Density altitude strikes again

On 8/14/2012 11:04 PM, Dudley Henriques wrote:


This clip is getting our attention (flight safety workgroup) as a human factors issue.

Dudley, I assume (perhaps wrongly) that was a commercial flight. That
pilot may have made that same slow takeoff in that same loaded plane
hundreds of times. So naturally he "knew" the plane would make it.
....Only today was the day that a clinker was caught in an exhaust valve
so he was missing 50 RPM, or today was the day that a bit of rare wind
sheer gave him an unexpected tailwind on his upwind leg.

I once took off in a "not so strong" 152 after having carelessly left
the mag switch not quite all the way into the "both" detent. The
difference was only 50 rpm, so I missed that cue. By the time I figured
out that this takeoff was marginal, I was committed. I did a circuit
without ever making it to pattern height.

The lesson learned was golden, but I still kick myself in the ass.

Vaughn