Last Wednesday a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 overflew its intended destination airport by at least 150 miles before reversing course and proceeding inbound to land. The A320 was operating as Northwest Flight 188 with service from San Diego to Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP). What the heck happened?
We're not sure yet. After landing the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police at which time they admitted they were in a heated conversation about airline policy which caused a loss of situational awareness on the flight deck. If that's true, the conversation must've been pretty darn heated because it takes a colossal episode of inattention to fly beyond the TOD (top of descent) point, then continue flying for another 250-300 miles while missing repeated calls from air traffic control. I don't fly A320s, but every modern airline jet that I know of will automatically alert the crew in some way, even if minimally, when the TOD is reached without a descent being initiated. That means the crew of Flight 188 had to ignore messages from both their aircraft and ATC for hundreds of miles.
Were both pilots asleep? Maybe. The pilots denied this during interviews, but it doesn't sound impossible to me. The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) will be reviewed and we'll find out what really happened to cause such an extraordinary foul up.
People wonder, were the passengers at risk? Of course! No matter what the case was on the flight deck, sleeping pilots, arguing pilots, whatever, there was no one in command of that aircraft for hundreds of miles. That has all sorts of implications on flight safety. The pilots could've missed a developing mechanical problem as they were obviously not actively monitoring the aircraft's systems, a low fuel situation could've developed, the aircraft could've wandered even further off course, or any number of other dangerous situations could've developed.
Any pilot incompetent enough to allow something like this to happen is probably stupid enough to lie about it too. Luckily, the CVR will reveal the truth. More regulations are certain to be born at the conclusion of this investigation about cockpit crew conduct during cruise flight. When a couple of clowns screw up, it creates a mess and new restrictions for the rest of us, including the good guys.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
"I Knew I Could Do It."
I had the honor and privilege of meeting Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger this evening in Kansas City. Captain Sullenberger came into town to promote his new book and talk a little about the events of January 15, 2009, the day that changed his life forever.As Sully described the events of the famous Hudson ditching, he said something that struck me. The interviewer reviewed the difficult situation Sully was faced with while descending toward the Hudson and asked Sully what went through his mind that day, and Sully said, "I knew I could do it."
He did do it. Exactly as it needed to be done.
For pilots, visualizing the circumstances we wish to create is important. "Armchair flying" has been around for years -- the process of sitting in a chair, closing your eyes, and visualizing yourself in an airplane going through the motions of an upcoming mission. The Blue Angels Navy flight demonstration team performs this exercise as a group before every show. The pilots sit in a circle, close their eyes, and hold an imaginary stick and throttle as the leader talks through the routine.
By visualizing where we want to go or what we want to do, we're paving the road in our brains that our outside experience will soon follow. Captain Sullenberger knew what he needed to do, and he knew he could do it. His Airbus 320 followed the path to a successful outcome that his mind had already laid out.
When faced with an in-flight emergency, know that you can do it too. Visualize the circumstances you must create in order to survive, then carry out what needs to be done to bring those circumstances about. Panic comes from thinking you might not be able to survive, and unfortunately, pilots who doubt their ability to pull through an in-flight emergency often don't make it.
Superior airmanship means staying calm, being confident, thinking positively, and remaining in charge of even the most difficult situation. Sully did these things, and so can you.
By visualizing where we want to go or what we want to do, we're paving the road in our brains that our outside experience will soon follow. Captain Sullenberger knew what he needed to do, and he knew he could do it. His Airbus 320 followed the path to a successful outcome that his mind had already laid out.
When faced with an in-flight emergency, know that you can do it too. Visualize the circumstances you must create in order to survive, then carry out what needs to be done to bring those circumstances about. Panic comes from thinking you might not be able to survive, and unfortunately, pilots who doubt their ability to pull through an in-flight emergency often don't make it.
Superior airmanship means staying calm, being confident, thinking positively, and remaining in charge of even the most difficult situation. Sully did these things, and so can you.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Line Up and Wait
Have you heard? There's a change in ATC phraseology coming...
"Taxi into position and hold" clearances will soon be a thing of the past. The United States is changing "position and hold" phraseology to match International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The long-used ICAO phraseology, "line up and wait" will soon be adopted by The States. "Line up and wait" has been used for years in the United Kingdom and other countries. The new phraseology has the same meaning as "position and hold" clearances.
While I'm on the subject, let me throw a few "line up and wait" safety reminders your way.
In 1991, a US Airways B737 collided with a Skywest Airlines Metroliner on Runway 24 Left at Los Angeles International Airport. It was night, and the 737 was cleared to land on Runway 24 Left when ATC cleared the Skywest Metroliner to "position and hold" on the same runway. ATC forgot to issue takeoff clearance to the Metroliner, and the 737 collided in-flight with the Metroliner killing thirty-four people.
After this tragic accident pilots have been encouraged to exercise vigilance during "position and hold" operations and to query ATC after holding in position for sixty seconds with no updates. Never sit with your back turned to an active approach corridor for more than a minute without speaking up. ATC may've forgotten about you. Do your best to monitor the frequency and create a mental picture of where each aircraft is around you. One of the reasons we're all on the same frequency is so we can benefit from the "party line" and listen to where other aircraft are and what they're doing. I've also heard guidance about positioning your aircraft at a forty-five degree angle to the runway centerline to enable you to check final behind you while waiting for takeoff clearance. That seems hit-or-miss to me for a few reasons: It might not be feasible for larger aircraft, valuable runway distance will be used during the mis-alignment and subsequent re-alignment before takeoff, and the re-alignment process prior to the application of takeoff power requires a slight delay on the runway (which reduces the effectiveness of "position and hold" operations in the first place). But, at least you'll have the reassurance of being able to check for yourself to see if there's traffic behind you. And at night on a runway equipped with centerline lighting, line up slightly offset from the centerline to make your aircraft lights easier to distinguish from the centerline lights to traffic on final.
Remember, sitting with your back turned to final on an active runway is a vulnerable position to be in. Don't be afraid to query ATC if you start to feel uneasy. And don't be caught off guard the first time you're told to "line up and wait." The new phraseology is coming soon!
"Taxi into position and hold" clearances will soon be a thing of the past. The United States is changing "position and hold" phraseology to match International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The long-used ICAO phraseology, "line up and wait" will soon be adopted by The States. "Line up and wait" has been used for years in the United Kingdom and other countries. The new phraseology has the same meaning as "position and hold" clearances.
While I'm on the subject, let me throw a few "line up and wait" safety reminders your way.
In 1991, a US Airways B737 collided with a Skywest Airlines Metroliner on Runway 24 Left at Los Angeles International Airport. It was night, and the 737 was cleared to land on Runway 24 Left when ATC cleared the Skywest Metroliner to "position and hold" on the same runway. ATC forgot to issue takeoff clearance to the Metroliner, and the 737 collided in-flight with the Metroliner killing thirty-four people.
After this tragic accident pilots have been encouraged to exercise vigilance during "position and hold" operations and to query ATC after holding in position for sixty seconds with no updates. Never sit with your back turned to an active approach corridor for more than a minute without speaking up. ATC may've forgotten about you. Do your best to monitor the frequency and create a mental picture of where each aircraft is around you. One of the reasons we're all on the same frequency is so we can benefit from the "party line" and listen to where other aircraft are and what they're doing. I've also heard guidance about positioning your aircraft at a forty-five degree angle to the runway centerline to enable you to check final behind you while waiting for takeoff clearance. That seems hit-or-miss to me for a few reasons: It might not be feasible for larger aircraft, valuable runway distance will be used during the mis-alignment and subsequent re-alignment before takeoff, and the re-alignment process prior to the application of takeoff power requires a slight delay on the runway (which reduces the effectiveness of "position and hold" operations in the first place). But, at least you'll have the reassurance of being able to check for yourself to see if there's traffic behind you. And at night on a runway equipped with centerline lighting, line up slightly offset from the centerline to make your aircraft lights easier to distinguish from the centerline lights to traffic on final.
Remember, sitting with your back turned to final on an active runway is a vulnerable position to be in. Don't be afraid to query ATC if you start to feel uneasy. And don't be caught off guard the first time you're told to "line up and wait." The new phraseology is coming soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)