NTSB Most Wanted Aviation List 2014

     The two issues on the most wanted list of the NTSB 2014.  First is, Address Unique Characteristics of Helicopter Operations. Second, General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather.  I am more concerned with the general aviation side of the issues.  As history dictates about two thirds of all general aviation accidents occur in instrument meteorological conditions and the majority of these are fatal.

     In the technological advanced cockpit today, pilots have weather radar screens that they can use to their advantage, air traffic controllers, and meteorologists.  With all this technology in the cockpit some pilots may gain a false sense of confidence while truly not understanding all the automation.  This may cause a pilot to make an unsafe judgement unknowingly into adverse weather conditions. Air traffic controllers, depending on how busy they may become during their shift, are not required to inform pilots of adverse weather they encounter.  However, Air traffic control has informed me of extreme precipitation ahead of my flight path during the summer months in Michigan. 

     The National Transportation Safety Board has classified weather issues into three categories.  First, pilot training and operations.  Second, the creation of weather information and advisories.  Finally, collection and dissemination of weather information.  Communication is the flow of information from one person to another and our first line of defense is us, the general aviation pilot.  The National Transpiration Safety Board is currently trying to implement a plan so that it standardizes the use of weather in the aviation industry.  This will happen by general aviation pilots and air traffic controllers being able to provide real time weather prior to and during flight using cameras.  I absolutely believe that this should be a hot topic in the industry, having weather available to you at the touch of a finger is an awesome asset for general aviation pilots to utilize.

     As a student pilot you normally do not fly in low visibility conditions with your instructor.  Your instructor sets limitations in your logbook, what airport you can land at, and ceiling requirements.  As you progress in your training you then set your own personal minimums.  With the use of automation and synthetic vision I could see how some general aviation pilots may try to cheat just a little.

     Honestly, you can never be prepared enough for the forecast conditions you may encounter.  Every time you take a flight in an airplane you are taking a risk even if it is a short flight to and from the airport of intended use.  Weather conditions constantly change and no flight is ever the same, this is why flying is so intriguing to me.  Both of the issues that the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, create jobs in the aviation industry.   Pilots with higher flight time may be interested to join the airline in a teaching position for the younger officer who has not encountered some the weather phenomenon that the experienced pilot has.  Both of these issues open up teaching opportunities of high time pilots with experience to the inexperienced pilot through knowledge, safety seminars, and  flying with them.  I believe that weather is something that is a substantial issue to all pilots and staffing of meteorologists is a must.  Spending the money on this sole issue is an absolute guarantee to improve the level of safety in the general aviation industry  

    

Relieved of duty for landing at the wrong airport

     On September 7, 2011, Colgan Flight 3222, mistakenly landed at Southland Field, Louisiana (L75), a much smaller airport, on runway 15. This freak occurrence has happened at least two times in the last 20 years.  Their original destination was to land in Lake Charles, Louisiana (LCH), on runway 15.  It was a clear night when the pilots came upon the first indication of runway lights after flying in pitch-black conditions departing out of Houston, Texas.  Southfield airport is located 8 nautical miles west of Lake Charles with the same runway layout.  The crew of the plane was immediately "relieved of duty" while the investigation is underway.  The pilots were familiar with the route, and had flown to the Lake Charles Airport before.  The pilots were cleared for a visual approach by air traffic control out of Houston, because the tower at the airport they were supposed to land at was unmanned at that time of night.  However, they did not rely on their instruments and this is where the mistake begins.

     Some of the hazards associated with this flight are runway lengths, navigation aids, and other small aircraft that normally operate out of this airport.   The runway length at Southland Field is 5000 feet long by 75 feet wide and the runway length at Lake Charles is 6500 feet long by 150 feet wide.  The pilots did not rely on their instruments to guide them and just looked out of the window for the lights at the airport.  If they would have looked at the instrument panel and noticed that the radio frequency was incorrect, they would have figured out that the runway they were landing at was not the right one.  The complications for making this mistake are huge, for example the pilots were immediately relieved of duty pending investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.  This means that until the situation gets resolved they better be looking for a new job that will pay them some money since they are not going to receive a paycheck.

     I believe all the media that we see today on the television is mostly negative.  All they want is a story and when an airplane lands at the wrong airport, they are the first ones to notify the public about it.  It seems as if any mistake made by a pilot is newsworthy and immediately gets publicity even if the pilot lands the plane safely.   I am not supporting the efforts of the pilots that landed at the wrong airport, this stems back from their training that they received in previous years.  As a pilot you are required to have with you the destination airport diagram and be familiar with everything about it.

     

     Company policy dictates whether the pilots will be “relieved of duty,” not the pilots themselves.  All pilots know that if they make a mistake they are going to be all over the news and this portrays a negative appearance to aviation, even to the people who do not understand the airlines.  When I worked for Endeavor airlines over the summer they would bend over backwards to help you if you had any type of situation that you could not handle on your own.  Landing at the wrong airport is huge because it shows that complacency is becoming common in the airlines with everything going digital, there is less that pilots need to do in the cockpit.  If you rely on automation you are going to set yourself up for failure, you can input the wrong fix and the airplane doesn’t care.  It is going to take you to where you want it to go regardless of terrain.

Introduction

Hello,

     I am Trevor Ashmore, I have lived in Michigan almost my entire life.   I grew up in Saginaw, MI and graduated from Heritage High School in 2003,  I was unsure of what I wanted to do or what I wanted to be.  I have always had an interest in Aviation, I remember when my parents bought me Flight Simulator 2000 and I would sit in the back room of our house and fly all different types of aircraft.

     On March 24,2004, I made a decision with my best friend to join the Army.  I spent the next four months in Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training.  At the end of boot camp, I received orders for my new assignment to Fort Riley, Kansas.  I was assigned to 1st Brigade 16th Infantry Division where I would serve the next four years of my life. While I was at Fort Riley some of my accomplishments were, promoted to Sergeant, managed several employees.  I was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for saving an officer and Driver and Mechanic Badge for driving over 8,000 miles with no accidents for safety.  I also was in a leadership school called Warrior Leaders Course. I evaluated and oversaw upper level management and analyzed confidential material.  I served my first combat tour of duty with this unit for Operation Iraqi Freedom '06-08'.

     At the end of my first enlistment I received orders to go overseas in July 2008, and was assigned to Alpha Company 2nd Brigade 28th Infantry Division and was given the opportunity to serve in Grafenwoher, Germany.  While in Germany I was immediately put in a position of higher authority and served as a squad leader while only holding the rank of Sergeant.  Some of my accomplishments while serving here are managing other Sergeant ranked personnel and passing Advanced Leaders Course.  I was awarded Army Achievement Medal for qualifying all my men in my squad expert on small arms. I also made the cover of the Army magazine in 2009.  I was assigned to Operation Iraqi Freedom for a second tour in '08-10'.  I served a total of eight years in the Army with two combat tours under my belt.

     I currently am a student at Eastern Michigan University in the aviation flight technology program.  I started the program in the fall of 2011 after exiting the military service in July 2011.  I took my first flight lesson in a Cessna 172 on April 28th, 2012 and from that day on I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I completed all my certificates on September 2nd, 2013 and currently hold a multi engine commercial certificate with instrument rating.  I also have my high performance endorsement where I was able to fly a Cessna 206.  I have used all my military training towards my college experience at Eastern Michigan University.  I have made the Dean's list for the fourth straight semester in a row and will graduate within 3 years with honors.  I will be the first person in my family to graduate with a Bachelors degree.