Page 16 - Volume 14 Number 9

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“impressed with anyone who could climb into the airplane and take off with minimal use of a checklist.” The cockpit voice recorder from the accident aircraft was noticeably void of any audible checklist callouts by either the PIC or co-pilot from the time preceding engine start until they were cleared for takeoff. The PIC was a vastly experienced pilot with over 16,000 hours of total time, most of that in jets, 3,100 hours in turboprops and 1,100 hours in the King Air 300. He was presumably proficient with 200 hours of flight time reported within the last 12 months preceding the accident. With all that experience, he likely knew the airframe procedures well and I can imagine he rarely missed anything critical to a particular phase of normal flight, despite his non-use of checklists ... otherwise we would have been reading about an accident earlier than this one.
Whether the PIC’s disregard of pre-takeoff checklist usage contributed to a missed item critical to the safety of the flight is yet to be determined, but the practice certainly did not help the situation. Checklist callouts and challenges are a great tool in the CRM toolbox when flying with someone in the right seat ... even a non-pilot, front seat passenger can read a checklist for verification by the pilot flying. An added bonus is the use of checklists, even abbreviated, is a great tool to help a co-pilot new to the airframe learn aircraft systems, normal configurations and parameters.
Another standout item in the released NTSB documents was the lack of recorded communication between the PIC and co-pilot specific to the operation of the flight. Although the co-pilot was not typed in the 300 series, he did have PIC time in other King Air models and would have been familiar enough to have been of some use in the event of a briefed emergency. On this particular flight, there was no CVR recorded pre-departure crew briefing and acquaintance statements described the PIC as a “’gear up, shut up’ kind
of guy’” and “the ‘old cantankerous captain’.” This type of attitude by a PIC lends itself to a marked lack of one of the best CRM tools around, that of the challenge. When a crewmember is led to believe that they are not actually needed, that their input is lesser than the PIC’s opinion, or that the PIC should not be challenged, a breakdown in effective cockpit communication occurs and the pilot not flying is relegated to passenger status, not that of a valuable crewmember. A proper and thorough crew briefing prior to takeoff should have included elements pertaining to an engine out scenario prior to and after V1, as well as what is expected of the pilot not flying immediately after liftoff.
Items such as guarding the power levers, adjusting the friction locks, when to raise flaps, turning on the yaw damper, etc., are all items I like to brief prior to the takeoff, especially for co-pilots new to flying with me. If you have a capable co-pilot and are not utilizing them to decrease your workload so you are better able to troubleshoot abnormalities during and immediately following takeoff, I highly recommend you review your procedures and see what duties you may delegate (at your command). Start looking at CRM and proper checklist usage as valuable tools that can be used to safely execute a planned flight, as well as foster an appreciation for safety and communication in other pilots you fly with. KA
Deanna Wallace has amassed over 6,000 flight hours since she started flying in 1997 and is a 20-year Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI
with more than 2,000 hours dual given. She holds a Bachelor of Aviation Management from Auburn University and a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Deanna is single pilot typed in the King Air 300/350 and flies all King Air variants regularly, including the B100 with TPE-331 engines. Through her East Texas employer, Casey Aviation, she flies Part 91 managed King Airs, ferries aircraft worldwide and actively instructs owner-pilots in the PA46 piston and turbine series aircraft.
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14 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2020