Page 24 - Volume 18 Number 10

Twin Proficiency:Stall on the Go-AroundBy Thomas P. TurnerFrom the NTSB:The pilot of a King Air E90 and his flight instructor were going out to practice for about an hour. The flight instructor had given the pilot/owner his initial instruction in the airplane and flew with him regularly, including about 58 hours of dual instruction in the accident airplane. The pilot had accumulated about 51 hours of pilot-in-command time in the airplane make and model. It is likely that the pilot/owner was the pilot flying.One witness reported seeing the airplane pull up into vertical flight, bank left, rotate nose down, and then impact the ground. One witness reported observing the airplane turn sharply, then subsequently saw the airplane hit the ground. One witness, who is a pilot, stated he observed the King Air enter a left bank and then a nose-down attitude of about 75o at an altitude of about 300 feet AGL.It is likely that the pilot was attempting a go-around and pitched up the airplane excessively and subsequently lost control. Post- accident examination of the airframe and both engines revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot’s loss of control of the airplane after pitching it excessively nose up during a go-around, which resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall/spin.The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GA- JSC), a government/indus- try coalition launched in 1997 as part of the industry-government Safer Skies initiative to improve aviation safety, works to improve general aviation safety through da- ta-driven risk reduction efforts that focus on education, training, and enabling new equipment in general aviation aircraft. The GAJSC’s re- view of the fatal general aviation accidents from 2001 to 2010 deter- mined that 40.2% were identified as “Loss of Control (LOC).” Data22 • TWIN & TURBINEindicates one area where airmen experience LOC is while executing a missed approach or go-around.It’s important to note that what you and I might think about when reading the phrase “loss of control” is not what the FAA, NTSB and members of the GAJSC mean when they use the term. In governmentese, LOC is synonymous with “aerodynamic stall.” What happens so commonly in fatal aircraft crashes, the data tell us, is that pilots attain an excessively great angle of attackAlthough the GAJSC’s recommen- dations are designed primarily for pilots of single-engine airplanes, the King Air crash cited above reminds us that LOC crashes can occur in twin and turbine airplanes as well. With that in mind, let’s look at the Committee’s 13 recommendations for pilots to avoid loss of control (stalls). GAJSC asked aircraft owners groups to make these recommendations an area of emphasis in the final quarter of 2014. Most Twin & Turbine-type airplanes are not served by an owners’ “type club,” but the advice, when tailored to the aircraft our readers fly, is equally valuable here as well.Industry Best PracticesBelow are the GAJSC’s recommendations, with commentary applicable to twin and turbine pilots added where appropriate:1 There are subtle differences between a balked landing/go-around and a missed approach, notably, the initial airspeed target and the flap position at the beginning of the procedure. Regularly practice and utilize the checklist procedure for each operation as required.An approach flown to minimums is generally done with something less than full flaps, with some moderate amount of power applied, and at a higher indicated airspeed than when 50 feet above the threshold in the final landing configuration. Consequently, your actions and the aircraft’s responses will beOCTOBER 2014