It’s been almost a year and a half since the Atlas crash, and that’s about how long it takes the NTSB to complete a formal investigation, and to issue a Probable Cause statement. And boy did they ever…

The idea that a 767 could just fall out of the sky vertically, with no warning, was weird enough to suggest that this wouldn’t be a typical case, but now that the truth is out, the weirdness doesn’t disappoint.

There’s a great article out there from Rob Mark, at FLYING Magazine, and there’s a link in the show notes, just in case you missed it. But today Rob’s here, in the flesh, and we have a pretty cool talk for you. And it’s about more than just what happened, it’s about why it happened, and whether or not we can even prevent something like this from happening in the future.

And I sure hope we can. But as you’ll hear, it’ll take a lot more than just a few tweaks in the training Department…

From Rob's Article:

The NTSB issued six new safety recommendations following the investigation into the Atlas Air 3591 accident. The NTSB said the FAA should issue a safety alert for all Boeing 757/767 operators warning of the possibility of an inadvertent go-around activation when the pilot flying is in close proximity to the speed brake handle. The NTSB also wants to see the vulnerabilities of the current pilot record system that would include the results of all pilot training once it begins, regardless of the result and that the system be easily searchable by pilot certificate number. The Board reiterated its call for advanced cockpit video recorder systems for Part 121/135 aircraft.

On the human side of the equation, the NTSB reiterated to the FAA the urgent need to “require all Part 121 and 135 air carriers to obtain any notices of disapproval for flight checks for certificates and ratings for all pilot applicants and evaluate this information before making a hiring decision. To also require Part 121, 135, and 91K operators to document and retain electronic and/or paper records of pilot training and checking events in sufficient detail so the the carrier and its principal operations inspector can fully assess a pilot’s entire training performance. The Board also wants to see all training records provided to hiring employers as required under the PRIA and to develop a method of verifying the accuracy of those training records.”

I’m sure you’ve got at least one opinion on something you’ve heard today. So, If you want to weigh in on what Rob and I talked about, I can’t wait to hear from you, make sure to shoot me an email at [email protected]

GOOOOOOD DAY!

-BG

Related Links:

Rob’s Article in FLYING Magazine: https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/atlas-air-pilots-somatogravic-illusion-reaction/ 

NTSB’s video

Board’s abstract of the investigation

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