DUAL INSTRUCTION MISHAP REPORTS
Reported Raytheon/Beechcraft piston mishaps
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NOTE: All cause determinations preliminary and subject to change after NTSB releases final reports, as applicable.
Reported mishaps during dual instructional flights
Historically 10-13% of reported Beech mishaps occur during the course of dual flight instruction. Certainly far less than 10% of all Beech flying is done in an instructional environment. This points to the added risk of instruction and the need for instructor knowledge and diligence to maintain a level of safety.
Although the number of reported mishaps has followed the total trend very closely (see the annual reports summary chart) the percentage of Beech mishaps that take place during dual instruction remains about constant.
Lessons Learned:
Proper attention to landing gear operation (see the LGRM page) is vital in all operations. The repetitive nature of flight instruction can build complacency that leads to a gear mishap; instructional distractions can divert attention from basic flight tasks. Above all the CFI is responsible for the safe outcome of the flight, and cannot allow teaching duties or complacency to lead to a costly and potentially dangerous mishap.
Only a small percentage of the dual instructional mishaps happened in an airplane registered to its current for less than one year. In part this is because commercially operated airplanes were involved in a few of the mishaps (the pilot receiving instruction may have had low experience in type, but the plane had been owned by the commercial operator for some time). The low percentage of "recent registration" mishaps during dual instruction, however, suggests that instructors cannot be lulled by a false security just because the pilot receiving instruction has experience in type. Recurrent instruction can be at least as risky a flight operation as initial pilot checkout.
More evaluation to come....