Posted on February 13, 2012 by ICATEE Chairman

Stall Prevention Requires a Combined Set of Skills

Investigators have found that the crew of a QantasLink Boeing 717 with roughly 100 passengers experienced stick shaker activation during a 2010 flight on two of three approaches, because of pilot error prior to takeoff. The flight was out of Perth for Kalgoorlie and on the first approach, the stick shaker activated as the jet descended through 1,100 feet. The crew elected to go around and experienced the stick shaker again on a second approach as the aircraft passed through 350 feet. The third landing attempt was successful but not without difficulty. According to investigators, the captain had entered improper data that resulted in a weight calculation that was off by more than 21,000 pounds.

view full post »
Filed in Key Messages, News | Comment Now
Posted on November 28, 2011 by ICATEE Chairman

New Guidelines Coming for Stall Training

Now the leading cause of airliner hull losses and fatalities, loss of control is driving improvements in training to help pilots recognize and recover from aircraft upsets in flight. Stall is the number-one cause of upsets leading to loss of control. Pilots are well trained, aircraft have protection systems and yet we are still getting upsets. Why? Because loss of control in flight is rare, unpredictable and catastrophic—and pilots are not adequately trained. ICATEE is in the final stages of developing new tools and guidelines for upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) to address concerns raised by LOC-1 accidents including Colgan Air 3407 and AF447. Read the full article on aviationweek.com.

Filed in Key Messages, News, Press Releases | Comment Now
Posted on November 24, 2011 by ICATEE Chairman

“When Disaster Threatens, Instinct Can Be a Pilot’s Enemy”

In the wake of the Air France crash over the Atlantic in 2009, the aviation industry is realizing that many pilots are not adequately trained to overcome impulsive reactions during a loss of control. The New York Times has posted an interesting article on loss of control in flight and the need for a different approach to train pilots to deal with these situations. In the article, the word is given to several persons who are involved with upset recovery training and in the investigations of recent air incidents that have taken place and which were contributed to loss of control in flight.
 
Please visit the New York Times Europe Page to read the whole article.
Filed in Key Messages, News, Press Releases | Comment Now
Posted on November 9, 2011 by ICATEE Admin

NTSB Chairman Cites Loss of Control In-Flight as a Primary Threat to Air Safety

The video below shows the recorded opening remarks to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Simulation Group meeting on 9 November 2011 in London, UK. The NTSB chairman encourages the enhancement of flight simulator technology and the prioritization of mitigating the loss of control in-flight threat in aviation safety developments.

view full post »
Filed in Key Messages, News, Regulatory, UPRT Resources | Comment Now