Flight hazards

Flying is one of the safest forms of transport because flight safety regulations and procedures are extremely thorough. Planes are regularly serviced, runways and lighting systems are carefully maintained.

1. The aircraft has to cover a long distance on the aerodrome surface before it finally becomes airborne.

Keeping the runways clear at all times is vital. So a team of men drive up and down the runways looking for rubbish and the runways are also vacuum-cleaned regularly.

Snow, slush and ice, particularly, when combined with strong winds and heavy rain, may all present difficulties in maintaining control when taxiing, taking off and landing the aircraft.

2. Take-off and landing are potentially the most dangerous parts of a flight. On take-off there is the danger of engines failing. Severe wind-gusts, turbulent conditions, downdraughts and microburst may be hazardous during take-off and landing.

3. Careful pre-flight inspection should minimize the chances of an accident occurring. During the pre-flight inspection, the ground staff and the flight crew must ensure removal of any substances, which might affect the flight. De-icing procedures and removal of snow build-ups must be undertaken before the flight.

4. Different obstructions near the airport can be hazardous for flights.

Large flock of birds present at many coastal airports, can cause severe damage when ingested into an engine.

5. With the majority of accidents still being the result of ‘pilot error’, the pilot can be considered a potential hazard. It is vital that his health, flying skills, decision-making and flight currency are all kept at the highest possible level.

 44 Exercise 3.

The effect of fatigue on performance and safety

One of the probable causes of the impaired judgment, decision-making and flying abilities of pilots is the effect of fatigue. Fatigue has been blamed in numerous aviation accidents over the years and is a continuing problem facing crews flying aircraft of all sizes. The crash of Korean Airline Flight 801 in Guam on August 6, 1997, was the result of several errors by the crew, most notably a lack of situational awareness resulting in “controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).” What caused the captain to lose concentration and situational awareness, and thereby fly a perfectly good 747 into a hilltop, killing 227 people. Fatigue was listed as a contributing cause.

Symptoms of fatigue include a feeling of indifference to one’s performance, increased reaction time, a decreased ability to concentrate on multiple tasks, fixation, short-term memory loss, impaired decision-making ability, sloppy flying skills, reduced visual perception, loss of initiative, personality changes and depression.

Seventy percent of the accidents in aviation are due to pilot error, and fatigue is a major cause of those errors. If everyone in the airline industry took the appropriate steps to combat fatigue, it is likely that pilot error due to fatigue, therefore accidents due to pilot error, would drop significantly.

 45 Exercise 4.