RMH 3-3

Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)4048 Hazardous Attitude Antidotes Macho Steve often brags to his friends about his skills as a pilot and how close to the ground he flies. During a local pleasure flight in his single- engine airplane, he decides to buzz some friends barbecuing at a nearby park. Anti-authority Although he knows that flying so low to the ground is prohibited by the regulations, he feels that the regulations are too restrictive in some circumstances. Invulnerability Steve is not worried about an accident since he has flown this low many times before, and he has not had any problems. Impulsivity As he is buzzing the park, the airplane does not climb as well as Steve had anticipated, and without thinking, he pulls back hard on the yoke. The airspeed drops, and the airplane is close to stalling as the wing brushes a power line. Resignation Although Steve manages to recover, the wing sustains minor damage. Steve thinks to himself, “It doesn’t really matter how much effort I put in—the end result is the same whether I really try or not.” Taking chances is foolish. Follow the rules. They help prevent accidents. It could happen to me. Not so fast. Think first. I’m not helpless. I can make a difference. Figure 3-2. Antidotes to hazardous attitudes. Leading Accident Causes 11800 The aviation accident record has improved considerably in recent years, but the reduction in accident rates has not been uniform across the aviation community. For example, the accident rate for air carriers operating under 14 CFR part 121 was reduced by nearly 80 percent in the ten-year period beginning in the mid-1990s. In contrast, general aviation aircraft operating under 14 CFR part 91 maintained a static accident rate of about one fatal accident per 100,000 flight hours. 11801 The FAA and the general aviation community collaborate through the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC), to suggest safety enhancements that could reduce accidents. As part of this effort, the GAJSC analyzed hundreds of general aviation accidents and evaluated the causal factors. The FAA Fact Sheet on General Aviation Safety ranks the following ten leading causes of general aviation fatal accidents during the period 2001-2016: 11802 1. Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) 14624 2. Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) 14625 3. System component failure–powerplant 14626 4. Fuel related 14627 5. Unknown or undetermined 14628 6. System component failure–non powerplant 14629 7. Unintended flight into IMC 14630 8. Midair collisions