risk

A340 engine shutdown video

By Dave English

YouTube has a great 15-minute video of an Airbus A340 crew running ECAMs and checklists that results in shutting down an engine in flight. For real. It’s been viewed a bunch of times, but I hadn’t seen it till today, so maybe you haven’t either. It’s an interesting, thought provoking experience. The Swiss airline crew were being filmed by PilotsEye.tv for a high-quality video production of their Zurich to Shanghai flight. But during climb out the number three engine oil temperature starts to gently rise. It’s not TOPGUN, but rather a rare invitation for an intimate look at how professional … Continue reading A340 engine shutdown video

Milking a mouse

By Dave English

“Milking a mouse” Bob Hoover, describing his mindset on being gentle with early jets. Flying The Feathered Edge is a great documentary that’s now on iTunes. It lets us spend 90 minutes with maybe the world’s greatest pilot. That’s a pretty good way to relax over the holidays.

Airport worker killed in “freak accident”

By Dave English

The Daily Express newspaper reports today that an airport worker was killed in a “freak accident.” He was sucked into a jet engine. Or as human factors professionals calls it, a “normal accident”. An Air India official told The Hindustan Times: At the moment, we are absolutely clueless on how this person was near the aircraft. Only an inquiry can establish whose negligence it was and whether the engine should have been switched on at that time.   Comforting to know the negligence witch-hunt has started. Someone must be at fault. Wonder if any management or regulatory people will get blamed for … Continue reading Airport worker killed in “freak accident”

Blame the pilots?

By Dave English

Air Force Times article from two days ago sums up the results of a six-week investigation of the October 3rd bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan that killed 30 people – Crew Blamed. However the news story also notes deeper systematic issues, a culture that places pilots into impossible situations. But you can’t discipline a procedure or a rule or a culture. And no general is going to fall on his sword when there are crew that can be blamed for their ‘human error’.  “The direct result of human error, compounded by systems and procedural failures.” Army … Continue reading Blame the pilots?

Something about not using superior skills?

By Dave English

Theres’s an old saying that truly superior pilots are those who use their superior judgment to avoid those situations where they might have to use their superior skills. It’s a good saying. On 19 August 2013 a Buffalo Airways DC-3 with 21 passengers on board took off from the Yellowknife airport in Canada. Almost immediately the right engine burst into flames. The propellor didn’t fully feather, dragging the plane down. The pilot used great stick and rudder skills to circle the big tailwheel airliner around the pattern (circuit) and land. Landing was hard, the gear was still up, and they were 100 … Continue reading Something about not using superior skills?