Quiz 1: When Things go Wrong...

Sun Feb 19 2023

We all quietly dread the day when something significant goes awry while enjoying our love of flight. It is important to know how to handle situations correctly when things go wrong. Reportable accidents and incidents are clearly defined in Canada and there are procedures associated with each of these to address them appropriately when they occur.

Its better to know in advance what to do when things go wrong...

Question 1

You are out flying your Piper Dakota which has a maximum all up weight (MAUW) 3,000lbs to have lunch at a restaurant that has a small bush strip. Upon touch down your starboard wheel rolls into some soft dirt and the airplane departs the runway morphing into a winged agricultural implement. When all the dust settles you inspect the aeroplane and find that the propeller, along with your pride, has some sizeable nicks in it but not much else appears damaged. Along with your passengers you pull the aeroplane back on to the runway centreline. What should happen now?

You can inspect the aeroplane and run the engine. Provided there is no undue out of vibration from the nicked propeller you should be good to fly the aeroplane back to your point of origin to have the necessary repairs and inspection done.While your pride is the only thing that appears to have suffered from significant damage, your farming exercise is a reportable accident as the aeroplane’s performance or flight characteristics have likely been affected by the nicked propeller. You must therefore contact the Transportation Safety Board and take necessary steps to protect the scene. You may in fact be in serious trouble for moving the aeroplane back on to the runway.As a first step, it will be very wise for you to move the airplane off the landing surface so that other aeroplanes can use the air strip. You will need to have the aeroplane inspected by a certified mechanic and have any damage affecting the airworthiness of the aeroplane repaired. Once all this is done, it will be extremely wise to inspect the runway prior to departing (to avoid a repeat incident and an even emptier pocketbook).Your day is about to become a lot more complicated by bureaucracy as your off runway experience is a reportable aviation incident as defined in the TSB regulations which in part state that such a report must be made if “the aircraft fails to remain within the intended landing or take-off area, lands with all or part of the landing gear retracted or drags a wing tip, an engine pod or any other part of the aircraft”.

Question 2

True/False: As a private pilot flying an aeroplane with a maximum all up weight (MAUW) of less than 2,250kg you will never have the dubious pleasure of having to file an incident report with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB)

TrueFalse

Question 3

You have a bad day one weekend and need to report an aviation accident. Fortunately everyone on board is unscathed. Who do you report the accident to and where on earth will you find telephone numbers and addresses to report the accident?

To Transport Canada. Contact details can be found In the TC AIM GEN section 3.6To the Transportation Safety Board.Call 911Call the nearest FSS

Question 4

Imagine that you are returning from enjoying a fabulous $500 hamburger at an unmanned aerodrome in your 4 seat homebuilt on a Sunday morning. You are climbing out from the aerodrome when a large shadow flashes past your plexiglass windshield as descending traffic overtakes you. Being the cool pilot that you are, you maintain your composure but are nonetheless shaken. What should you do?

Return to the aerodrome, land and have it out with the pilot of the other aeroplaneFile an incident report with the Transportation Safety BoardUse the Securitas programCall flight service and report the incident

Question 5

Once you have contacted the Transportation Safety Board about a reportable accident or incident, you have _____ to submit a full report

7 days14 days30 days90 days

Question 6

While on a single pilot Air Taxi flight (conducted in accordance with part 703 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations) in an aeroplane with a MAUW of 7,450lbs you touch down and the right main tire deflates as a result of it being underinflated and rotating on its hub. Through your heroic efforts you bring the aeroplane to a stop in the grass adjacent to the runway avoiding any damage to the aeroplane in the process. Your passengers are a little shaken but otherwise unharmed and the damaged tire can be repaired within a couple of hours. Who is responsible for reporting the aviation occurrence?

No report is required because no-one was hurt and no structural damage occurred.The owner, operator, pilot-in-command, or person air traffic controller at the airport.The RCMP officer who attends the scene.The pilot in command or the operator are the only ones who are required and permitted to submit a report.

Question 7

Being a tech-savvy pilot you have all the latest electronic gizmos along with you including a tablet with moving map and weather software to improve your situational awareness. One day while cruising at Fl 330 in your TBM 960 (MAUW 3,454 kg), your Android tablet starts to get very hot and starts smoking. You are prepared for incidents like this and able to put the offending device into a fire containment bag that you have along with you. Apart from being without your tablet you are able to continue your flight without further challenges. Upon landing you will need to buy a new tablet and __________.

Keep quiet as Android tablets are not certified for flight and should never be used in the cockpitFile a report for a reportable accident.File both verbal and written incident reports as smoke in the cockpit requires is a reportable incident.File a Securitas report to alert other pilots about the inherent danger of using portable electronic devices and the need to have a fire containment bag on board.

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