| From a recent CASA magazine article https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/…/aviate…/“Kreisha Ballantyne takes a look at the effectiveness of aviation safety awareness campaigns in Australia and overseas.Some days the news seems too awful to take in …… Is it getting worse? How and when will it ever get better?To tackle those seemingly intractable questions, we first have to identify the sectors with the highest accident rates, analyse the reasons for the deaths and then construct strategies that directly target the deficiencies uncovered.A mammoth task, especially when you consider the type of accident leading to fatalities doesn’t seem to have changed in decades. VFR into IMC remains a leading culprit……..Over the 10 years, the majority of GA accidents, incidents and serious incidents were related to operational or technical issues. Additionally, the majority of fatal accidents were also attributable to operational issues. Further, the number of GA operational-related accidents and serious incidents, per year, increased over the period. Instructional flying was the main contributor to this operational-related increase.” I commented that LOC-I is apparently not an issue in Australia according to CASA, unlike the USA where that same CASA article stated that the FAA “has deployed 46 safety improvements to address situations with a high-fatality risk, such as maintaining control during unusual attitudes, spatial disorientation and engine failure”. The USA Federal Aviation Administration currently states https://www.faa.gov/…/fly-safe-prevention-loss-control… : “Did you know? • Last year, 384 people died in 238 general aviation accidents. • Loss of Control is the number one cause of these accidents. • Loss of Control happens in all phases of flight. It can happen anywhere and at any time. • There is one fatal accident involving LOC every four days.” In the UK “Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I) continues to be the largest single cause of accidents and fatalities… but the question remains is there enough being done to avoid this?” https://flyer.co.uk/…/six-key-takeaways-from-the-aaibs…/ Some years ago, the ATSB produced reports which clearly showed that LOC-I was the single biggest cause of fatal GA accidents. However, since then they obfuscate the accident causes such that you get stuff like that Flight Safety Magazine article above. “the majority of fatal accidents were also attributable to operational issues” It is not that hard for the ATSB to do a more rational analysis. “Instructional flying was the main contributor to this operational-related increase.” I wonder why that is the case? What does CASA think is the specific issue with instructional flying? Does it have anything to do with the standard and scope of instruction in stall awareness, prevention and recovery. Do flight instructors teach per the Part 61 MOS and AC 61-16, Spin avoidance and stall recovery training? Or do they follow the flawed CASA Flight Instructor Manual? Compare the incipient spin recovery method of Chapter 9, Stalling, with that in Chapter 13, Spins and Spirals then consider that the POH just has one spin recovery technique which applies to spins. An incipient spin is a spin so use the spin recovery method in the POH. There was another CASA post in January, 2024 which is relevant:“Are you ready to soar with our Safety Promotion sponsorship? “Elevate aviation safety all year round and apply now for a chance to secure our support.Don’t miss out – current applications reviewed on 1 November. Visit our website to find out more:”https://civilaviation.au/SP-sponsorship“ “We are focused on sponsorship proposals for activities that increased awareness about the: • importance of pre-flight planning • non-controlled operations• weather • controlled aerodromes and operations • effect of human factors on decision making and organisational culture • safety management systems or practices, particularly those targeting collaboration among industry • aviation rules that have recently changed or are changing • drone safety rules. We also consider sponsorship applications for activities outside these priorities. Usually it is where the activities have a strong safety focus, address known risk factors and lead to improved aviation safety.” Back then I wondered why CASA ignores Loss of Control as the single biggest cause of fatal GA accidents? Obviously, they believe that LOC-I is not an issue in Australia. It is certainly not in the top 8 safety activities. It is never featured in any of CASA’s AvSafety pilot seminars. |
| Finally, this article a few years back https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/…/the…/ addressed the topic of people such as myself. “Buoyed by the anonymity of the keyboard, these largely fossilised creatures—with names such as Drunk on AvTur—exist in a cesspit of misinformation, half-baked truths and misshapen facts, fertilised by the manure of their daily postings. ….I would come to meet many Unreachables, and while it cannot be argued that a great proportion of them were indeed white men over the age of sixty ….Pack animals, the Unreachables are often seen en masse at safety seminars, fly ins and airshows. Here, the alpha, supported by a small but firm group of 20th century die-hards, will stand and regale the speaker with a lengthy tale of their personal battle with AvMed, even if utterly unrelated to the topic discussed.…. never resort to personal insult and mind your manners.” Gee, I am not going to bring up the subject of LOC-I and UPRT at a CASA seminar after reading that. As for “cesspit of misinformation, half-baked truths and misshapen facts” in Australian aviation you don’t have to look any further than CASA. Their long time requirement for incipient spin training, knowing that types not approved for intentional spins were being used. The incipient spin recovery technique in their Flight Instructor Manual which was called out by the ATSB. |
| From that article above:“we first have to identify the sectors with the highest accident rates” Why isn’t this known now, the ATSB has done it in the past? From the ATSB report, A Preliminary Analysis of Fatal General Aviation Accidents in Australia: 1991 to 2000, “Approximately 53% of fatal accidents and 59% of fatalities resulted from noncommercial flights (i.e. private/recreational flights or those involving personal business).” “analyse the reasons for the deaths” Why isn’t this known now, the ATSB has done it in the past? Nothing would’ve changed since the ATSB did the appropriate analysis some years ago. Same as mentioned above for the USA and the UK! “Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I) continues to be the largest single cause of accidents and fatalities.” It has been the same since Wolfgang Langewiesche wrote his book, Stick and Rudder – An Explanation of the Art of Flying, in 1944: ““Almost all flying accidents are caused by loss of control during a turn…. Pilots as a group simply do not know how to turn”. From that older ATSB report: “in relation to all fatal GA accidents considered. …. Approximately 43% of these accidents were described as uncontrolled flights into terrain (UFIT).” UFIT is now described as LOC-I! “and then construct strategies that directly target the deficiencies uncovered” CASA has had ATSB reports going back many years which have pointed to the deficiencies. It seems to me that there has been 80 years of inaction on this subject!Instead CASA ignores LOC-I as an issue.This accident is typical: engine failure followed by LOC-I: stall, spin, crash burn, die. The pilot had a known history of operating with little margin from stalling in the circuit. Suspected cause of the engine failure was carburettor icing so CASA and the ATSB promoted avoidance of carburettor icing to all pilots. An engine failure should not result in a fatal accident! Why wasn’t the safety promotion centred around the awareness and prevention of LOC-I? UPRT anyone? |