Case
Study #2
Crop Duster
Accidents Peak
 A
meeting is called to discuss a serious "spike" in aerial
agricultural mishaps. "Crop dusting" is a dangerous
enough business, but most of the accidents verge on the inexplicable.
A perfectly serviceable plane simply fails to get airborne and crashes
off end of the runway. Why? A subtle change – day-by-day over a week
or so – in temperature had gone unnoticed. The higher temperature
meant less load or longer take-off run for the "standard"
load. The pilot is highly experienced. Wire strikes are another symptom
of more-than-usual human error. There have been 30 and $8 million
in insurance claims. Of the 30 wire strikes, in every case but
one, the pilot was aware, precisely, of the location of the
wires. Thankfully, modern aeroplane design has a robust framework
protecting the pilot, so there has only been one fatality. And
maybe the higher sense of personal security in the "cage"
is contributing to the problem.
|
|
