Whether we like it or not, planes crash.  People miss details, parts fail, something happens that sets off a sequence of events that end with a crash.  The sooner we accept the risks, the better off we are.  Don’t read too much into this; I’m not saying that planes are totally dangerous, I’m only saying they have their risks.  In general, planes are quite unforgiving of errors, but with some risk mitigation, they are completely safe.

I have collected a number of video animations of plane crashes that make up the bulk of this entry, but I would also like to offer some analysis of the situation and what could have been done to better handle the situation.  To offer a bit of a disclaimer, I’m not suggesting that I would react appropriately nor am I offering any sort of flight instruction (consult your own CFI for that).

The Turkish Airways crew in the above video, fell victim to poor systems management practices.  While the radio altimeter that wasn’t functioning properly isn’t in and of itself something that might cause a no go decision, it is something that has bearing on interaction with other systems.  In the video for example, the radio altimeter causes the auto-throttle to function in a different manner than expected.  Now two things are wrong.  Sadly, the fact that the plane was performing as expected and the fact that they were still distracted by checklists well past 1000 feet AGL meant that the problems would go unnoticed until far too late to stop the crash.

So what can we learn? Number one, never dismiss something before considering its effect on other systems.  Number two, if you aren’t ready to land, GO AROUND! Number three, checklists can be a really spectacular asset in the appropriate phases of flight, but at the wrong time they are one of the absolute worst sources of cockpit distraction.

The above video is an animation of the final minutes of Colgan Air 3407.  This crash led to the discovery a laundry list of problems with the crew, airline and the regional airline business as a whole.  I won’t pretend to understand enough to comment on the airline or airline business, but the crew and their actions are firmly in my grasp.  If you watch the animation, you will may notice that around the call for “flaps fifteen” the speed begins dropping off sharply.  In order to maintain altitude, the pilot flying pulls back on the yoke.  This causes the speed to further decay until critical angle of attack is reached and the plane stalls.

Where the problems really start to pile up is when the stick shaker is activated.  The idea is to cause the pilot to deal with the imminent stall.  Unfortunately, the pilot continues pulling which activates a pusher which is designed to force the stick forward and break the stall.  At this point, the pilot is getting quite the work out between maintaining full aft stick and cranking the yoke left and right in an attempt to keep level.  To make matters worse, the other pilot starts undoing checklist items like gear and, more importantly,  put the flaps up.

So what can we learn? Number one, don’t fly tired.  If I recall correctly, according to reports the crew weren’t all that well rested.  Number two, pay attention to the condition of the aircraft.  If you are very nose high and the plane starts falling out of the sky, don’t force the nose higher.  This is a reaction that must be stopped.  Do you need to jam the stick fully forward? No, simply reduce the angle of attack and you will be fine.  Number three, when in doubt ask; when still in doubt ask again.  Never just do things.  The copilot putting up the flaps may not have exacerbated the stall, but that action didn’t help alleviate the stall either.

After watching the above video, the only things that came to mind were the idea of a stabilized approach and the go around.  These pilots where not on what I would classify a stabilized approach.  They were too low and remained too low until they hit the trees.  So what would I have done? If I couldn’t get back on the appropriate glide slope, I would have gone around.  Bottom line: if everything is not set, do not land.  Go around and try again.

Ahh, the infamous Hudson midair, a source of so many questions in the media.  Was the controller at fault?  What were the pilots doing? Why isn’t that controlled airspace? Every one needs flight plans…

I really can’t comment on anything related to the controller with the exception of missing an incorrect read-back.  You might not have noticed it, but the pilot read back the wrong frequency.  Does that matter in the grand scheme of things? No, not really.  I would speculate that in the end it played a supporting role in the collision, but I can only speculate.

So what caused the collision? Not looking out the windows; VFR by definition implies looking out the window.  “But, the plane was in a turn and couldn’t see, blah blah blah…”  “Well the helicopter was, blah blah blah…” That is beside the point.  When you are flying VFR you have to be aware of your blind spots and take action to mitigate any associated risks.  More importantly, your only required duty as Pilot in Command is to fly the plane.  If you can’t do that and tune the radio, don’t tune the radio.  If you can’t offer tour guide services, bring someone else to be a guide.  That’s the bottom line, don’t do anything you can’t do while safely flying the plane.

I offer this last video as both a good and bad example.  The pilot of the aircraft the animation is following does exactly the right thing when (s)he performs a go around.

Meanwhile, the other aircraft is a great example for being aware of your surroundings.  If you are unfamiliar with where you are or where you are going or you are uncertain what to do, stop and ask. Don’t just blindly continue until you “hear breaking glass and screaming women,” just stop and ask for help.  Most importantly, if ATC tells you to do something, follow their instruction immediately.

So what is the rough anatomy of a plane crash?  Something happens, it is not or cannot be corrected, which causes more stuff to happen and the plane crashes.  That might seem overly simplistic, or even humorous, but the bottom line is all it takes is one thing that isn’t right.

To illustrate that point I leave you with one final video.  The video of the USAF Thunderbirds F-16 crash and ejection at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.  So how did a 20 million dollar fighter jet become a mangled lawn ornament?  One error in a calculation.