Flight Safety

 An understanding of the causes of actual and potential accidents and incidents will most likely improve a pilot’s ability to operate safely.  Better training methods and a focus on continuing education of glider pilots will have a positive effect on reducing accidents and incidents

Flight Safety  Incorrect WEIGHT AND BALANCE has been highlighted as a particular problem affecting flight safety.  Pilots need better awareness of the importance of getting the weight and balance correct.  Apart from knowing how to make weight and balance calculations and to make proper use of them, a student needs to know other possible causes of imbalance situations.  The FAA GFH discusses problems associated with CG forward of forward limit, and with CG aft of aft limit.

Number of Soaring Accidents

Flight Safety  Look at glider accidents (fatal and non-fatal) reported to the NTSB

Major Accidents  Launch PT3 events –Intentional vs unintentional release  Mid-air collisions –Glider and Towplane collide turning final –Airplane collides with Towplane towing Glider –Two Gliders collide during cruise flight (contest) –Two Gliders collide while thermaling (contest) –‘04-1, ‘05-0, ‘06-1, ‘07-0, ‘08-2, ‘09-0, ‘10-4

Major Accidents  Crashed Gliders –Glider crashed in mountainous terrain –Glider crashed in field  Approach and Landing –Major thrust for the past few years

Landing Accidents  Hit object on approach  Stall/spin on approach -- 1  Hit object on ground -- 3  Hard landing -- 3  Land short (undershoot) -- 0  Land long (overshoot) -- 1  Landing accidents have accounted for approximately 60% of the total number of accidents for decades.  WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM THIS?

Angles vs Distance Do you find it easy to judge a straight line distance – say 1,000 feet? Do you find it easy to judge an angle – say 30 degrees? Can you easily perceive when an angle changes? Can the ability to see instantly an angle which is changing help us as pilots?

Flight Safety SPRM – Single Pilot Resource Management SPRM – Single Pilot Resource Management Use ALL available resources to gain information Use ALL available resources to gain information  Check list usage: –Pilot  IMSAFE –Glider  Rigging (Flight Manual)  Pre-Flight (Flight Manual)  Critical Assembly Check (SSF)  Pre-Takeoff (Flight and Operations Manuals)  Landing (memory)  UNINTERRUPTED CHECKS

Scenario based training  Use realistic scenarios to enhance pilot decision making skills –Ground instruction and class room discussions during primary and recurrent training –Flight instruction during primary and recurrent training

Generate Scenarios  Start by generating a scenario –2-3 sentences that set the stage –A single event per scenario –Make it plausible –Pictures or videos can augment the text  The list a set of discussion points –What factors influence the pilot's decision –What options does the pilot have –How should the pilot prioritize those options

Flight Safety  Don’t be rushed  Don’t assume  Structured uninterrupted preparation