The fiery crash of a 44-year-old Mooney MJ201 in 2022, analysed in this edition, remains a stark reminder to engineers and operators that ‘on-condition’ maintenance does not mean ‘fit and forget’ or ‘fit until failure’.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said fuel released and atomised as the wings separated from the fuselage, had likely been ignited by the pre-existing fire within the engine compartment. But it was what had caused the initial fire that worried investigators.
They found that the O-ring seal fitted to the outlet fitting of the engine-driven fuel pump had likely been in place for more than 29 years without being disturbed.
The feature, Wires: they’re out to get you, recalls an accident where a Cessna, on approach to land at a property in outback South Australia struck wires, resulting in the aircraft crashing into the ground. The crash and ensuing fuel-fed fire led to the death of the pilot and passenger.
The report into the accident determined the pilot had lost situational awareness on approach and did not see the wires as they came into land. The runway was positioned in a paddock which made the powerlines essentially invisible from the aircraft’s angle of approach.
Nat Nagy, CEO of the Aerial Application Association of Australia, says preparation is the key for avoiding wire strike accidents.
Contributor Thomas Turner says in another feature that one of the most daunting tasks for many student pilots is the mastery of performance charts. And one of the most-forgotten skills of experienced pilots, in his experience as an instructor, is calculating aircraft performance. Often in training there is no clear connection made between the calculation of aeroplane performance and the evaluation of actual performance relative to those calculations once the aircraft is in motion.
One message in the Close call, Flight planning fail, is that nothing emphasises the importance of flight planning like that knotted feeling in your gut when you have failed to do it. This pilot got that feeling when a cascade of minor circumstances overwhelmed a superficial plan.
This 64-page edition includes a crash comic, quizzes and valuable safety insights, making it a must-read for aviation enthusiasts.
Flight Safety Australia is also available for annual subscription.
