NTSB Continues Spotlight on Loss of Control

NTSB Continues Spotlight on Loss of Control

The NTSB ational Transportation Safety Board is continuing to shine a its spotlight on loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) accidents, recently hosting another event to delve into the issues surrounding LOC-I and preventive measures through training and technology. The April 24 day-long roundtable session, moderated by NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt, is the latest in a series of efforts the Safety Board has taken to address general aviation’s leading cause of accident fatalities. The NTSB previously has hosted a symposium, issued safety alerts, held regional sessions and highlighted LOC-I in its "Most Wanted List" of transportation safety improvements.

Joining Sumwalt in the roundtable were NTSB member Earl Weener, other senior-level Safety Board staff, and representatives from the FAA, aviation associations, universities, and companies.

“Loss of control in -flight kills more general aviation pilots and passengers than any other factor,” Sumwalt told the roundtable participants, saying the roundtable’s goal is to develop clear actions to address the issue. “Loss of control in -flight is claiming entirely too many lives. Let's get to work.”

Over the past 10 years, 978 pilots lost control of their airplanes, resulting in 1,672 fatalities. “That is enough to fill this conference room six times over. Loss of control is a real problem,” said John Delisi, NTSB, director of the Office of Aviation Safety.

The roundtable focused on a number of factors that could play a role in preventive measures, including professionalism;, pilot mentoring;, new technologies such as flight-data monitoring, simulator solutions, and , information sharing;, common pilot mistakes, and management systems.

Culture Change Needed

The session opened with NASA shuttle commander and Orbital ATK Flight Systems v-p and general manager Charlie Precourt discussing the importance of creating a culture of learning in general aviation. Some initial training experiences are not pleasant, he said, and creates a fear of continuing education. At NASA, he said, “We taught each other to not fear embarrassment, because embarrassment is what comes with learning. It reinforces; sometimes it is easier to learn from your mistakes than your successes.”

That goes for the flight trainers too, Precourt said, adding instructors should also learn from their students mistakes to continue to hone their own skills.

A change in culture is necessary, added Doug Stewart, founding and charter member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators. Too often students, when asked how long training takes, are told a finite time, Stewart said. But they need to be told that the process will continue throughout their time as a pilot.

Aerobatic champion and Patty Wagstaff Aviation Safety general manager Patty Wagstaff stressed the importance of professionalism, agreeing with sentiments that Sumwalt also expressed: “You do not have to be a professional pilot to act like a professional. Professional pilots are always seeking ways to improve.”

She expressed concern that many pilots do not gain even the basic skills, and she emphasized the need to be open to instruction and willingness to make mistakes in instruction. “Pilots don’t always know what they don’t know…Sometimes we have to go backwards to move forwards. I think pilots really have to revisit the basics.”

“I think there is a lack of stick- and- rudder skills and a lack of understanding of the aerodynamics behind some of these maneuvers,” added Carolina Anderson, associate professor of aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who noted that students need more training on stall speeds in slips and skids and uncoordinated flight. She also said she believes glider training often helps with rudder skills because it prepares for management planning.

Dave Sizoo of the FAA’s Small Airplane Standards division further discussed a need for pilots to remain connected with the aircraft, saying a weakness in channelized attention is a contributor to loss of situational awareness. “Pilots have to be connected with the airplane and understand when the airplane is talking to them,” Sizoo said, “It goes back to …primary flying skills.”

Paul Deres, director of education for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, also stressed the need for a more focused flight review. “We all agree that flight reviews in general are basic regulatory minimums, one hour of grounds, one hour of flight. Being a flight instructor myself, I have been guilty of that, doing it by the book and then signing off on the pilot and see you in 24 months.” But the flight training community should focus on individual pilot performance, emphasizing skills, proficiency, and knowledge on high-risk areas of flight, Deres said.

The Air Safety Institute also helps pilots learn through the mistakes of others with a video series highlighting and retracing past accidents, he said.

Sizoo further highlighted the debrief as a learning tool. With the military, he said, “most learning actually occurred not during the flight, but in the debrief.” He suggested that even recreational aviation pilots could benefit from this tool. “There is a technique called a two- minute debrief. You go through and reconstruct the flight and think, what could I have done better? That makes a recreational GA pilot a professional.”

Improvement Efforts

The roundtable discussions also focused on the expanded use of simulators, including desk-top and home-based systems, and addressing a concern that it might interfere with gaining flight time.

Mindstar Aviation president and CEO Stasi Poulos agreed, “You can really immerse the pilot in any environment at home. Everybody in my company is frequently free flying -- pre- flying their real-world flights.”

But at the same time, the group discussed limitations on how certain scenarios feel in flight simulators.

On the technology front, Sizoo detailed some of the ongoing research at the FAA to look at technologies such as aAngle- of-a Attack sensors as more than just gadgets to add onto aircraft or just another display system. Researchers are looking at how to turn these types of sensors into multi-faceted tools that help pilots better fly. The AOA sensor, for instance, can help with tactile feedback, he said, maybe even channeling through the stick shaker, to alert pilots in advance of the aerodynamic characteristics and prevent the “startle factor” that can accompany a sudden unfavorable aerodynamic scenario. This research, Sizoo added, is focusing on affordable sensors rather than the higher-end systems found in business jets.

He detailed other research efforts such as a collaboration with NASA on automatic ground collision avoidance, a system that has been in use on military aircraft. This project is looking to bring that technology to GA cockpits, using algorithm that can run on an iPhone or and iPad and monitor altitude and energy state in relation to terrain and obstacles. This system provides viable escape maneuvers based on aircraft performance and current energy state, based on a database that is much more accurate than TAWSaws databases. Sizoo said the project has had good results and now the team is looking for industry partners.

Precourt also discussed industry efforts such has how to bring energy management into a suite of tools to prevent loss of control, looking at “can we do something without having the pilot [needing to] decipher a bunch of digits in the cockpits to give him the sense that he is running out of energy.” He noted modern Airbus aircraft have energy warning systems.

With new standards for small airplanes in place, research now is are aiming at technologies that would prevent loss of control altogether, said Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

The roundtable focused on data-sharing as well. Hennig and Sean Elliott, vice president of advocacy and safety for the Experimental Aircraft Association, detailed the efforts of the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee to take a data-driven approach to zero in on root causes. This leads to more focused looks at areas such as loss of control, controlled flight into terrain and powerplant safety and has led to progress in areas such as the facilitation of broader use of AOA indicators, the highlighting of the importance of access to good weather and the emphasis on a good safety culture.

 Also discussed were the successes of data gathering, sharing, and use by flight schools, including looking at precursors to events and packaging training around them.

“The information-sharing piece has been hugely beneficial,” said Andrew Walton, director of safety for Liberty University School of Aeronautics, adding that the school has applied a model that has worked for the airlines. Using this the school can share experiences and apply lessons learned. Flight-data monitoring also has highlighted specific issues that can be addressed, he said.

The panel touched upon a host of other issues that touch upon training, technologies, and skills— – and finding the balance among between them— -- leading Sumwalt to conclude, “The conversation continues. There’s a lot that needs to be done. There’s a lot that will be done.”

NTSB plans to continue those efforts, including an NTSB/EAA Safety Standdown planned during this summer’s upcoming EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.