Don’t Bother Me, I’m Flying

by Tom Hoffmann

Since 2008, there have been 22 fatalities in ga and part 135 crashes that involved pilots distracted by nonoperational activities. You’re zooming down the highway — more like crawling if you’re in Washington, DC! — when your phone chirps with the familiar sound of an incoming text message. Oh, and did I mention it’s late in the day, you’ve got a lot on your mind, and your phone is in the passenger seat? Do you pick it up and read the message? It could be an important follow up from a potential employer. Or, it could also be one of those incessant BOGO offers from your favorite burger chain (both could be important, no judging here). Despite knowing that thousands of people die each year from distracted driving incidents (3,166 fatalities in 2017 alone according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), many people will still try to read that message. We’ve probably all been similarly tempted.

The justification some give for diverting attention to an emoji-laden text is that they know their vehicle and feel confident they can maintain a sufficient margin of safety. But just because you’ve been lucky in the past doesn’t make it a safe thing to do. The time you divert to the text is time when you are unaware of actions taking place outside the vehicle. The delayed reaction to a suddenly stopped car or a pop-up construction zone often causes an accident.

The same issue applies to pilots. Distraction is a dangerous threat to safety, so pilots must learn to manage distractions during every flight. To see the deadly effects of distraction in aviation, have a look at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident report for the August 26, 2011 crash of an EMS helicopter flight in Mosby, Missouri (go.usa.gov/xVTWQ). In this accident, personal texting while flying was at least partly responsible for the crash that killed the pilot, a nurse, a paramedic, and the patient.

In another accident, a Cessna 150 pilot and his passenger were killed when their plane crashed into a wheat field in Watkins, Colorado (go.usa. gov/xVTBY). Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction due to cell phone use while maneuvering at low altitude. A Go-Pro camera found near the wreckage revealed footage of the pilot and his passengers taking mobile phone “selfies” during takeoff, climb, and in the pattern just before the accident flight. Investigators believe the pilot’s focus on his cell phone, coupled with the flash function of his camera, contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and consequent loss of control.

But distraction in the cockpit doesn’t always involve such a blatant diversion from primary flying duties. It is often more insidious, like fixating on a cockpit warning or trying to troubleshoot an avionics display issue. With the ADS-B Out mandate just around the corner, many pilots now have the capability to display weather and traffic information with ADS-B In equipment. This technology can certainly enhance situational awareness and decision making, but it’s absolutely critical to know how your system operates, to include its limitations, before you fly so they don’t become a dangerous distraction. Remember too that ADS-B equipment is a supplemental tool; it does not relieve you of see-and-avoid responsibilities.

To emphasize the importance of eliminating distractions, the NTSB has added this topic to its 2019-2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. According to its Eliminate Distractions fact sheet for aviation (go.usa.gov/ xVTkg), since 2008 there have been 22 fatalities in GA and part 135 crashes that involved pilots distracted by nonoperational activities. The NTSB urges pilots to keep mobile phones off and out of the environment to avoid the temptation of answering. Also, although there are no regulations on sterile cockpit procedures for part 91, avoidance of all nonessential conversations is an excellent point to brief with passengers. It goes over a lot better than having to yell, “Don’t bother me, I’m flying!”

Tom Hoffmann is the managing editor of FAA Safety Briefing. He is a commercial pilot and holds an A&P certificate.