Density altitude strikes again

A brand-new video showing a small airplane crash from inside the aircraft:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDu0jYiz-v8

The video claims that a combination of density altitude and an "air pocket"
brought the aircraft down into the trees, but all I see are effects of density
altitude and what looks like the beginning of a stall.

Everyone survived. The passengers walked away from the totaled aircraft, the
pilot was badly injured but will recover fully, and the cameras were
completely unaffected.

It's interesting that the FAA produced a corny but informative video on
density altitude half a century ago, and it's still pertinent today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZCb6nw_T4U

It almost looks as if the movie were made in the same area as the crash.

NTSB report (preliminary): WPR12LA283

June 30, 2012
N773C Stinson 108
Bruce Meadows Airport, Stanley Idado
Airport elevation 6370 feet
Temperature 27° C
1 crew, 3 passengers

Mxsmanic wrote:

NTSB report (preliminary): WPR12LA283

June 30, 2012
N773C Stinson 108
Bruce Meadows Airport, Stanley Idado
Airport elevation 6370 feet
Temperature 27° C
1 crew, 3 passengers

This accident received huge mainstream media coverage featuring in-cockpit
video recordings. Here's one of them:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=835_1344412426

Yes, looks like a classic high DA accident. Airplane was never able to
climb to a decent altitude.

Mike

Mike Adams writes:

This accident received huge mainstream media coverage featuring in-cockpit
video recordings. Here's one of them:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=835_1344412426

If it bleeds, it leads.

On Saturday, August 11, 2012 9:50:05 PM UTC-4, Mxsmanic wrote:

If it bleeds, it leads.

In Saudi Arabia, women walk *behind* men.

.. . . . . . . . .

"Mike Adams" wrote in message
.. .
Mxsmanic wrote:

NTSB report (preliminary): WPR12LA283

June 30, 2012
N773C Stinson 108
Bruce Meadows Airport, Stanley Idado
Airport elevation 6370 feet
Temperature 27° C
1 crew, 3 passengers

This accident received huge mainstream media coverage featuring in-cockpit
video recordings. Here's one of them:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=835_1344412426

Yes, looks like a classic high DA accident. Airplane was never able to
climb to a decent altitude.

Mike

If DA stands for Dumb Ass it meets all of the conditions of such.g

On Thursday, August 9, 2012 7:42:24 PM UTC-4, Mxsmanic wrote:
A brand-new video showing a small airplane crash from inside the aircraft:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDu0jYiz-v8



The video claims that a combination of density altitude and an "air pocket"

brought the aircraft down into the trees, but all I see are effects of density

altitude and what looks like the beginning of a stall.



Everyone survived. The passengers walked away from the totaled aircraft, the

pilot was badly injured but will recover fully, and the cameras were

completely unaffected.



It's interesting that the FAA produced a corny but informative video on

density altitude half a century ago, and it's still pertinent today:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZCb6nw_T4U



It almost looks as if the movie were made in the same area as the crash.

This clip is getting our attention (flight safety workgroup) as a human factors issue.
Obviously there was poor planning for the takeoff. Density altitude and gross weight were indeed factors.
What has piqued our interest isn't what's obvious but rather how this pilot ignored so many visual cues and performance cues during the takeoff run, all of which should have been telling him to abort.
He ignored these clues over the extended run over terrain where the takeoff could have been aborted at any time.
Finally airborne, the aircraft was barely able to maintain level flight at an angle of attack so close to max Cl that ANY attempt at bank would have increased the stall speed to the max Cl thus causing a stall in turn which would most likely have been fatal at ground contact.
If anything is to be learned from this accident as far as our workgroup specifically is concerned, it will involve the human factors in play during the actual takeoff run.
It's interesting work.
Dudley Henriques

On 2012-08-15, Dudley Henriques wrote:
What has piqued our interest isn't what's obvious but rather how this
pilot ignored so many visual cues and performance cues during the
takeoff run, all of which should have been telling him to abort.

Never underestimate the power of denial.

On Wednesday, August 15, 2012 6:21:10 AM UTC-4, Dylan Smith wrote:
On 2012-08-15, Dudley Henriques wrote:

What has piqued our interest isn't what's obvious but rather how this

pilot ignored so many visual cues and performance cues during the

takeoff run, all of which should have been telling him to abort.



Never underestimate the power of denial.

Quite to the contrary, our interest lies more on the REASONS a pilot accepts flight into error.

DH

On 2012-08-20, Dudley Henriques wrote:
On Wednesday, August 15, 2012 6:21:10 AM UTC-4, Dylan Smith wrote:
Never underestimate the power of denial.

Quite to the contrary, our interest lies more on the REASONS a
pilot accepts flight into error.

As I said: never underestimate the power of denial. I don't know the
experience or history of this pilot, but for a moment if we assume he's
taken off with this load and at this density altitude plenty of times.
He knows performance is bad, but he's climbed out fine but slowly.
But this time he forgot to set the mixture for best power, and never
realises it.

After he takes off and then settles back down to the ground, the power
of denial is this. "Oh, I've done this before, I must have just
tried to lift off too early". Then he's off the end of the airfield
but still over flat land. "It'll climb soon, it always has". His
mind is powerfully telling the possibly more sensible part of him
in a loud voice that it'll all come out OK in the end if we just press
on a little further, and to ignore all the signs that in fact things
will not turn out well, in other words, the power of denial.

There's probably some pschological term for this, but every day I
see people unable to resist the power of denial, that it happens to
pilots too is not unusual and we need to recognise it to stop it from
flying us into the trees.