5/19/22
AIM
Section 6. Potential Flight Hazards
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1. Accident Cause Factors
a.
The 10 most frequent cause factors for general
aviation accidents that involve the pilot-in-command
are:
1.
Inadequate preflight preparation and/or
planning.
2.
Failure to obtain and/or maintain flying
speed.
3.
Failure to maintain direction control.
4.
Improper level off.
5.
Failure to see and avoid objects or obstruc-
tions.
6.
Mismanagement of fuel.
7.
Improper inflight decisions or planning.
8.
Misjudgment of distance and speed.
9.
Selection of unsuitable terrain.
10.
Improper operation of flight controls.
b.
This list remains relatively stable and points out
the need for continued refresher training to establish
a higher level of flight proficiency for all pilots. A
part of the FAA’s continuing effort to promote
increased aviation safety is the Aviation Safety
Program. For information on Aviation Safety
Program activities contact your nearest Flight
Standards District Office.
c. Alertness.
Be alert at all times, especially
when the weather is good. Most pilots pay attention
to business when they are operating in full IFR
weather conditions, but strangely, air collisions
almost invariably have occurred under ideal weather
conditions. Unlimited visibility appears to encourage
a sense of security which is not at all justified.
Considerable information of value may be obtained
by listening to advisories being issued in the terminal
area, even though controller workload may prevent a
pilot from obtaining individual service.
d. Giving Way.
If you think another aircraft is too
close to you, give way instead of waiting for the other
pilot to respect the right-of-way to which you may be
entitled. It is a lot safer to pursue the right-of-way
angle after you have completed your flight.
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2. Reporting Radio/Radar Altimeter
Anomalies
a.
Background.
1.
The radio altimeter (also known as radar
altimeter or RADALT) is a safety
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critical aircraft
system used to determine an aircraft’s height above
terrain. It is the only sensor onboard the aircraft
capable of providing a direct measurement of the
clearance height above the terrain and obstacles.
Information from radio altimeters is essential for
flight operations as a main enabler of several
safety
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critical functions and systems on the aircraft.
The receiver on the radio altimeter is highly accurate
because it is extremely sensitive, making it
susceptible to radio frequency interference (RFI).
RFI in the C
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band portion of the spectrum could
impact the functions of the radio altimeter during any
phase of flight—most critically during takeoff,
approach, and landing phases. This could pose a
serious risk to flight safety.
2.
Installed radio altimeters normally supply
critical height data to a wide range of automated
safety systems, navigation systems, and cockpit
displays. Harmful RFI affecting the radio altimeter
can cause these safety and navigation systems to
operate in unexpected ways and display erroneous
information to the pilot. RFI can interrupt, or
significantly degrade, radio altimeter func-
tions—precluding radio altimeter
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based terrain
alerts and low
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visibility approach and landing
operations. Systems of concern include Terrain
Awareness Warning Systems (TAWS), Enhanced
Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS), and
Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS), to
name a few. Pilots of radio altimeter equipped aircraft
should become familiar with the radio altimeter’s
interdependence with the other aircraft systems and
expected failure modes and indications that may be
associated with harmful interference.
b.
Actions. Recognizing interference/anomalies
in the radio altimeter can be difficult, as it may present
as inoperative or erroneous data. Pilots need to
monitor their automation, as well as their radio
altimeters for discrepancies, and be prepared to take
action. Pilots encountering radio altimeter interfer-
ence/anomalies should transition to procedures that
Potential Flight Hazards
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