General Aviation Safety

Someone once said, “If you don’t think too good, then don’t think too much.” I can recall a few aircraft accidents that really didn’t take much thinking on anyone’s part to investigate. Sure, as an aircraft accident investigator there are certain rules...

It is pretty easy to step into this photograph.  We stand on that wind-swept beach at a respectful distance observing the two brothers and their machine.  It is cold, but no one feels it.  The engines are clattering away as the plane moves down the launch rail...

Learning to stall or unstall an aircraft is for the most part a rather mechanical task. You could probably train a chimp to do it. Pull on the control wheel to stall - Push to recover. Right? In the world of flight instruction and airman certificate requirements it...

I guess if I really thought about it, I would have to question my sanity as to why I am willing to put so much trust into that one infernal combustion engine that propels me through the sky.  It rumbles, it vibrates, and has a zillion moving parts anyone of which...

If there is not enough aggravation and expense in your life, try having a prop-strike.  A pilot's first verbal response to unstraightening a prop blade is probably not printable here.  The second response upon learning how long it will take to repair and how much...

Being involved in a car fender-bender is usually a simple proposition to contend with.  Exchange information with the other driver, maybe file a police report, call for a tow if needed, and then notify your insurance company.  All pretty basic stuff.  Not...

We've all been there.  All of a sudden the fuel gauge is the most important instrument in the plane.  Our eyes start fixating on it every few minutes trying to find comfort in a remaining fuel supply that is now in question.  Then comes that anxious feeling in...

Many years ago, I was flying a single-engine plane at night across some very remote and hostile mountainous terrain when the engine started to run rough. It was so subtle at first that I thought it was "automatic rough" caused by an over-active imagination when being...

"I really don't like the idea of you taking this plane to Tahoe," said the owner of the FBO who had just checked me out in the school's Cherokee 140. I gave him reassurances that I was a very safe and competent pilot and, in fact, I had even flown in and out of the...

All summer long it seemed that no matter which direction I headed, there was a permanent headwind attached to the front of the plane. If this kept up I was going to trade my airspeed indicator in for a calendar. Finally, the winds agreed to partner up with me on a...

I consider ice accumulation equivalent to an aircraft being on fire. You have to take immediate action or the consequences will be disastrous. Some pilots rely on the belief that there will be plenty of forewarning before things get serious. Perhaps, but it depends on...

One of my early claims involved a pilot who was flying his recently purchased Beech Bonanza and could not get the landing gear to extend. He conscientiously tried everything he could think of to extend the gear, but finally resigned himself to the fact that he was...