Doc
Doc
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2014
- Messages
- 214
- Reaction score
- 28
So I remember reading the accident report on a PA32 that crashed a few months ago, killing all 4 occupants in Texas, where one irregularity was that several witnesses observed the forward baggage door open during takeoff. It's unclear if it caused the accident, or if the pilot became preoccupied with the door, and subsequently stalled/spun at about 100-150 AGL.
http://www.ntsb.gov/about/employmen...-de38-4582-95e3-693ecf76c0d3&pgno=2&pgsize=50
Yesterday I was going for a short hop in the evening with a friend, and after the run-up, during the pre-takeoff checklist, I said aloud "doors locked and latched" checked the passenger and rear doors visually, and then thought, "I don't think I latched the forward baggage compartment after stowing the tow-bar." I had my passenger open the door and take a look, and sure enough, it was open. I shut down, closed the door, and re-started and had an uneventful flight.
Being preoccupied with the multiple talks involved with flying, it didn't really hit me until I landed last night. I really came close to having a bad situation - the identical situation to the accident aircraft. The pilot had 1350 hours, a thousand more than me, and I guess it's the first time in a while I've actually had a real sense of fear.
It's certainly reinforced my dedication to the use of checklists, and not just the pro-forma reading down the list, but actually thinking about each item as I read it off and what it means to the actual plane I'm in, it's systems, potential squawks, failures or other issues.
http://www.ntsb.gov/about/employmen...-de38-4582-95e3-693ecf76c0d3&pgno=2&pgsize=50
Yesterday I was going for a short hop in the evening with a friend, and after the run-up, during the pre-takeoff checklist, I said aloud "doors locked and latched" checked the passenger and rear doors visually, and then thought, "I don't think I latched the forward baggage compartment after stowing the tow-bar." I had my passenger open the door and take a look, and sure enough, it was open. I shut down, closed the door, and re-started and had an uneventful flight.
Being preoccupied with the multiple talks involved with flying, it didn't really hit me until I landed last night. I really came close to having a bad situation - the identical situation to the accident aircraft. The pilot had 1350 hours, a thousand more than me, and I guess it's the first time in a while I've actually had a real sense of fear.
It's certainly reinforced my dedication to the use of checklists, and not just the pro-forma reading down the list, but actually thinking about each item as I read it off and what it means to the actual plane I'm in, it's systems, potential squawks, failures or other issues.
