Go-Around Study

The Flight Safety Foundation analyzed 16 years of aircraft accident data and found that the most common type of accident is the runway excursion. They noted that the almost complete (97 percent) failure to call go-arounds as a preventive mitigation of the risk of continuing to fly unstable approaches constituted the no. 1 cause of…… Continue Reading →

Landing on Contaminated Runways

Landing on Contaminated Runways involves increased levels of risk related to deceleration and directional control. Aircraft Landing Performance data takes account of the deceleration issues in scheduling the Landing Distance Required (LDR), and the Aircraft Limitations specified in the AFM can be expected to impose a reduced maximum crosswind limitation. Operator Procedures may further restrict…… Continue Reading →

Performing Safe Go-Around Maneuvers

A go-around maneuver may be performed in a number of situations, including when requested by air traffic control (ATC) or when an airplane is making an unstabilized approach. Once a go-around decision has been made, flight crews must focus on ensuring that the maneuver is flown correctly by being aware of the difficulties that can…… Continue Reading →

Overweight Landing What to Consider

An overweight landing is defined as a landing made at a gross weight in excess of the maximum design (i.e., structural) landing weight for a particular model. A pilot may consider making an overweight landing when a situation arises that requires the airplane to return to the takeoff airport or divert to another airport soon…… Continue Reading →

Preventing Tail Strikes

Tail strikes can cause significant damage and cost operators millions of dollars in repairs and lost revenue. In the most extreme scenario, a tail strike can cause pressure bulkhead failure, which can ultimately lead to structural failure; however, long shallow scratches that are not repaired correctly can also result in increased risks. Yet tail strikes…… Continue Reading →

Reducing the Risk of Runway Excursions

At the request of several international aviation organizations in late 2006, the Flight Safety Foundation initiated a project entitled Runway Safety Initiative (RSI) to address the challenge of runway safety. This was an international effort with participants representing the full spectrum of stakeholders from the aviation community. The effort initially reviewed the three areas of…… Continue Reading →

Understanding Runways Excursions

A runway excursion occurs when an aircraft departs the runway in use during the take-off or landing run. The excursion may be intentional or unintentional. there are 3 main types of Runway Excursion 1. A departing aircraft fails to become airborne or successfully reject the take off before reaching the end of the designated runway.…… Continue Reading →

Teaching UPRT

Upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) will take many airline pilots out of their comfort zone, exposing them to places unknown. For most of their instructors, too, these places until recently were unfamiliar territory. This article explains why that is the case, and will help newcomers to this subject quickly grasp the essentials of the…… Continue Reading →