Lessons Learnt
I read three aviation related accidents and I was able to learn something new from each of the accidents. These lessons will help me in my future career as a pilot. There are some things that need to be done so as to prevent avoidable aviation accidents. The three accidents had different causes. All future pilots need to study some aviation related accidents so that they can learn from the mistakes made by other pilots. These lessons will enable me to avoid aviation related accidents in my future career as a pilot.
The first case IAD96LA072 was where the pilot hurt his hand when his thumb and forefinger were hit by the propeller blade. The cockpit door was open and this prompted the illumination of the unsafe light. The pilot noticed that there was a gap between the frame and the door. It is unsafe to have an open cockpit door during flight. The mistake the pilot made was trying to move the door forward while in flight. He ended up injuring his hand due to the slipstream force that moved his arm towards the propeller blade. The lesson I gathered from this case is to always ensure that the cockpit door is safely locked before flight. A pilot can hurt himself if he tries to move objects near the instrument panel while in flight.
The second case SEA00LA155 involved a private pilot who did not file a flight plan. The pilot did not get a briefing of the weather conditions, and was busy studying the weather to see if it would be suitable for flight. He wanted to depart with his family, but was getting frustrated that the weather had not improved. A flight plan would have enabled him to anticipate poor weather conditions, and make the right decision of waiting until the weather was calm. He also made the mistake of not conducting a complete preflight assessment. The plane refused to get off the ground, and by the time he was pulling the brakes it was too late. The plane ended up crashing on some trees beyond the runway. I have learnt that it is important to always file a flight plan. The flight plans enable pilots to be aware of the prevailing weather conditions or events surrounding their intended destination (Martin, 2016). It is also very important to carry out a preflight assessment so as to prevent overlooking objects that could affect the flight. In this case the gust lock was overlooked and ended up affecting the plane takeoff.
The third case DEN99LA102 involved a student pilot who failed to file a flight plan and was not able to anticipate the poor weather conditions. The pilot was flying solo, and the turbulence began to frustrate him to the extent that he was having trouble controlling the plane. One of the major mistakes the pilot made was not taking enough fluids. He was dehydrated and ended up blacking out after he had made the decision to land the plane. I have learnt that it is important for a pilot to take in a lot of fluids so as to prevent dehydration while on flight. Dehydration can make a pilot pass out and end up crashing the plane.
Application
I will apply the lessons learnt from these aviation related accidents in my future career when I leave this program. These cases have enlightened me on some of the mistakes that can be caused by pilots. It is important to always file a flight plan so as to get more information about the weather condition or current events that might affect your flight (Martin, 2016). It is also very important to carry out a complete preflight assessment so as to make sure that all the devices and equipment of the plane are in good working condition. Hydration is important so as to avoid passing out while in flight.
References
Martin, J., (2016). Understanding Conventional Navigation SIDs and STARs and Airways. VATSIM. Retrieved from: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/ifr-specific-lessons/basic-ifr-flight-planning
