Page 42 - 213718_September20T

Belted
“Jax Center, King Air three niner six delta mike would like to deviate ten right for a buildup,” I asked. “That’s ap- proved, and when able, direct Charleston executive,” came the immediate reply.
Descending through 12,000 feet, in the clear, I noticed a small buildup to my left, only a few hundred feet above me. I thought about pushing through it, but with Patty on board, a more comfortable ride was in order. I nudged the airplane slightly to the right to miss the benign, puffy cumulus.
Then I lost consciousness.
I woke up less than a second later. My head had slammed to the left against the sidewall of the King Air. It was the most
On Final
by David Miller
Incredibly, the Garmin autopilot remained engaged. I glanced up toward the ceiling and noticed several black scuffs on the vinyl where my head had landed (see photo).
We continued on to our destination and landed unevent- fully. I laid awake that night wondering how bad things could have been if we had not been secured in our seats.
We were in Charleston for a Citation Jet Pilots regional meeting. While there, I had an opportunity to ask others if they had ever had a similar event. Very few had.
“How many of you have ever had your headset thrown off in turbulence,” I asked.
Almost no one raised their hand.
It wasn’t my first such event.
Years ago, in my Citation Mustang, I lost my headset twice in one flight, in clear, low-level wind shear as I approached Dallas after a fron- tal passage.
“How many of you fly in cruise flight with the inertia reel belts re- leased,” I asked. The answer was quite a few.
Each year, numerous flight atten- dants and passengers are injured in airline operations from unexpected encounters with turbulence. In late September 1999, a Falcon 900B with a crew of three and seven passen- gers incurred a violent flight control issue. Only the three crew members were wearing seat belts. The seven unsecured passengers died during the event.
Seat belts are installed in our air- planes for a reason. It’s simply not okay for us to discontinue their use because we feel more comfortable without them.
Especially flying single pilot. Fly safe.
violent turbulence encounter of my 50-year flying career. My headset was ejected from my body. As I regained my composure, my vision was blurred. I looked for my headset which was on the cockpit floor. Next to it was my spare set of glasses tossed from my pocket, a black metal screw and a small piece of broken plastic.
I glanced to the right and realized that Patty’s headset had departed as well.
“You okay?” I yelled.
“I think so,” she replied. As usual, we both had on our full, four-point seat belts. If Patty had been in the cabin and unbelted, she likely would have been injured.
David Miller has owned and flown a variety of aircraft from light twins to midsize jets for more than 50 years. With 6,000 plus hours in his logbook, David is the Direc- tor of Programs and Safety Education for the Citation Jet Pilot’s Safety Foundation. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.
40 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2020