Page 8 - Volume 11 Number 1
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Consider installing new technology, such as an AOA indicator, which, when coupled with pilot understanding and training on how best to use it, can assist pilots during critical or highworkload phases of flight.
The NTSB believes that “pilots play the most critical role in preventing LOC accidents through ongoing education, flight currency, selfassessment, use of available technologies and vigilant situational awareness in the cockpit.”
If there is something on the list above or the NBAA’s information of LOC in business aviation that you could improve upon, it would be worth investing in, as it might lead to a situation of life or death.
Reduce Fatigue-Related Accidents
For a corporate pilot or crew member of a flight de partment, it is up to the company you work for to en sure you have enough offduty time to get highquality sleep. However, it is up to the pilot, whether they are a corporate or an owner/pilot, to use the offduty time to get sufficient and quality rest.
According to the NTSB, human fatigue can be acute or chronic; both often arise from poor sleep and inadequate health management. The consequences of fatigue on human performance can be subtle. Operators may not recognize loss of attention, slowed reaction times and poor judgment until it is too late.
As a pilot, it is your individual responsibility to manage your own personal fatigue, and be aware that some medical conditions may affect sleep quality – obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia and restless legs syndrome, for example. Also, be informed of impairing drugs that can impact the quality and duration of sleep, as well as some overthecounter (OTC) medicines that have sleep inducing effects. If you are unsure about the medication, check out the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website for a list.
The NTSB believes that “ultimately, fatiguerelated accidents can be avoided with a combination of sciencebased regulations, comprehensive fatigue risk management programs, and individual responsibility.”
Eliminate Distractions
The increasing popularity and availability of portable electronic devices (PED) in recent years has led to in creased potential for pilots to get distracted in the cockpit. Nonessential conversation was an early form of disrup tion in the cockpit, and the increase of PEDs has only accentuated the risk. The NTSB explains that “focusing attention on a PED or nonessential distraction can erode the margins of safety the aviation industry has built up over years with procedures, equipment and training.” Distraction in the cockpit can interfere with the pilot’s ability to complete tasks and maintain situational aware ness, which could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Compared to other modes of transportation, the NTSB states that the aviation industry has long recognized the need for “sterile cockpit” procedures that restrict activities and conversations to the task at hand. In 1981, the FAA introduced the “sterile cockpit rule” (Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121.542), which prohibits distracting personal activities during critical phases of flight, including all ground operations involving taxi, takeoff and landing and flight operations below 10,000 feet (except cruise). This rule strictly prohibits the flight crew from engaging in specific distracting activities.
The NTSB has also asked for a ban on PED use on the flight deck, and in 2014 the FAA issued its final rule on
6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2017
