Page 19 - Volume 18 Number 3

NormalcyAircraft DealershipPurchaseOpportunityIf you have a passion for aviation, the capital to own your business and the acumen to run a successful enterprise then this is certainly your opportunity.Major brand affiliationExclusive, large geographic territoryProfitable and proven historyFor more information and the NDA:www.aircraftdealership.comspecific aircraft. I call the process of accommodating progressively- less-and-less mechanical reliability creeping normalcy.Even if we know there’s a maintenance discrepancy (as the accident pilot obviously did, since he told FAA and NTSB investigators about it), it’s easy to keep it flying if we allow ourselves to be enticed by this “creeping normalcy”. Ourperceived special knowledge of the airplane’s “quirks” can lull us into ignoring even very blatant warnings of what’s to come.More from the NTSB report:While climbing out after takeoff, the NO FUEL TRANSFER light illuminated, indicating to [the pilot] that all of the fuel in the wing tanks had been consumed, leaving only the fuel in the nacelle tanks [60 gallons per side]. Approximately 60 miles from the destination [Savannah, Georgia], the pilot notified air traffic control that he had fuel concerns, and requested priority handling. He [later told investigators he] “knew” he had approximately 400 pounds of fuel left at this point.The pilot, flying over southeastern Georgia, had numerous options available as alternate airports, as depicted on the accompanying map. Perhaps because he distrusted what his fuel gauges were telling him, and because he trusted his work-around method of fuel estimation, and because he shares a common trait with most pilots, strong goal orientation and a fixation on completing a flight as planned, he apparently never even considered one of these options and, instead, pressed on to his intended destination. The report continues:While descending through 3,200 feet, the pilot noticed that the fuel indicators displayed a total fuel quantity of 100 pounds, so he declared a “fuel emergency.” Approximately 12 miles from the airport, the indicated fuel quantity was 50 pounds. A short time later, the left engine, and then the right engine, lost power.MARCH 2014TWIN & TURBINE • 17