WASHINGTON, DC
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a Safety
Alert today urging pilots to vigilantly look out for other aircraft and
to make their own presence known.
The Board has investigated numerous general aviation accidents in
which pilots operating near one another did not maintain adequate visual
lookout and failed to see and avoid other aircraft. Investigators also
note that pilots can be distracted by technology such as cell phones,
tablets and other devices that challenge the see-and-avoid concept.
“As a pilot, your first job is to fly your own airplane,” said NTSB
Chairman Christopher A. Hart, who is also a pilot. “Part of that job is
to scan for other airplanes. On-board traffic advisory systems are not a
substitute for an outside visual scan.”
The safety alert advises pilots to scan for traffic throughout their
flight, clearly communicate intentions, use lights to be more
conspicuous and encourage passengers to help scan for other aircraft.
See and Be Seen: Your Life Depends on It
Maintaining
Separation from Other Aircraft
The
problem
Accidents have occurred in which pilots operating near
one another did not maintain adequate visual lookout and failed to see and
avoid the other aircraft.
While some accidents
occurred in high-traffic areas (near airports), some accidents occurred in cruise
flight; in the cases described below, the pilots were flying in daytime visual
meteorological conditions.
All pilots can be
vulnerable to distractions in the cockpit, and the presence of technology has
introduced challenges to the see-and-avoid concept. Aviation applications on
portable electronic devices (PEDs) such as cell phones, tablets, and handheld
GPS units, while useful, can lead to more head-down time, limiting a pilot’s
ability to see other aircraft.
Related
accidents
In January 2015, two Piper
PA-18s collided near Wasilla, Alaska, while conducting cross-country flights.
The commercial pilots of each airplane sustained serious injuries. A ground
witness indicated that the airplanes were converging at a 90˚ right angle and
that neither airplane changed altitude or direction as they approached one
another. (ANC15FA009)
In September 2014, a Cessna
172 and an amateur-built Searey collided near Buffalo-Lancaster Regional
Airport, Lancaster, New York, while participating in a fly-in event. The
commercial pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172 died, and the private pilot
and passenger of the Searey were not injured. Both airplanes were traveling
westbound with the Cessna behind the Searey. The Cessna was traveling about 90
knots and was gradually descending, and the Searey was traveling about 70 knots
and was gradually climbing when the Cessna overtook it. (ERA14FA459)
In March 2012, a Cessna 172
and a Cessna 180 collided near Longmont, Colorado, about 7,200 ft mean sea
level. The private pilot and instructor in the Cessna 172 died, and the pilot
of the Cessna 180 sustained minor injuries. The Cessna 172 was in level flight
on a north-northeast course, and the Cessna 180 was in a gradual climb on a
northerly course. The pilots were not in contact with air traffic control at
the time of the accident, and neither pilot maintained adequate visual lookout
for the other airplane. (CEN12FA199) SA-045 May
2015
In July 2011, a Cessna 180
and a Cessna 206 collided about 900 ft above ground level near Talkeetna,
Alaska. The airline transport-rated pilot of the Cessna 206 was not injured,
and the private pilot and three passengers of the Cessna 180 died. The pilots
were monitoring different radio frequencies and failed to see and avoid the
other airplane as each was approaching Amber Lake on the left downwind. (ANC11FA071)
What can pilots do?
Be vigilant and use proper
techniques to methodically scan for traffic throughout your flight, not only in
high-volume traffic areas.
Divide your attention
inside and outside the aircraft and minimize distractions (including
nonessential conversations, photography or sightseeing activities, and PED use)
that may degrade your ability to maintain awareness of other aircraft.
Make your aircraft as
visible as possible to other aircraft by turning on available lights, including
anticollision lights, and consider using high-intensity discharge or LED
lighting.
Clearly communicate your
intentions and use standard phraseology, known distances, and obvious ground
references to alert other pilots of your location.
Recognize that some
conditions make it harder to see other aircraft, such as operating in areas
where aircraft could be masked by surrounding terrain or buildings and when sun
glare is present.
Encourage passengers to
help look for traffic and, during instructional flights, ensure that one pilot
is always responsible for scanning for traffic.
Effectively use on-board
traffic advisory systems, when available, to help visually acquire and avoid other
aircraft and not as a substitute for an outside visual scan.
Need more
information?
The following Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory circulars (ACs) can be accessed from www.faa.gov:
AC 90-48C, “Pilots’ Role in Collision Avoidance”
AC 90-66A, “Recommended
Standard Traffic Patterns for Aeronautical Operations at Airports without
Operating Control Towers”
AC 90-42F, “Traffic Advisory Practices at Airports without Operating
Control Towers”
The website www.seeandavoid.org, which is funded by the FAA and
the Air National Guard, provides pilots with information and education on
airspace, visual identification, aircraft performance, and mutual hazards to
safe flight to help eliminate midair collisions.
The FAA Aviation Safety
Program publication “How to Avoid a Mid Air Collision”
(P-8740-51), which describes pilot scanning techniques and offers a useful
collision avoidance checklist, can be accessed from the FAA Safety Team’s web
page at www.faasafety.gov.
This National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) safety alert and others can be accessed from the NTSB’s
Safety Alerts web page at www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Pages/default.aspx
or searched from the NTSB home page at www.ntsb.gov.
This and other Safety Alerts are available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Documents/SA_045.pdf
