Page 34 - Volume 18 Number 2

by David Miller JudgmentThe topic for this column came to me rather suddenly in early January, as I listened to the ATC recording of N115WF, the Challenger 601 that crashed on approach into Aspen (KASE). First, let me assure you that I am not qualified as a accident investigator. Nor do I know very much about the 601. What I do know is that, as of the morning after the accident, one person was killed and two were injured as the twin jet attempted its second landing on Aspen’s snow-covered runway 15 with a 25-knot tailwind. The crew reported a 33-knot tailwind on their missed approach and came around for another try. One witness reported that they touched down 3,500 feet past the threshold, so hard that the landing gear was driven into the wings. The airplane wound up on its back, engulfed in flames.What we don’t know is the thought process that took place between the crew members. Being a “Monday morning quarterback” is very easy. Why in the world would anyone in their right mind try to land a jet on that runway with a huge tailwind? A tailwind that vastly exceeded the FAA-mandated limitation of 10 knots? And on a snow covered runway to boot.It’s unlikely that this crew woke up the morning of the flight and decided they would do something stupid. They didn’t intend to kill someone. Yet, they did. All of us reading the transcripts or the subsequent accident report will say, “no way would I have done that.” Yet, on that afternoon in ASE, many corporate jets flew the same approach in similar conditions to a successful conclusion.Were they just lucky enough not to crash?We have all made “stupid mistakes” in our flying careers. Many years ago, right out of my first type rating, JC and I started our taxi to runway 33 at Addison (KADS). I was the copilot. The Sabre had a hydraulic pump that had to be turned on after engine start. Somehow, I missed it on the checklist. As we slow taxied around the corner to Alpha, the pressure gave out and we “coasted” to a stop just a foot or two off the asphalt. The nose wheel was justWith 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having owned and flown a variety of aircraft types, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly a Citation CJ1+. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.resting in the glistening grass. The wet grass, from the overnight rain. It took 6 hours to get us unstuck. There are other examples, like attempting to start an engine with the engine cover installed, or aborting a night takeoff with a red pitot cover still dangling from the airplane.We are human. We make mistakes.Some mistakes we can predict. Have you ever stood near an icy traffic intersection and watched as automobiles collided one after another? Ever watched those YouTube videos of airliners crabbing into a 60-knot crosswind, as you waited for the catastrophe? Did anyone on the crew of N115WF “see” this accident coming? Did anyone suggest a diversion to a more favorable runway? If so, what was that conversation like? On the first approach, the pilot didn’t like what he saw and went around. Did the fact that others landed before him add pressure for him to “perform?”What would you have done?I wish I had more answers than questions. Fly safe.ON FINAL32 • TWIN & TURBINE FEBRUARY 2014