.
201415866. During practice autorotation with 180deg turn into wind, after entry a bank angle and nose up attitude
Robinson R44 helicopter. occurred. During the recovery action to stop the RRPM from rising further, a high engine RPM was suspected,
Lycoming 540. possibly beyond operating limits. Engineering company informed. Engine inspected iaw SB369L no fault
Autorotation practice. found, aircraft released to service. Instructor memo issued.
Leicester.
201503561. Cessna 172. Airfield Ground Support Unit (AGSU) was carrying out daily surface inspection during the weekend period
Landing. Warton whilst the airfield was closed. Whilst at the 25 threshold, they spotted a light aircraft approaching to land.
They cleared the runway area ASAP, whereupon the aircraft landed. The RFFS were conducting a crash gate
inspection at the time, advised the RFFS watch room what had happened and approached the aircraft, along
with the AGSU airfield inspection team. By hand signals, the RFFS instructed the pilot to shut down. It
transpired that the aircraft, flown by a student pilot, was en-route and had been cleared to land but had
misidentified Warton for Blackpool. After noting details, and at his discretion, the pilot was advised to depart
for his destination.
201502970. Cessna 177. B737 was being descended and vectored for R/W27; when a 7000 squawk was observed tracking NNE from
Cruise. E. Midlands. Leicester indicating 3000ft. B737 was descended initially to 4500ft (in anticipation of the 7000 squawk
establishing 2-way). The projected track indicated the 7000 squawk would infringe CAS; several calls were
made on 134.175 without response, so a turn was given to the B737 avoid that contact. The 7000 squawk
entered CAS, CTA-3 base level 2500ft on East Midlands QNH, without a clearance and tracked NNE before
turning north along the eastern edge of CTA-2, base level 1500ft. The squawk changed to a 3601 squawk,
and I received a call from Waddington ATC as the aircraft had called them. The a/c was identified. B737 was
vectored for a shorter final than normal and landed safely.
ACCIDENT REPORTS
Piper PA28-140 G-COLH PPL 19 years, 121 hours (12 in last 28 days) collapse. The aircraft was brought to a stop on the grass just beside the
Full Sutton A/F, Yorks. runway. None of the occupants was injured.
The aircraft experienced a multiple bird strike on final approach. The
pilot continued to a landing but the aircraft landed long and there was Kitfox Mk2 G-KITY NPPL 73 years 682 hours (3 in last 28 days)
insufficient runway remaining in which to stop. The aircraft overran on Nr Castle Lytham, Lincs
to unprepared ground and overturned. After touching down on a relatively short, wet grass runway, the pilot
decided that he would be unable to stop the aircraft before encountering
Cessna F172P G-BITM LAPL 76 years 1463 hours (4 in last 28 days) a boundary fence. He applied full power and selected a climbing attitude
Nr Warrington, Cheshire in order to fly a go-around. The aircraft cleared the fence but failed to
The aircraft suffered a sudden and significant loss of engine power climb, subsequently colliding with the roof of a bungalow, about 50 m
during the cruise portion of the flight. The pilot identified a field for a beyond the fence. The pilot, who sustained a serious injury, believed
forced landing, but the aircraft struck trees at its near boundary and that the aircraft had most probably been placed in a high drag situation
stalled, dropping into the field of intended landing. Engineering which exceeded its performance capabilities.
inspection revealed that No 3 inlet valve had dropped into the cylinder
causing the substantial power loss. PA-28-161 Warrior G-BFYM CPL 62 years 1163 hours (6 in last 28 days)
Beverley A/F Yorks
Robin DR400/180 G-ETIV PPL 73 years 698 hours (7 in last 28 days) Two days previously, the aircraft had force-landed without damage in a
Spilstead strip, Sussex field following an engine failure. After examination by an engineer
The pilot misidentified the threshold. The aircraft touched down during which no faults were found, the engine was successfully test run.
approximately 25 m short of the runway, encountered soft ground and The aircraft took off under full power and climbed away normally.
the nose landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that, on arrival, it However, on final approach the engine again lost all power and the
was apparent that the surrounding crop had been cut for hay. This led pilot lowered the nose to maintain airspeed. Fearing that it might strike
to him mistaking a line in the cut hay for the start of the runway. a ditch that preceded the threshold, he raised the nose again just
clearing the ditch, although the aircraft now stalled and landed heavily.
March 2015 Bulletin No cause of the failure has been determined.
AAIB Field Investigation PA-28-181 Archer G-TALE NPPL 35 years 163 hours (0 in past 28 days)
Blackbushe A/F, Surrey
Yak-52 G-YAKR ATPL 50 years Over 15,000 hours
The aircraft had been high on the approach to land and bounced a
(1 in the last 28 days) Nr Chelmsford, Essex
number of times. The pilot later discovered that the throttle had
The aircraft was carrying out a local flight when, five minutes into the flight,
jammed slightly open as a result of nose leg damage sustained at some
it was observed flying at low level. Having carried out a level turn, the aircraft
point during the landing. He assessed the cause of the accident as a
climbed sharply and entered a stall or spin, from which it did not recover
pilot-induced-oscillation and that he should have initiated a go-around
before striking the ground. Both occupants received fatal injuries and there was
at an early stage.
a fire. The reason the aircraft was flying at low level and the cause of the final
manoeuvre could not be determined. Ikarus C42 FB100 G-FLYC NPPL 55 years 298 hours (3 in past 28 days)
Lower Upham A/F, Hants
The pilot commenced takeoff from the left side of the grass runway in
AAIB Correspondence Investigations order to avoid wetter ground to the right. There was a crosswind from
Pietenpol Air Camper G-ECVB PPL 34 years 133 hours (1 in past 28 days) the right and the aircraft deviated to the left early in the takeoff roll. The
RAF Cranwell, Lincs pilot abandoned the takeoff and attempted to slow the aircraft, but
The right landing gear collapsed during a touch-and-go due to the wheel braking was ineffective on the wet surface. The pilot was unable
failure of the right landing gear tie-rod-end. The Light Aircraft to prevent the aircraft leaving the runway on the left-hand side, where
Association (LAA) investigation identified that the tierod-end was of a it encountered a drainage ditch and came to an abrupt stop.
lower specification to that required by the production drawings. As a
Pegasus Quik G-CBVN NPPL 60 years 90 hours (2 in past 28 days)
result of feedback on the condition of the tie-rod-ends on other aircraft,
Ballad A/F Kinross
the LAA published airworthiness Information Leaflet LAA/MOD/047/009
The aircraft arrived at Balado Airstrip after a flight from the Isle of Bute.
Issue 1 in November 2014 which introduced a routine inspection and a
The wind was light and from the west as the pilot made a normal
100 flying hour life for landing gear tie-rod-ends.
approach to Runway 24. As he rounded out prior to touchdown, he
experienced an area of sink, in addition to being blinded by the glare
from a low and bright winter sun. The aircraft landed heavily on the
right mainwheel, followed by the nosewheel which dug into the soft
grass surface and bent the front forks back as the aircraft came to a halt.
crop, the aircraft flipped inverted. The pilot admits that unfamiliarity
AAIB Correspondence Investigations
with the aircraft type and its fuel consumption combined with
overestimating its glide performance with a stationary propeller by about EV-97A Eurostar G-CCEM PPL 60 years 506 hours (1 in past 28 days)
300 feet per minute were the main causal factors in the accident. Oxenhope A/F, Yorks
During the takeoff run the aircraft suddenly turned towards the left and
April 2015 Bulletin the pilot attempted to regain the centreline using rudder. The aircraft
did not respond and it departed the left side of Runway 29, striking two
AAIB Field Investigation aircraft. In the pilots opinion, his attempt to apply right rudder to
Cessna F150L G-YIII PPL 70 years 293 hours (2 in past 28 days) regain the centreline resulted in both pedals being operated, with no
Nr Hucknall A/F, Notts consequent rudder deflection being achieved.
The aircraft failed to reach normal circuit height after takeoff probably
Beech 76 Duchess G-GCCL CPL 28 years 3255 hours
because of a partial loss of engine power. The aircraft continued flight at low (44 in past 28 days) Cambridge A/F
altitude and airspeed before stalling, and an incipient spin entry resulted in After selecting the landing gear lever to down, the nose landing gear
the aircraft striking the ground vertically nose-down. failed to extend. After several further attempts, an approach to
Cambridge Airport was made with the nose landing gear retracted. The
aircraft touched down and the nose was held up for as long as possible
before it descended and contacted the runway surface. Neither flight
crew sustained any injuries. The reason for the failure of the gear to
extend could not be established at the time of this report. Previous
events have identified reasons why the nose gear may not extend and
that this aircraft type requires accurate rigging and vigilant maintenance
of the nose landing gear.
Cessna T210L N2257S ATPL 54 years 5893 hours (10 in past 28 days)
Providenciales A/F, Turks and Caicos Islands
After a normal approach to Providenciales, the aircraft landed with the
landing gears retracted, sliding on its belly for an estimated 100 ft. The
pilot reported that he omitted to extend the gear before touchdown. It
is uncertain whether the audio warning, which should sound if the
throttle is retarded to a low level without all three gears being down and
locked, was serviceable.
[Editors comment: The GASCo Stall/Spin report of 2010 revealed that
during the period 1980 to 2008 in the UK the Cessna 150 K, L and M models Maule MX-7-180CN1052UNPPL51 years189 hours
suffered 11 stall/spin fatal accidents in 1,103,000 flying hours. That (23 in past 28 years) Strathaven A/F, S. Lanarkshire
compared with 1 fatal stall/spin accident suffered by all the other C150 The aircraft was landing at Strathaven Airfield. The final approach
models and also the C152s over 3,055,000 hours. Subsequent research by seemed satisfactory to the pilot but when he glanced at the airspeed
Brunel University showed that the likely reason for this is the very light stick indicator, he saw that he was below his target speed. However, when he
forces in pitch on C150 K,L and M models.] tried to increase power, the engine stopped and the aircraft stalled,
hitting some trees before coming to rest in a field. The pilot considers
that either carburettor ice or water in the fuel may have been responsible
for the engine stoppage.
And finally
AAIB Bulletin 2/2011, page
55. Piper
PA-22-150 Caribberan
G-ARHN. PPL 74 years, 340
hours, 4 in past 28 days.
Woodlands, Hants
The synopsis reads:
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