Every pilot, to one degree or another, spends time contemplating risk management. While aviation is known to be potentially risky, many aviators adopt the strategy of actively managing risk as a means of minimizing the exposure to danger. Each and every flight involves a series of choices and judgments, either conscious or not, that ideally insures the safe completion of the flight.
A very good friend of mine owns a beautiful Lancair Legacy, which he proudly helped to build. I like to describe this airplane as “all engine, with an airframe strapped to it as an afterthought”. The Continental IO-550 (over 300 HP) combined with a light, clean composite airframe (2200 lbs Max gross weight) produces some very impressive piston performance- 2200 FPM to 10,000 ft, cruising at 240 kts on 14-15 GPH and a range of 1150 sm (data from Lancair website).
Thousands of pages and reams of aviation pontification have been put forth in the name of Aviation Safety, all in an effort to prevent aviation incidents and accidents. Far wiser and far more experienced Aviation Educators/Safety Advocates than myself have analyzed how we as pilots get ourselves into trouble (parenthetically, one of my favorite reads is “Stupid Pilot Tricks” published yearly in IFR Magazine.
On July 2, 2021, cargo Transair Flight 810 (Part 121) departed Honolulu International Airport (PHNL) at 0130 HST. Shortly after take-off (at approximately 390 ft AGL), the Boeing 737-200 experience partial power loss of the right engine and underwent a forced ditching 11.5 minutes after departure, approximately 5.5 miles southwest of Honolulu. The only two crewmembers aboard were rescued and sustained 1 serious injury (Captain) and 1 minor (First Officer) injury; both were released from the hospital within 2 days of the accident.
