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NTSB Reports | Accident Synopses
INSIGHTS
National Agricultural Aviation Association
Professional Certification for the Future of Agricultural Aviation: Introducing C-PAASS—Certified Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward
As the agricultural aviation industry moves from its first century into its second, it faces a strong and increasing demand for fast and effective agricultural input services. It also faces challenges from additional regulations, public input, rising insurance costs, stiffer pesticide label language and competition from technological advances in other facets of agriculture. To meet these challenges, agricultural aviation needs a way to further augment its advancement of safety and application accuracy while also showing our customers, regulators and the public the professional nature of our industry.
NAAA’s new Certified-Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward (C-PAASS) program, launching in 2023, will fill that very role. Requirements for certification will ensure C-PAASS members are taking part in the best available educational opportunities for agricultural aviation. C-PAASS is by no means a requirement; however, this voluntary program will allow those aerial applicators who strive to constantly educate themselves to better their safety and applications to be recognized for their efforts.
With 2023 being the launch year, there will be four requirements for an ag pilot to earn their C-PAASS designation, with additional requirements forthcoming in subsequent years. The 2023 requirements will be as follows: 1. Annual Membership in NAAA (2023) 2. Annual Membership in a state or regional agricultural aviation association (2023) 3. Annual PAASS (Professional Aerial
Applicators’ Support System) attendance (three out of the past three years: 20222023 season, 2021-2022 season, 20202021 season) 4. Biennial Operation S.A.F.E. (Self-regulating
Application and Flight Efficiency) participation (one out of the last two years: either 2022 or 2023)
These initial certification requirements are based on education and professional opportunities already available to all ag aviators. The PAASS Program has a proven record of reducing accidents and drift incidents. Five years after it hit the stage, the industry saw a 26% drop in drift incidents from drift surveys collected by state pesticide enforcement agencies. And since the first PAASS season in 1998-1999, the ag aviation accident rate (number of accidents per 100,000 hours flown) has dropped by nearly 26%, and the fatal accident rate has dropped by 10%.
Astonishingly, this marked reduction in accidents and drift occurrences happened with fewer than half, or 47%, of the agricultural aviation operators and pilots in the U.S. attending the PAASS Program (1,593 attended PAASS before the 2020 season; there are a total of 3,400 ag pilots in the U.S.). And of the 333 accidents that occurred between 2014 and 2020:
• 117, or 35%, were from pilots that had not attended PAASS in the prior five years.
• 52, or 15.6%, were from pilots that had attended PAASS once in the prior five years.
• 41, or 12.3%, were from pilots that had attended PAASS twice in the prior five years.
• 39, or 11.7%, were from pilots that attended PAASS three times in the prior five years.
• 37, or 11.1%, were from pilots that attended PAASS four times in the prior five years.
• 47, or 14.1%, were from pilots that attended PAASS five times in the prior five years.
All these stats are a way to say that continuing education works. Continuing education makes you more professional. Professionalism makes you safer in the cockpit. C-PAASS is being launched as the next phase in professionalism, with a goal of increasing participation in existing programs and expanding that participation to new education opportunities to come.
Operation S.A.F.E. fly-in clinics offer aerial applicators a chance to verify the accuracy of their aircraft to ensure they are making precise applications that meet the demand of growers as well as protect the environment and the public.
Membership in NAAA offers numerous educational and other professional development opportunities, including markedly discounted education sessions at the Ag Aviation Expo, online NAAREF safety and education videos, Fly Safe messages, and a weekly eNewsletter. State and regional associations offer their own education opportunities. Both NAAA and state and regional associations offer leadership development opportunities and roles to help guide the industry into the future.
Starting in 2024, an online learning management system (LMS) will become part of C-PAASS. LMS content will be based on previous PAASS modules and sessions offered at NAAA’s annual Ag Aviation Expo. A wide variety of topics will eventually be included in the LMS, including those covered in 14 CFR Part 137 knowledge and skills and those on how to properly set up agricultural aircraft to make on-target applications. The LMS will be used to ensure recurrent training on topics deemed to be critical for the safety and accuracy of aerial applications. Participants will be tested on the presented material to ensure learning retention. C-PAASS certification will be on a calendar year basis. To remain certified, C-PAASS criteria will need to be renewed annually. There will be an initial annual cost of $100 for certification in 2023.
C-PAASS certification is offered solely to individual ag pilots. That means agricultural pilots, both operator and non-operator, can become certified. The operation itself will not be certified but could advertise that all of its pilots are certified.
C-PAASS certified aerial applicators can use their certification status to inform regulatory officials and insurance agents and to market to their customers that they have undergone additional training and development to best ensure that they can provide high-quality service. This was the impetus for developing C-PAASS—to expand and gain recognition for maximizing professionalism by ultimately receiving additional benefits for being certified to possibly include insurance discounts and more flexibility pertaining to pesticide label language. For instance, some labels already require Operation S.A.F.E. participation to use. It’s possible that in the future C-PAASS certified aerial applicators may be able to apply at lower spray application rates (GPA) or with reduced wind-directional buffer zone distances, etc.
Whatever additional benefits are bestowed upon C-PAASS ag aviators, the program will undoubtedly demonstrate agricultural aviation’s professionalism and positive public image to our customers, regulators and the public we help feed, clothe and protect.
Don't Risk Your Life! A FlySafe Recap from NAAREF
In 2019, an ag aviator ferrying back after completing his application mission decided to buzz his friend, who was working on a wind turbine near his return flight path. He incorrectly identified someone else as his friend and buzzed this technician, who happened to be holding a rope to stabilize a blade during maintenance. The aircrafts right wing struck the rope, throwing the technician through the air and breaking his leg and back.
The fallout from this incident led the American Clean Power Association (ACPA) to contact NAAA to complain about the accident and look for ways to prevent it from happening again. They notified NAAA that they were considering pursuing regulatory action aimed at preventing all aerial applications within and nearby wind farms. NAAA explained that this was one errant pilot who was not acting safely, professionally, or within industry quidelines and that we would continue to remind a aviators about safety concerns related to flying in and around wind farms. The incident was a stark reminder of the PAASS motto: "Upon the Performance of Each Rests the Fate of All." One reckless act by a single pilot almost resulted in new regulations for the entire ag aviation industry, There is absolutely no reason to buzz anyone or anything. Every aerial application is a focused mission - deliver the product uniformly and safely on the target crop, forest, or pest. Every action you take in the cockpit should undeterredly hone in on that mission.
Buzzing or any other type of reckless flying not required for the mission can only result in negative consequences - a wrecked aircraft, injuries or death for yourself or a bystander, and complaints that can lead to additional regulations. Your mission is focused on controlling the targeted pest. Fly smart, fly safe, fly the application mission.
Helmets Will Save Your Life
Reports are once again coming in that many ag aviators are not wearing helmets. While no safety device can completely guarantee your survival in an accident, wearing a helmet increases your chances. The trend of not wearing a helmet while working has even been seen with experienced a pilots. The demand for bringing new pilots into the industry means it's even more imperative for experienced pilots to be setting good safety standards.
While a helmet cannot always prevent a concussion, it does reduce the severity of a concussion and can prevent more traumatic brain injuries. Your brain "floats" within fluid inside your skull. When your head hits something, it decelerates more rapidly than your brain floating within it. This causes your brain to smash into your skull, injuring it. A helmet works by reducing your head's deceleration rate, thus lowering the force of impact when your brain collides with your skull. A study of 97 fatal aviation accidents that occurred in Alaska from 2004 to 2009 concluded that 33 lives could have been saved by the use of a helmet. A study of U.S. Army helicopter accidents from 1972 to 1988 found that not wearing a helmet increased the risk of sustaining a fatal head injury in a crash by 6.3 times.
Reasons cited by ag aviators as to why they don't like to wear helmets include the additional weight, not comfortable, and reduced head movement. Modern aviation helmets virtually eliminate these arguments. They are light weight and comfortable while still providing maximum effectiveness. Please take every precaution you can to prevent an accident. In addition, take advantage of every safety device available to protect you in the event you are involved in an accident. This includes wearing a helmet and ensuring that the chin strap is properly affixed; wearing a fire-resistant flight suit; and strapping in with both a seat belt and shoulder harness. You may have reasons why you don't want to wear a helmet, but how does your family feel about you not doing everything you can to protect yourself? Fly safe and put your helmet on.
CRAYMER’S COUNSEL
Robert Craymer - robertc@covingtonaircraft.com
Fuel Nozzles
I was speaking with a customer, and we were discussing how much cheaper it is to do preventative and scheduled maintenance than wait until there is an issue. With a bit of planning and preparation, the care of your engine can be far less “painful.” It is easier to spend a little at a time taking care of potential items that can damage your engine, as opposed to ignoring them and getting hit with a hefty bill later. One preventative/scheduled maintenance item that everyone will need to look at is fuel nozzles and their care.
I have been asked many times how often should I have the fuel nozzles looked at? The Pratt & Whitney Canada maintenance manuals provide some guidance, but the answer to this question is ultimately up to the owner/ operator of the engine. The Periodic Inspection table in the maintenance manual states that fuel nozzle maintenance is based upon the operator’s experience and rejection rate. For operators new to PT6A operation or if fuel quality is an unknown, the manual says to do the preliminary inspection of the fuel nozzles at 200 hours. Then based on the results, you can extend your time out to as much as 400 hours. As you can see, the actual schedule of your maintenance is primarily up to the operator; however, it must be completed between 200 and 400 hours. Many customers I work with prefer to perform their fuel nozzle maintenance in conjunction with their 300hour airframe inspection.
When it comes time to remove your fuel nozzles, you will want to identify them. Most engines have a mix of what we recognize as primary and secondary fuel nozzles. Some engines have duplex fuel nozzles, which means each of the 14 nozzles has a primary and secondary side. The primary fuel is delivered during the initial start sequence, followed by the secondary fuel. This process allows for cooler starting temperatures. Each of these nozzles must go into the correct location as identified in the engine maintenance manual to ensure the proper starting fuel sequence. The primary nozzle has a spot weld on the mounting flange near the bolt hole, and the secondary nozzle has no spot weld. Examples of the two fuel nozzles are shown in the accompanying picture. Before removal, you can number the fuel nozzles 1 through 14 to return them to the correct location after processing. As we have discussed, we always look at the engine from the pilot’s perspective. Fuel nozzle numbering happens the same way. We number the nozzle on the top of the engine as number 1, then number to the right, going down and around the engine. The easy way I remember this is that one is at the top, and then you count towards where the ITT connects. Remember, you don’t want to touch the nozzle tips with your bare fingers. Wear gloves and put each nozzle assembly and sheath into a container or plastic bag. This will keep your nozzles safe and organized. ➤
Providing Excellent Aircraft & Service for Ag Aviation
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What does fuel nozzle maintenance mean? Initially, a leak check and function test of each fuel nozzle manifold adapter are to be performed. At Covington Aircraft, we handle many exchange/mail-in fuel nozzle sets. Our initial process on all of them is to perform the function check and note any issues we reveal. We are looking for nozzles that might have voids, streaks, or an abnormal spray pattern. If something extreme is observed, we advise the customer of the results and discuss with them the results of their borescope inspection. Next, we process the nozzles and sheaths through approved cleaners. Don’t use unapproved cleaning methods.
One can cause damage, and damage means dollars. Post cleaning, we perform another function test and a leak check. We also inspect the cleaned sheaths for wear and fit. During the final function check, we want to ensure the spray pattern of each nozzle is correct. We also watch each tip cut off to ensure it is functioning correctly. The cleaning and inspection processes take time. I know time is the most limited thing any of us have during the heat of the season. One option to reduce downtime is to use exchange kits. These kits usually contain all the seals and gaskets that you need. You need to ensure that you have the correct (primary and secondary) fuel nozzles when installing them. ➤
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