For you/me:1. Special kind of flying, pilots; Where are the traps?

Contest Safety

For all of us:1. We can do something to reduce the accident rate.2. Attract more pilots to contests. 3. Rules committee listens to what pilots want!

Why contest safety?

Preview:1. What are the dangers of contest soaring (NTSB)?2. What are patterns, scenarios?3. How can we avoid them? Safety psychology.4. Can rules/procedures changes reduce the accident rate?

“Only a Bozo would do that.” “Can’t we rely on pilot judgment?” “Oh, x was a terrible pilot” “Experienced pilots wouldn’t do that.” “I’ve been flying 30 years, and I’ve never had a problem with that”

How many pilots think about crashes

Reichmann. Holighaus. Gerbaud. Bowman.Experience, great skill do not make you immuneCannot rely on personal experience to spot dangers

 

NTSB + JC serious crashes at contests 1983-2001

    Midair Outland, Terrain

Finish, Landing

Assembly/ inflight

Take off

Total

Pilot Injury

Fatality 3 5 2 1 0 11

Serious 0 8 6 1 0 15

No or minor injury

Destroyed 3 3 1 1 0 8

Substantial 4 12 1 2 2 19

Minor 4         4

  Total 14 29 11 5 2 60

2001 SRA Pilot poll* 72% 11% 8% 5%    

 

*"Please indicate your number one safety concern for this contest season."

1. Overall level (understated!) 1 fatality / 2 years, 1 serious injury / year, many gliders totaled.About 500 pilots on seeding list

2. CategoriesPilot concern: Midair (“the other guy” + near miss experience). Fact: Outlandings remain #1. Surprise: Crashes at and near home airport!

You/I face a serious risk.Willing to face another 20 years like this?

Contest Accident Summary

Look at 1) Close-in/airport crash, 2) Outlandings, 3) Midairs.

 

1986 Uvalde ASW20 Serious Stall/spin. 50 foot 85 kt finish

1986 Uvalde LS6 Substantial Relight, lands short, traffic

1990 Cal. City Nimbus 2 Fatal Slow finish, stall-spin

1991 Hinckley Kestrel 19 Serious Collision on final. 1 Above/behind

1991 Hinckley Pegasus Serious Despite radio contact

1994 Littlefield 1-26 Serious Stall spin after low slow finish

1995 Newcastle Discus Total Lands short. High wind, rotor

2000 Sugarbush V2CM Serious Stall spin base to final after finish

2001 Montague Nimbus 3 Injury Cartwheel, landing in strong x wind

2001 Uvalde SZD 55 Fatal Stall spin after low finish (rest day)

2001 Wurtsburo Discus CS Fatal Stall spin after low finish (not at contest)

1. Crashes after finish at home airport

2. Crashes near home airport

199? Ionia ASW20 Substantial Final glide, landed short

1994 Ionia ASW20 Substantial 1 mile out. Did not get back off tow.

1995 Uvalde ASW24 Destroyed Racetrack N. of airport on final glide

1997 Minden ASW20 Serious 8 Miles out. Sink, wind, “too much to land, not enough for pattern.”

1997 Hobbs Ventus2 Fatal 2-3 miles out on final glide, strong headwind. Passed field, low circle, turned downwind, wires, stall/spin.

Why is stall/spin such a problem? (reminder)

1. No close calls to warn you, very hard to survive

2. It’s not the spin, it’s the setup. Spin at the end of a “attention overload” sequence.

Low finish scenario

Wind

X

Eyes see groundspeed

Pull back to expected altitude

Distractions – traffic, checklist (?!) gear, spoilers..

Surprise: no turn on point

Too much rudder

Nose falls, Pull back

A little low/slow?

Attention overload.Habits fool you down lowNeed high proficiency.Note gear up landings!

Wind18 G 26

X

2 mile out crash scenario

350’ = Mc0+50’. Field or go for it?400 points! All those great Soaring stories!

Beep beep..could this be a thermal?

Beep Beep. Turn here!

Boop boop Oh $%&@, The thermal’s up wind

Critical point for into-wind landing

I guess the thermal petered out350’ = Mc0+50’ Can I make it?

300’. This is nuts,I’d better not

Sees wires, downwind illusion = spin

Airport 2 miles

0

500

1000

1500

2000

10 5 0

Mc3+300’

Mc3 = 80kts dry, 90 kts wet

Mc0=53 kts Decisions: 300’!

Coffin corner on final glideWhere would you thermal or land?

Critical zone

Last minute landing

Low slow finish

1. Don’t do low final glides until you know the fields!2. Fences, wires, hills, ditches, approaches, …draw map?

Safety psychology: • You won’t have time to think. • You will be very tempted.• Early in the sequence – “this is how pilots kill themselves”• Focus conscious attention on flight mechanics, how subconscious

is deceiving you. • Plan, visualize high stress situations• Decide now to give up and land early. • Decide now to do a rolling finish early. • Decide now not to do low final glides/finishes. • Even if others fly by!

What can you do to avoid end of flight crash?

What can rules do to make the end of the flight safer?

• “High finish.”1. 500-1000’ minimum finish altitude. 2. Any lower, you get distance points only. 3. Followed by normal downwind, base, final.

Approach:1. Can a rules change reduce accidents?2. Will it make the contest less fair or meaningful?3. Will it reduce fun too much?Here: #1 only. Up to you: find the balance. Right balance is different for sports regionals / 15 M worlds.Will present many ideas, not proposals.

• Move the ground down 1000’.

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Mc0

5 010

500

0

Pattern, Land

Stop, thermal, look at fields

Mc3

Glide home

Finish

High finish removes coffin corner

Ex - Critical zone

•Not “safety finish”:•50’ is not enough. 500’ min.•Cannot give speed pts for rolling finish•Crucial: don’t press on from critical zone•“But I made it back” = “But I got so close”

 Pro: High finish should sharply reduce stall/spin, low finish, near airport crashes, midair in pattern.

•Only truly Bozo crashes left, not attention overload. •High finish makes no difference to the race.

High finish: pro and con

Con: Fun!

High finish alternatives

3. Do nothing. Rely on safety talks, pilot judgment. Pro: Retains “fun” of low (over ground) final glides. Con: Will result in injured and killed pilots, totaled gliders.

1. Post-finish aerobatics box. Do that loop. Do an outside loop. Strafe the spectators!

2. Pass 1000’ 2 miles out, then finish low over the airport. Pros: -High energy finish, -Eliminates close-in crashes, -Preserves fun low finish. Cons: -Retains potential for low finish crackup, -Potential for collision in “pattern.”

Low fast finish is fun. Is white-knuckle final glide really that fun?

 

1983 Bishop LS3 Fatal Wind shift, lee side turbulence1991 PA ASW24 Substantial “wind shift” “donwdraft” in trees on ridge

1995 Newcastle    Total? In trees on ridge; strong x wind

1995 Newcastle     In trees on ridge; strong x wind

1986 VT LS4 FatalTotal

Seen 15 mi out circling to clear ridge2000 Mifflin  Ventus   Missed ridge transition, in trees

  

1985 Montague LS3 Fatal Strong winds. Cause unknown

1997 Montague Nimbus3 Substantial Hit wires. 4 miles from intended strip

1997 VT Pik 20E Substantial “Sink put me in trees on final” “pressure of circumstances”

1991 Cal city Ventus Serious Low slow approach to Mojave, hit berm

1995 Minden Pik 30E Serious “In process of extending engine”

2. Terrain impact

3. Miscellaneous

1984 TX 1-26 Serious Stall/spin 360s at 100’ after 6 hr flight.1985 Sugarbush Ventus Fatal Stall/spin outlanding

1986 Hobbs ASW20 Serious Stall/spin; hit power lines

1988 CA ASW20 Serious Stall spin outlanding. Water still in

1991 NY? 1-26 Serious Stall/spin, landing on road1993 Turf 1-35 Substantial Avoiding powerlines. Heading to airport, “found sink”

1997 Harris Hill ASW19 Total Stall/spin outlanding. “Pilot overload”

1999 Hobbs Ventus Substantial Stall spin while avoiding wires

Outlandings -- still #1 1. Stall/spin

Outlandings

Patterns in outlanding crashes

1. Stall spin.

2. Attention overload, long setup to stall/spin. •Bad weather – high winds, storms, etc. •Last minute decisions, last minute thermaling, last minute field selection/changes.•On way to, and near airports! “Unexpected sink.”

1. Understand computers, safety altitudes!

What can you do to avoid these crashes?

Mc=330:1

Mc=0,40:1

Final Glide Calculation

Mostly

Sometimes

Rarely, but good terrain

Computer assumes lift = sink. Appropriate for final glide

Mc=330:1

Mc=0,40:1

•Moral: the only time you need it, the lift = sink calculation fails!

Safety altitude calculation

!

Never!

Instrument makers: separate glide (20:1, 100fpm sink) for alternates. You/me: Understand the trap, keep a large margin! No “headed to

airport, found ‘unexpected’ sink!”

Safety calculation should be much more conservative than final glide calculation – assume sink all the way! Alps: 20:1!“Worst case” not “average.”

Safety altitudes

What else can you do? 1. Plan ahead for high stress decisions.2. Recognize the beginning of the sequence.3. You will be tempted!4. If you’re in trouble, likely everyone else is too!

Outlanding crashes – what can rules and procedures do?

5. Move the ground down! Count you as landed out at X (500’? 1000’?) (Over valley floor). Yes, have dug out. Many crashes have circling first! Point: gives incentive to become conservative at 1,500’, not 500’

4. Field guides; pictures, approaches, obstacles, not just useless GPS. Fly from known field to known field.

1. PST, AAT, MAT2. All AST to be MAT – come home for speed points. 3. No fixed minimum time; distance points insteadPST Objections later

Less flying in bad weather, terrain

6. How to end race? Not “Sorry, the gate is open.”

Mid-air collisions

1983 Minden Std. Cirrus Fatal Leaving thermal. “Flying together”?

Std. Cirrus None Landed

1984 Ephrata ASW20 Fatal While joining gaggle

Ventus A None Bailed out OK

1984 Ephrata Zuni II None Nose to tail while thermaling

ASW20 None

1988 Chester LS4 None Thermaling midair. Landed

LS4 None Bailed out

1988 Minden Discus A None Thermaling midair. Bailed out.

Discus B None Landed

1991 Uvalde Discus B Minor 20 glider gaggle. Bailed out

SZD 55 Fatal 20 glider gaggle.

1991 Hinckley Pegasus ? Final approach. 1 above/behind.

Kestrel 19 Serious Had radio contact

1997 Ionia ASW20 None Winglet damage. Landed

? None ?

Mid-air collisions

•Many different kinds, situations for midair. •#1 issue for racing pilots – important bar to participation?

What can you do?

1. Listen to safety talks! 2. Thermal entry, exit, sharing is not easy. 3. No wild pull up/push in flight.4. Be like Karl.5. Somebody is “the other guy!” Is it you?

Midair collisions – what can rules/procedures do?

1. Change rules to reduce gaggling/leeching/start gate roulette

a. Reduce incentive to do it (race structure)b. Reduce ability to do it (start procedure)

2. PST/MAT/AAT - PST reduces GLS - MAT AAT?

Issues:•Unpopular with some pilots – important!•PST MAT AAT collision worries? No data yet. •Does affect race. “Race” vs. “Contest”•If you like “race,” don’t complain about the gaggles!

Midair collisions – what can rules do?

3. Starts: PEV, multiple start points, no call-back

Pro: Reduce leeching of specific pilots.

Con: Reduce roulette/gaggle? Impedes ability to leech, not incentive to leech. May still gaggle at 4950’, spoilers open, watching starts Adds luck factor

4. Increase incentive to be “lone wolf.” Then everyone leaves early!

a) Reduce devaluation when there are lots of late starts.

b) Point bonuses for early starts, start order?

Midair collisions – wild ideas that just might work

5. Allow team flying, as in bicycle races. Pro: A team can leave early; break away from gaggle (worlds) Con: Many. New pilots?

6. Allow thermal detectorsa) Will be made, cheap, good display for lookout.b) Will not make soaring easy, any more than the vario did.c) Will end gaggling, leeching, start gate roulette.d) Will increase landout safety.

1. 1 mile radius/FAI turnpoints for AST2. Smaller races, heats?

7. Challenge: change AST so gaggle/leech/roulette is not attractive?

Spread out more?

Bottom line

•Rules: Simple steps can substantially cut fatality, serious injury rate, by keeping pilots away from those situations.

1. High finish for speed points.2. MAT AAT PST, no min time.3. Reduce devaluation for late starts. 4. Field mapping at popular sites.5. …..Let’s think of some more!

1. Incentives vs. fairness (e.g. close-in landing, rolling finish)2. “Race” vs. “Contest”3. “Trust pilot judgment” vs. “keep race away from fire”4. Attitude towards crashes. No more Bozo, alien abductions.5. Apply the Bowman lesson to the rest of racing.

•Landouts, low finish energy are still the biggest source of crashes.•Most crashes in high stress / attention overload situations.

•Philosophy

•Proper balance depends on race. More for regionals!

What can you do?

1. Safety psychology; thought patterns that lead to bad decisions.2. Listen hard to Charlie Spratt speech.3. Mentally prepare, visualize high stress/quick decision situations.4. Recognize beginning of pattern that leads to trouble.

a) Landout crash sequence.b) Close – in; slow finish sequence.

5. Recognize “bad thoughts” – high stress, attention narrowing, subconscious flying the plane.

6. Make your own decisions – what’s safe for the big boys is not necessarily safe for you & me.

7. Few will be remembered as fast. Many can be remembered as safe.

8. Tell the rules committee how you feel!

Objective……