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FAA ’ S AIRPLANE FLYING HANDBOOK
LOC-I as “ a significant deviation of an aircraft from the intended flightpath [ that ] often results from an airplane upset .”
Loss of control in flight ( LOC-I ) persists as the leading cause of fatal GA accidents in the United States and commercial aviation worldwide . Preventing LOC-I in GA has thus been one of the “ most wanted ” items on the National Transportation Safety Board ’ s ( NTSB ) Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements .
If you need a definition , check out the FAA ’ s Airplane Flying Handbook . It defines LOC-I as “ a significant deviation of an aircraft from the intended flightpath [ that ] often results from an airplane upset .” It observes that maneuvering is the most common phase of flight for general aviation LOC-I accidents to occur , while cautioning that LOC-I accidents can — and do — occur in all phases of flight . The handbook appears to state the obvious when it notes that preventing loss of control is the pilot ’ s most fundamental responsibility ; after all , what could be more important ? With all the authority that the regulations ( i . e ., 14 CFR section 91.3 ) confer to the pilot in command ( PIC ), the expectation is that as PIC , you are fully in control of your aircraft .
The unfortunate reality is rather different . Far too often , performing maneuvers that should be well within the capabilities of a certificated pilot melts pilot mettle and aircraft metal .
Signal to Noise
When it comes to ideas on how to reduce or eliminate LOC-I , pretty much everyone agrees that appropriate training is a critical piece of the answer . There is also broad agreement that , as the FAA states in the Airplane Flying Handbook :
To prevent LOC-I accidents , it is important for pilots to recognize and maintain a heightened awareness of situations that increase the risk of loss of control . Those situations include : uncoordinated flight , equipment malfunctions , pilot complacency , distraction , turbulence , and poor risk management — like attempting to fly in instrument meteorological conditions ( IMC ) when the pilot is not qualified or proficient . […] To maintain aircraft control when faced with these or other contributing factors , the pilot must be aware of situations where LOC-I can occur , recognize when an airplane is approaching a stall , has stalled , or is in an upset condition , and understand and execute the correct procedures to recover the aircraft .
There is less agreement when it comes to the question of how to ensure that pilots actually get the appropriate training .
As you may know from debate in recent years , the FAA maintains that there is a difference between the larger universe of what is required for training , and the subset that constitutes what is appropriate for “ checking ” — more colloquially known as testing . Until June 2016 , the testing standard ( formerly the Practical Test Standards , or PTS ; now the Airman Certification Standards , or ACS ) for the slow flight and stalls area of operation framed the slow flight task to require flight at an airspeed at which any further increase in angle of attack would result in a stall . This construct required an applicant to perform the “ slow flight ” maneuver with the stall warning activated .
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