accidents

[WaiexN143NM]

hi all,
Theres been some posts recently on insurance prices and prices going up , and rumors of coverage really going to spike up.

i try to read a couple websites daily to keep up on the accident/incident trend.
www.kathrynsreport.com
www.faa.gov. (yes in the shutdown not being updated)

this post may be blunt, but im going to say it.
It amazes me how many pilots young and old refuse to follow the rules when it comes to piloting. flying
with expired or lacking credentials. drugs or alcohol in their system . flying aircraft out of annual. using auto gas without an stc(for certified a/c and an stc avbl) . flying aircraft with known deficiencies. flying in bad weather, low on fuel, flying ifr when the pilot and plane are not certified ,nor capable of ifr flight. flying on a student ticket , taking passengers, flying at night over large water areas, or over mountain terrain at high altitude with no oxygen. the list goes on and on. this is directed at all of GA.
was talking to a insurance agent the other day. their view of GA is appalling. lots of claims. losing control on landing. taxiing into hangars or other aircraft. flying low and hitting power lines, zip lines, or trees.
weve had alot of accidents in the sonex community due to unexplained engine failure. spring is coming, the weather will be better soon, which means our flying will pick up again.
lets strive to improve the accident /incident rate in our community .
is your plane in annual? how is your physical health? auto fuel in tank? is it fresh? have you removed the cowl this winter and checked everything over.? do you need a biennial? maybe some dual with a local instructor in a c172 to shake off the winter blues?
maybe an hour of gnd to go over any questions or reg rules. have you got out your poh and done a weight and balance recently? if you havent flown for awhile go up when the winds are low or calm.
get proficient again. dont take any passengers until you feel confident again.
are you flying sport pilot or basic med? know what the rules are.
this is just a start and a reflection. we are all adults. when something happens, well, just look in the mirror.
thoughts?


WaiexN143NM
Michael

[MichaelFarley56]

Excellent post Michael, and right on point!

While I don't view myself as an expert, I can't help but agree with your thoughts and findings and the general attitude found at many local airports. I think there are a lot of people (and I don't mean only homebuilt owners) who feel invincible as they fly their airplanes simply because they've gotten away with bending or breaking the rules for so long. As an example at my home airport, just a few months ago the owner of a certified airplane felt that "preventative maintenance" included removing the Bendix magneto off his Lycoming for his own in-house overhaul, and wanted me to rebuild it for him when he couldn't figure out how to re-assemble it! There was no way I was doing that!
And don't think the only people who ignore the rules are local GA pilots. You all have probably read or at least heard about this, but this past fall a Falcon business jet ran off the end of a runway in the Carolina's, and a post accident investigation determined both pilots were unqualified to fly the airplane in the first place! One pilot was Second in Command qualified only, and the other pilot had no jet training at all. Had they not crashed, no one would have ever known.
Michael has a great list of things to check this spring as we all pull our airplanes out from a deep winter hibernation. Make sure we as pilots are ready, and make sure the airplane is ready as well.

Let's be safe this year everyone so we can continue to enjoy these amazing little airplanes!

Thanks Michael!