World English Dictionary hindsight— noun “The ability to understand, after something has happened, what should have been done or what caused the event”
Hindsight is great. 20-20 hindsight is even better. Have you ever had the feeling that you should have said something in a situation – any situation – and didn’t?
Do we, as aviation professionals, have a greater responsibility to speak up when we see something that we think may be potentially unsafe? And by aviation professionals, I mean all of us who strive to fly in a responsible professional manner, not necessarily someone who earns a paycheck from flying.
A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to go with another of our flying club instructors to retrieve an airplane that had been stranded after a mechanical issue. It was an interesting day for flying. A large low pressure system had passed through earlier and was now pulling offshore in the Gulf of Maine. This caused a “wraparound” effect of some low level moisture and strong northwesterly winds on the surface.
The trip to pick up the repaired plane was fairly uneventful for two CFIs with thousands of hours between them. On the return leg we had to make IFR letdowns through some bumpy wet clouds. Conditions underneath were not bad; about a 3,000 to 3,500 foot ceiling, 20 miles visibility with some scattered rain showers around. Surface winds were 10 gusting to 18 knots about 30 to 40° off the runway heading with the amount of low level turbulence and wind shear that you would expect; not bad but sporting. It took a bit of rudder work to keep the airplane tracking the centerline.
Well, as we tied down the two airplanes, a new member was preflighting another plane. We chatted for a few minutes and left him to his tasks. As we walked away I thought about saying something to the other instructor. Something like, “It’s a little sporty out there for a 125 hour Private Pilot”. But then I thought; He’s a licensed pilot. He passed a flight test and club checkout. Conditions were VFR and well within the demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane. Would I sound like I doubted his ability?
An hour later, I got a phone call that the airplane was wrecked and lying in the grass between the runway and taxiway. The pilot lost control on his second landing attempt and slid off the downwind side of the runway. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no other damage.
What would you have done?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris,
Our club does not have any published limits. That is done for a specific reason. All our members are at least Private Pilots and capable of making a decision based on their experience and most important the conditions.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that published limits will keep you safe. In this case, the demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane was more than double the actual crosswind encountered. As PIC, we are ultimately responsible for our actions and decisions.
There are legal limits, we all have personal limits (I hope), then there are club limits. In my case I know club limits – related quite loosely to hours, currency and experience – keep me and other members (and the club aircraft!) safe. Flight authorisation for club aircraft is the control point.
Great points.
And that is exactly why I thought about this situation for so long and decided to share it with other pilots.
It is a very fine line and very difficult to decide when to say something. Aviation is all about learning and learning from other’s mistakes. My intent in writing this piece is to share and hope that others learn from it.
John
I agree with Keith and Larry.
While I understand the view of letting the pilot make his own go/no-go decision… If I had direct knowledge of their low flight time and experience, I would voice my concerns to them directly or at the very least give them a PIREP on the current weather conditions.
It certainly is a tricky situation as you don’t want to hurt the other pilot’s feelings, and I’m not criticizing you John, since it’s all Monday morning quarterbacking at this point. But it is possible you might have helped that pilot avoid damaging the aircraft and his ego if you had indeed mentioned the adverse conditions you encountered.
A good lesson for us all! Help and be open to others help.
Clear Skies & Calm Winds,
Len @ ThePilotReport.com
John,
If in fact, he was a student at your operation and you knew he was a 125 hr PP, I could make an argument that you have a responsibility to AT LEAST talk to him and make SURE he knew the risks vs. the benefits….
Even if he was someone else’s student, and I knew he was inexperienced, I would have said something.
Another question… how would you feel if he rolled the thing in a ball and killed himself? And you said nothing…..
I’ve been criticized a few times for speaking up, but try to temper my approach with nothing more than info, and it has been proven to be productive over time.