“got weather?” where / how did you get it? “got weather?” where / how did you get it?
TRANSCRIPT
“Got Weather?”
Where / How Did You Get It?
“Got Weather?”
Where / How Did You Get It?
Spotlight Accident:No weather briefing
Spotlight Accident: Weather conditions
Spotlight Accident: Result
With a pre-flight briefing, the result may have been different
Required Preflight Action
91.103 — Preflight action.Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING THAT FLIGHT. This information must include— (a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed.*
*Always have an out…
Weather-Related Weather-Related Accident CausesAccident Causes
Questions:1.In what percentage of total accidents is weather a cause or factor?2.What are the Top 3 weather conditions which were a cause or factor in a weather-related accident?
A: In over 20% of the total accidents, weather was a cause or factorA: The Top 3: Adverse winds (52%); low ceilings/visibility (18%) and density altitude (5%)
Source www.faa.gov/tv NTSB Weather Wise July 2012
Weather-Related Accident Causes
Got Briefing?
NTSB Study: In 41% of weather-related accidents, the
pilot DID NOT obtain an adequate weather briefing.Questions:
Why are pilots skipping this required step?Are we stressing briefings even for local flights?
Faa.gov/tv NTSB Weather Wise July 2012
The overall purpose of preflight planning is:To prevent surprises!
What’s The REAL Purpose?
Every pilot should ask:
“Have I collected ALL the information I need to prevent surprises?”
– If not, don’t go
– If yes, update at least every 2 hours
New Item on NTSB’s 10 “Most Wanted”
ListMay, 2014
•NTSB: NWS and FAA should do a better job of identifying and communicating hazardous weather information to pilots
– Useful, important supplemental weather information exists from NWS, but never gets to pilots during briefings
•Recommendation: Get MORE weather information into pilots' hands. Including:
– Local forecaster discussions– Center weather advisories– Mountain-wave reports
“To prevent accidents by teaching pilots to analyze weather information from ALL available resources so that they can correctly make “Go/No-Go” decisions”
Our Goal
Discuss Our Goal!
Which sources for weather do you teach?Which do the best job?Why do you think that?
How can we can teach pilots to:
• Obtain a better self-briefing?• Interpret the Information they receive?• Make a Go/No-Go decision?• Update their decision in flight?
Keep Talking…
Keep Talking…
• What are some of the most important things we should teach about viewing weather charts?
• Currency of the information• Where the weather is approaching from• Where it is moving, and when will it be there• How to recognize when it’s not moving as
forecast, and what adjustments to their “plan” will be necessary
AviationWeather.gov:Something is missing!
Use updated site www.aviationweather.gov
NTSB-Recommends: Center Weather Adv.
NTSB recommends pilots be given Center Weather Advisories during their weather briefings
“Official” Weather: Lockheed-Martin
Briefer analyzes while you watch the same maps. Get a TXT message if it changes after your briefing
Alternative Weather:CWSU “METAR Map”
www.metarmap.us(Click a station to view detailed forecasts)
Choose from 3 different sources for airport forecasts, plus TAFs.
METAR Map: Forecasts For Nearly EVERY Airport!
METAR MAP: Upper-Air Forecasts
Use Skew-T diagrams to see forecast winds, temperature, and dewpoint aloft for ANY airport
• Use non-NWS sites for better detail (i.e., Wunderground.com)• Use loop and storm track features to project cell movement• Some sites now forecast cell movement up to 6 hrs.• Lightning display is useful, but not easily found• DBZ chart: Different vendors use different colors to show
reflectivity. (Airborne radar uses even different colors.)
NEXRAD Tips
NEXRAD Tips:Check Echo Tops
Note the Echo Top heights…the higher the echoes, the stronger the storm
• Gust fronts can produce low altitude wind shear that can be hazardous to aircraft operations.
• May travel 100’s of miles from the area of origin.Source: American Meteorological Society, NWS
NEXRAD Tips:Watch Gust Fronts
NEXRAD Tips:Watch The Time!
Remember that the in-cockpit NEXRAD display depicts where the weather WAS, not where it IS. The age indicator does not show the age of the actual weather conditions but rather the age of the mosaic image. The actual weather conditions could be up to 15 to 20 minutes OLDER than the age indicated on the display. You should consider this potential delay when using in-cockpit NEXRAD capabilities, as the movement and/or intensification of weather could adversely affect safety of flight.
Resources: FAA Weather Briefing Form
Weather Briefing Form http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/media/ga_weather_decision_making.pdf
Personal Minimums
Specifically related to weatherhttp://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/media/ga_weather_decision_making.pdf
Our job is to teach pilots to:•Use ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES, including the unofficial ones and those not on their iPads•Brief OFTEN (update at least every 2 hrs.)•DOCUMENT by using an official weather brief (either DUAT/s, FSS…not Ipad)
(cont.)
To Sum Up...
We must teach pilots to:•Minimize surprises by being prepared•Minimize the risk by always having an “out” planned for each situation•Use personal minimums
…To Sum Up
FAASafety.gov…
FAASafety.gov…
ALC-322
This presentation would not have been possible without the generous help and
support of the following:
Your Forum Facilitator
FAA Safety Teamwww.FAASafety.gov
SAFEwww.SafePilots.org
Presentation Author(s) Emelia Bernava
Marc [email protected]
Chuck Gensler [email protected]
Created June 2014