Safety Update – (Incipient) Spin Recovery Training

The Melbourne Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society Australian Division held their first Flight Training Forum on 24 October 2019 with the theme of Flight Training Now and the Coming Challenges .

David’s slides are available online here for information. https://aerobaticsaustralia.net/?attachment_id=283

He spoke about the CASA email of 23 May 2019 which is copied below with some additional information and some interim advice to flight instructors.

“Safety update: spin recovery training

The recent ATSB investigation into a fatal accident involving a Diamond DA-40 found the conduct of advanced stall training was a contributing factor to the cause of the accident. It also highlighted that there can be varying interpretations of an ‘incipient spin’, and this has led to aircraft not approved for intentional spins being used for incipient spin training and assessment.

The release of the findings and the safety advisory notice are a timely reminder of the hazards of conducting an activity in an aircraft for which it is not certified.

Flight training operators, their Heads of Operations and Flight Examiners are obliged to ensure that aircraft used for training, flight reviews and testing purposes are certified for the manoeuvres being performed.

Incipient spins and training requirements

The conduct of an incipient spin in an aeroplane that is not approved for spinning places the aeroplane outside the normal operating envelope into the safety margins provided by the aeroplane certification standards for airframe structural integrity and demonstrated ability to recover from the manoeuvre.

CASA is developing further guidance material in relation to the conduct of incipient spins and advanced stalls and how to meet the flight training and testing standards in the Part 61 manual of standards. We expect to finalise these over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or require clarification.”

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