irrational fear of flying

[echappist]

Plucking bell…

Another close call

[Tom]

"A troubling spate in safety issues" citing incidents about a month apart without numbers to demonstrate an actual change in rate sounds more like availability bias than anything.

[echappist]

"A troubling spate in safety issues" citing incidents about a month apart without numbers to demonstrate an actual change in rate sounds more like availability bias than anything.

Well, it's posted in a thread titled "Irrational Fear of Flying", emphasis added. Minimal threshold for entry is irrational fear.

That said, people much more knowledgeable than I have said the following (gifted article link access)

In a memo Tuesday to his senior management team, acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen did not point to specific incidents that sparked his concern but said the FAA and aviation industry could not take its safety record for granted.

“Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent,” he wrote. “Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions.”

Furthermore, you assertion that these represent "incidents about a month apart" appears incorrect. These four incidents all occurred within a two month span:

-AA airliner crossing the path of a Delta airliner at JFK, Jan 13;
-United 777 crossing the path of a Cessna at HNL, Jan 23;
-FedEx airliner cleared to land on a runway when a Southwest airliner was cleared to take-off at Austin, Feb 4;
-Incident at BOS mentioned above, Feb 27.

[rwsaunders]

Just making sure that we weren’t sharing a runway this morning.

[gregl]

Without reviewing actual data for runway incursions and potential collisions, it's hard to state whether collision risks are better/worse/the same over time. Today's safety systems and culture are vastly improved compared to years past. At the same time, air traffic volume is much greater too. When I was flying professionally, I witnessed at least two controller errors which placed aircraft on collision courses. In both cases, collisions were averted thanks to quick thinking (one by a controller, the other by a pilot (me)). Since they predated the internet, social media, and cell phone cameras, neither of those incidents made headlines.

Safety systems such as TCAS, ADS-B, and GBSAA have been fielded to prevent collisions. Greater automation and safety logic in ATC systems have also improved safety. I had the privilege of leading three aviation safety system developments thus far in my career. I know how much they have improved safety and situational awareness. Hopefully this spate of potential collisions will lead to increased awareness and improved procedures and systems. I'm glad to see the FAA administrator's public reaction,

Greg

[vertical_doug]

To fly to Japan from London, you cannot fly over Russia, so you drop way south and then go across China.
To fly from Japan to London, you don't double back, you keep flying east and go over Alaska and Northern Canada and finally across Greenland.
So another round the world flight. The return is 14hr 45 min. So kind of brutal.

Greenland

[Clyde]

Beautiful.

[j44ke]

To fly to Japan from London, you cannot fly over Russia, so you drop way south and then go across China.
To fly from Japan to London, you don't double back, you keep flying east and go over Alaska and Northern Canada and finally across Greenland.
So another round the world flight. The return is 14hr 45 min. So kind of brutal.

Greenland

...

Great image. My wife is flying back to NY from Singapore today and her flight seemed longer than usual so right - no Russia, that's it. 20+ hours or something.

[htwoopup]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/u...smid=url-share

[AngryScientist]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/u...smid=url-share

A probable case for keeping your seat belt on as often as practical?

[Scott G.]

A probable case for keeping your seat belt on as often as practical?

Yes, always review the quick reference card when doing up the belts.

mk11-line.jpg

[rwsaunders]

Saab…you weren’t flying from TPA-BUF this evening, were you?

[j44ke]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/u...smid=url-share

A probable case for keeping your seat belt on as often as practical?

Yes, always review the quick reference card when doing up the belts.

...

May have been other contributing mechanical factors with the plane.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...8ad_story.html

[vertical_doug]

May have been other contributing mechanical factors with the plane.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...8ad_story.html

I doubt it. The contributing factor is sometimes you are just unlucky.

Shit just happens, and it is only natural to try to find a reason.

[htwoopup]

I doubt it. The contributing factor is sometimes you are just unlucky.

Shit just happens, and it is only natural to try to find a reason.

Oy, this shit is pretty bad if this is accurate…. https://wapo.st/3TLxZg3

[j44ke]

Oy, this shit is pretty bad if this is accurate…. https://wapo.st/3TLxZg3

Sounds like there should be a lot of questions asked.

[rwsaunders]

On a college search trip flying in her husband's firm's corporate jet...boy, when your number is up, your number is up.

[gregl]

Sounds like there should be a lot of questions asked.

The questions are definitely being asked. I’m following a thread about this event on an aviation forum (not calling it an accident since it was very likely caused by human error). The pilots were not very experienced in this aircraft type and made multiple mistakes leading up to the inflight upset. They conducted a poor preflight check (resulting in an aborted takeoff), decided to take off a second time despite a warning on their alerting system that specifically required resolution before flight, forgot to properly configure their airspeed bugs for the second takeoff, then used the wrong checklist when additional warnings occurred once airborne. The coup de grace for the poor passenger was over-controlling and pilot-induced oscillation that subjected the aircraft to +4.2G to -2.3G. The G loads were so severe, the Flight Data Recorder interpreted the loads as being caused by a crash. Those pilots should never fly again and will likely be subject to civil lawsuits. An avoidable tragedy. RIP for the poor victim.

Greg

[vertical_doug]

Although the pilots have responsibility, I'd like to review the corporate policies of the operator. Sometime, outcomes are a natural result of policies and incentives in place.

It's the old 'It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It'.

Why else do you think Banks keep failing after all these years.....

[rwsaunders]

Just another crazy day in the air…

A passenger opened an emergency exit door on a Delta Airlines flight on Saturday as the plane pulled away from the gate at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), police said. The man escaped via the deployed slide and jumped onto a baggage cart before being detained. He had been traveling on a Delta Air Lines flight 1714 from Los Angeles to Seattle when he got out of his seat around 10am on Saturday. Fellow passengers told Fox 11 that the passenger asked a flight attendant: “What do I do now?” before he was asked to sit down. He then ran to one of the doors, turned the latch, and leapt onto the emergency slide which had deployed. He then got into the passenger seat of a baggage vehicle and was detained by luggage workers until police arrived, passengers told the TV station.

“The aircraft was holding to taxi for takeoff when the passenger exited the aircraft and was initially detained by Delta staff ahead of being arrested by local law enforcement,” Delta Airlines said in a statement on Sunday. LAX Police Captain Karla Rodriguez later told The Associated Press that the man was not arrested but instead “transported to a local hospital for mental evaluation”. She added that the FBI was also notified. The plane returned to the gate and passengers were put on another plane, according to Delta.