Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss two fatal general aviation accidents that involved aircraft that were just out of maintenance. In focus are the decisions and actions pilots and maintenance personnel could have taken to avoid the crashes or make them survivable.

One crash involves a Piper Cherokee on its second flight after an oil pressure line was replaced. The pilot did not do a basic preflight check or notice a five-foot diameter oil stain under the aircraft. The engine failed shortly after takeoff, and the pilot crashed while attempting to make a 180° turn back to the airport. The pilot and a passenger were killed.

In a similar accident, a Piper Arrow on its first flight after maintenance had multiple issues, one involving one of the aircraft's navigation systems and the other involving an oil leak. The pilot contacted ATC about wanting to return because of navigation problems, but soon after, the engine failed. Two people were killed in the crash. The NTSB found that when part of the avionics was replaced, a required gasket was not included. That caused the oil leak that led to the engine failure.

These disasters could have been avoided with better preflights. The detectives share their experiences and observations of overly casual preflight inspections. Pilots should focus on preflight planning for any non-routine flight and review in detail any work done on an aircraft on its first flight after maintenance.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

https://flightsafetydetectives.com/navigating-the-risks-of-post-maintenance-flights-episode-217

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

A Beech Hawker 900XP jet crashed while doing a flight test of a stall warning system. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia deconstruct the February 2024 aviation incident.

The accident occurred during a positioning flight that happened after completion of maintenance of the anti-icing component on the leading edge of the wing. The flight crew was performing a required test of the stall warning system. The aircraft lost control and crashed about 11 minutes after takeoff.

Stall tests are often done early in a flight so the crew can easily return to the maintenance facility if an issue is found. However, this crew did not follow standard procedures.

The crew took risks during the flight test, including flying over high terrain with limited visibility due to overcast conditions. The stall characteristics were more intense than what most pilots would experience in a small training aircraft.

This accident is compared to two earlier events. In 1979, a 727 crew had a loss of effectiveness of the flight control system and were barely able to recover the aircraft after a spiral dive and rapid loss of altitude. In the other event, a DC8 crew crashed while conducting a stall test after the aircraft had completed an extensive overhaul and modifications.

Related documents are available at the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

A photo shoot in a dry Nevada lakebed went horribly wrong when the wing of an airplane hit the model in the head. Miles O’Brien, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia discuss the June 2023 accident that involved an Aviate Husky plane.

The pilot, photographer and his wife, who was the model for the photo session, met early on the morning of the accident. On the fly, they planned a complex photo session involving the aircraft flying close to the model.

The pilot misjudged his approach and the wingtip of the aircraft struck the back of model's head and caused a serious injury. John compares this event to the 1982 fatal accident where actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed in a helicopter crash on the set of the Twilight Zone movie.

Todd shares the pilot's prior experience with similar photo sessions, and compares his approach to the much more structured approach that occurs in professional film and television productions.

Miles and John share personal experiences with risky decision making. For Miles, it was his decision to continue flying with low fuel and landing with little left in his tanks. For John, he recalled a flight over the Atlantic where he had concerns that aircraft would not make it to land, and how he had a sudden interest in the operation of the life raft!

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8