LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!

The following presentation is a summary of actions “not taken” with the resulting damage to a Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Please note that the persons involved were experienced aircrew members that failed to notice when events were different from “normal” and take the proper precautions.

Don’t Let This Happen to You!

Damage caused by a ground handling mishap

Lessons learned(in roughly descending order of importance)

Identify Movement Team Leader!

• In this case, the pilot being trained was steering with the towbar on the nose-wheel, with the instructor pilot on pilot’s side wing strut. • Neither person was clearly in charge of the movement.

Maintain situational awareness!

• Be "in the moment" and eliminate distractions, including internal distractions – e.g., mentally reviewing recently completed flight.• Pilots must employ the same vigilance to ground handling that they

employ while operating an aircraft under engine power. Don't relax just because the engine is shut down... you're not done 'til the aircraft is in the hanger and the doors locked!

Plan ahead to preserve a three-foot circle of safety!

• Recognize and manage specific risk with regard to the tail of the aircraft.• Plan ahead and decide where must we stop pushing. • Pick a location and position the chocks to assist with Situational

Awareness (SA).

Recognize and manage the specific risks with regard to the tail and

wings of the aircraft!• It is difficult to gauge the tail clearance effectively from the nose and

the top of tail is obscured when pushing from the wing strut. • Don't just focus on the wingtip clearance!

Take advantage of all available resources!

• In this case, we did not wait and avail ourselves of a third crewmember (we knew his arrival was imminent, and he arrived moments after the incident)

Ensure proper hangar markings!

• Having a clearly marked centerline can help to reduce distraction of trying to align A/C on the hangar driveway and thus promote Situational Awareness (SA).

Avoid unnecessary ground movement!

• In this case, we had just completed fueling of the A/C and the next pilot was on his way to the field. We briefly considered doing the pilot swap at the FBO, but elected to move the A/C prior to next flight.• The normal turn-around area was blocked by a row of snow that

would have hit the propeller (Photograph on the next slide).

• The same turn around without snow area afforded much more room to push the plane into position for the next flight

Summary:• Designate the “Movement Team Leader”• Determine the area the movement area with specific limitations and

markers (chocks if appropriate)• Crew with a minimum of 2 CAP members, with additional persons to

eliminate hidden areas and “blind spots”• Use extra caution with “different than normal” operations• Watch and think before you move, the next noise you hear could be

very expensive • Be Vigilant, we are entrusted with very expensive equipment

You are probably thinking, “It would have never happened to me!”

So did we.