My Dad taught me that on every night take off, regardless of if you had an Horizon or not when it came to V2, to transition to my instruments and ignore the visuals or lack of until a well established into a stable, normal climb. Do not begin turns, unless told too until minimum safe altitude and you were comfortable and the aircraft was stable. I've always dislike night flying and avoided them when ever possible, but I never forgot what he taught me.
You still need to be looking out the window to avoid traffic. Heavy reference to instruments is required and not turning until the plane is settled into a climb is good advice.
He was right. This is why in much of the world, only instrument-rated pilots are allowed to fly at night. Because, absent some sort of horizon, IFR it is. Nearly every nighttime launch from my home base at Monterey, California, to the west was a "Black Hole" departure (unless it was foggy, and then it really was an IFR departure until you broke out on top). VFR habits can get you into trouble in those kinds of conditions. It seems strange to me that this IFR qualified pilot would not make use of the tools right in front of him.
@@johnmajane3731 If you encounter traffic in your first 1000 feet, someone REALLY screwed up right? Not saying it couldn't happen, but I think your odds of SD while looking in and out, are a lot greater than some jackwad crossing the up-wind end of an airport, under 1000'! Think of the pros landing in IFR. If someone's violating the airspace, neither the pilot or co-pilot for are ever going to see him in time. The co-pilot is simply looking for the runway to appear, while the pilot uses the instruments!
Venice (KVNC) has a complication. Departing planes at night have to check instruments AND traffic below 1000 feet because many people like to fly past KVNC while following the shoreline at various altitudes -crossing the departure end of 23.
@@carlwilliams6977 lots rotary wing traffic down low along the coast. Also possible traffic just skirting the airport or entering the pattern on a cross wind. As far as the "pros" landing on IFR approaches they are under control of ATC for the most part who is providing traffic separation. If you read what I said I said you need to rely on your gauges but also need to be aware of our surroundings.
@@6StringPassion. I don’t recall AOPA doing these “early analysis” videos until Dan started putting pressure on the industry to not wait 3 years for recommendations on accidents. I don’t agree with all of Dan’s conclusions or methods, but I agree 100% that the NTSB is asleep at the wheel and borderline incompetent. The military does accident investigations that are at least as thorough as the NTSB’s and they usually are done in 3-6 months and they’re almost ALWAYS offer recommendations in contrast to the NTSB who almost NEVER offer recommendations.
A list of must haves to make it to the golden years,some golden oldies never acquire the wisdom,balance,and maturity and flying tends to put an end to a life of charm and luck.
My CFI tossed me into the black hole on our first cross country night VFR trip to SPG. In his typical style, he didn't give me any warning about what was about to happen. Once the runway lights disappeared and there was nothing in front of us but the blackness of Tampa Bay on a moonless, hazy night, I immediately switched my gaze over to the instruments and turned the wing leveller on and focused on keeping the aircraft at Vy. "How is this even legal? This is IMC!" were what came out of my mouth. He replied, "I know." I'm grateful for the experience. I didn't get any spatial disorientation, but I can see where someone not paying attention could get into trouble very quickly.
Haa...yet another moron CFI who just likes to 'show it to his/her students...without first teaching them that maneuver! There are plenty of 'them' out there. Did I say moron!
@@V1rowt8 JFK confused boat nav lights below him on a clear night for lights on the horizon that he thought were near the airport, and kept rolling to past 90, when he thought he was doing a standard rate turn to the left. Over Block Island and the Cape area bright sun and haze can create a white ball around the airplane, with no distinct source of light or visible horizon, and no sense of up or down. You're in solid IMC in day VFR conditions, and this can also happen in any high moisture environment, particularly near water. Departing late at night in suburban areas can also turn into black holes, with no reflected street or house lights visible and no horizon.
ATP rated, retired military pilot here. This is by far the best channel for aircraft accident analysis. I learn or re-learn something everytime I watch one of your presentations.
@@chrisstromberg6527 - he volunteered to apply for the job and got paid for doing so...just like every soldier...everywhere...would he/she have done it without pay? After all, that's what his job was...but, there's a different connotation to this 'former military' thing...how would you like if someone says 'former bank manager'. Just sayin'
This one I can totally relate. I learned to fly out of Galveston. First night flight with my instructor we took off over the Gulf of Mexico. Clear night with starry sky. On climb out I trimmed the cowling to the “horizon”. My instructor kept pulling the nose up. I asked him why? After he pointed out the actual horizon, I realized the illusion of the distant ship lights and oil rigs were mistaken by me as “stars”. I was headed straight into the ocean. I treated nighttime flying with a great deal of respect after that.
ATP rated pilot here. On my early charter days i took off with a C-207 from page , Arizona in to the lake on a moonless night. Immediately after rotation and as J cleared the end of the runway i sensed some form of dizziness looking outside. So i lowered myself in the seat anf flew soley on instruments. Boy i never forget that. Scary.
I had a similar experience shortly after gaining my PPL 40 years ago. Flew out on a warm summer day, crossing the English Channel to France, a clear blue sky, blue sea with a haze of moisture rising off the sea, perfect horizon at ground level, during the climb the horizon simply disappeared into a haze, unable to tell blue sky from blue sea, fortunately, having completed my PPL training in the UK I'd had to become somewhat familiar with instruments ! But I really had to focus to keep everything together.. a bad half hour.
Same thing happens frequently over Block Island, Cape Cod area in the US, with haze and moisture over water, in bright sunlight, a white ball forms around the airplane creating solid IMC conditions, no indication of up or down or direction. Usually, a 180 will get you out, but you need to transition and be able fly your instruments and complete a procedure turn or similar to return to VFR. A surprise scenario not taught during primary flight training.
Just a thought about something that might have been a contributing factor: Venice has a bunch of noise abatement procedures, for 23 it says to climb at Vx maintaining rwy heading to pattern altitude before turning out. Adding to that, if you've ever flown a Lance they have a really long nose and at Vx visibility of what's in front of you(like the horizon) could be limited. Seems like it would be a situation especially prone to spacial disorientation. I say this as a Lance pilot who has flown into Venice just not at night.
Thanks for that. Do we know the pilot's familiarity with this aircraft model? I'm wondering if he had established a visual horizon, and it was just the wrong one. Also, I know from boating that riding into the direction of the moon will highlight the water, but the moon behind you could provide very little illumination. Very painful loss.
One thing that wasn't discussed is that this pilot was in his 80's. Age and currency may have played a role. I don't know the pilot, but I'm in the same neighborhood and heard about the accident. I make the same departure over the water not infrequently. I've experienced mild somatogravic illusions before, and thankfully, I was not very susceptible to them, and able to ignore it and stay on instruments fairly easily. I think what was said here is absolutely vital. Always be on your instruments. I always reference them even in VFR. I've been VFR on top several times and the clouds will definitely give you the illusion of a tilted horizon, similar phenomenon at dusk and in haze.
Just wondering how IFR proficient, current, and mentally sharp one can be in their 80’s ? The obvious method on a black hole departure is to ‘absolutely’ be on the gauges just right after departure. Pitch to a known rotation pitch angle, (on the artificial horizon), for the initial climb, maybe climb to 200-400 ft. then gear up and settle in to the VX pitch angle, (on the artificial horizon), referencing your IAS to micro-adjust. Someone else mentioned some noise abatement procedure for rwy-23 of runway heading at VX to pattern altitude, that’s even better ! Night departures into black hole situations are “No Joke”, and should be treated like a departure at 1/2 visibility, and maybe 100-200 ft. ceiling. Someone else mentioned also looking for traffic while all this is happening. Well, that seems like a vertigo situation, eyes in and out of the cockpit while ‘essentially’ on a low vis takeoff into low IFR. I believe the traffic situation might be better mitigated by careful listening to CTAF, or querying the control tower, if there is one ? And an ADSB “in” would certainly be helpful in identifying other nearby traffic, while climbing out into this black hole situation, until turning the aircraft around towards ground lights again, so as to gain an identifiable horizon. If one is not proficient, current, and sharp enough to perform a 200 and 1/2 IFR takeoff, then they should not be doing these VFR ‘dark hole” departures either.
The Pilot was only 64 years old according to the FAA. He had been flying under BasicMed rules since June 17, 2021 which makes me wonder if there perhaps were other (medical) factors. Clearly he had not flown in IMC lately (at least legally since June 2018) so he probably wasn't that proficient in IMC type conditions either. Sad that no one involved expected a simple "dinner out with friends" to end this way.
I have a runway at my home airport like this. Take off over water with no lights in the distance for visual reference. Instructor always taught me to switch to instruments at least partially. Recently did a 3 hour cross country during a really dark night and had to rely on instruments quite a bit especially when doing an enroute climb over water. This video is definitely a good reminder as we can get complacent and forget to check our instruments. Scary thing about it is the thought that this pilot was experienced and IFR rated. Let’s stay humble and remind ourselves that this can happen to any of us. Stay safe guys
When I was a flight instructor, I would always take my students up at night for instrument training under the hood. The problem with the hood was that there would be a peripheral vision at the lower corners which would be used by the subconscious to orient the pilot from the illusions associated with flying in IMC. To counter this I would steer them out over Lake Ontario and voila, they’d start to lose control. Any flight instructors out there should try this. Look for the black holes and see the results. It’s a valuable lesson.
Richard, great content as always. I suffered a somatogravic illusion event in daytime, pure visual (VMC) conditions at KSEE in San Diego. I was doing a missed approach on 27 in a Cirrus, and could not understand why I was not climbing and was going to be unable to clear terrain ahead, given my instructions for a left turn. I informed tower I was unable and was immediately cleared for a right turn (into lower terrain), came back around and landed safely. It took me a few minutes to realize what had happened. It is real and and can hit you at the most unexpected times.
The first time I experienced a black hole departure was when I started flying VFR charter island hopping in the Western Pacific using mainly the Cherokee Six. Even though I was proficient and current on instruments it was still shocking how dark and void of visual references it was when I departed out over the Pacific Ocean on a moonless night. After a while it became routine, however I understand how dangerous it can be for someone not expecting it or not proficient enough on instruments.
Not long ago, I had a pilot who flies commercial PC12 SP night ops mention how tough this type of departure is for him despite having flown them for years. He sees them as being one of the highest-risk operations, at least for himself. I found that interesting and would have liked to follow up more with his training background but didn't have a chance to. I trained in SoCal back in the day, and one of the advantages of training there in addition to plenty of nice weather is that, even in a single-engine trainer, a wise instructor can have you out over the ocean or over the desert at night in a matter of a few minutes' flying time, and the good ones will, including some landings and takeoffs at more remote fields on the desert side. How are you going to do with repeated "black hole" departures even while just staying in the pattern? It's something that every instructor should repeat often enough to scare and inform their VFR students and get their instrument students used to a standard, safe procedure for departing into the "black hole." No one should become complacent about such departures, but the right procedure and assuming the need to be on the gauges should also not make it a surprise or frightening or a high-risk encounter.
I have made takeoffs from Santa Barbara Airport (California) runway 27 which is over water and as soon as you cross the beach at night you are in a black hole. The Pacific Ocean is in front of you. I never files VFR out of Santa Barbara and never solo piloted at night. I actually went on the gauges on the take off roll and stayed on them until I had made my turn back towards land and had visual references. I flew the gauges even though the seat of my pants said other. It was a weird feeling.
I had the same experience at Santa Barbara before I received my instrument rating. Fortunately my training kicked in and I focused on the instruments. Only after tower cleared me to turn south (was going to SMO) and the shoreline came into view did I start to relax a bit.
The take away on this is that if you’re going to fly over featureless terrain, whether you want to call it a “black hole” or not, you should be taking off and transitioning to your instruments, and you should be slavishly following what your cross check on your instruments is telling you is actually happening, and ignoring any feelings that you have from your body. I recommend flying on an instrument flight plan with an instrument clearance. Sometimes you can become disoriented, and if so, you have to immediately engage your auto pilot because the auto pilot doesn’t get a case of “the leans,” and then you can recover from the feeling and hand fly the aircraft successfully on instruments. This is strikingly similar to the crash that happened a few years ago near Northeast Philadelphia, where a doctor in a Bonanza managed to kill his wife and his daughter along with himself because he “didn’t like using the auto pilot” and he wasn’t actually proficient on instruments in IMC. Speaking as a flight instructor, I highly recommend that you spend the money and the time to work with a proficient instructor in actual IMC conditions, because flying in IMC conditions is not like a simulator and it’s not like using a view limiting device. When I first attempted flying as a single pilot in IMC, I had over 30 hours of actual instrument condition experience that I had flown with an experienced instructor, and most of those hours had been flown in the previous 10 months. When I became an instrument and multi engine instructor, I emphasized the need for this type of flying experience for every pilot who does not want to die in an airplane. There is no substitute for the real thing. The greatest problem in aviation is that wealthy and successful individuals believe that there is something about them that will make them successful in every endeavor, and that is not the case when it comes to aviation. In order to survive and thrive in aviation, you must undertake the specialized training and the requisite time to develop proficiency, no matter how successful you are in the operating room, the court room, or the board room.
@@chriscusick6890 Well, lives are being saved because of people like Juan Brown and Dan Gryder. I just try to help the process along, because I'm sick of aviation getting bad press and people losing friends and family members without any good reason. The key aspects of staying alive in aviation are: 1) don't hit anything. 2) don't get too slow, and 3) don't lose control of the aircraft. If you do those 3 things, your chances of survival increase by orders of magnitude.
At night when taking off into a moonless night in the outback of Australia, upon rotation immediately eyes on the panel , and fly the plan because nothing out there in a dark night is going to help you, never ever , be wear of the vertigo boogie man
My son and I were flying out of Delta Utah (DTA) a couple of weeks ago at around midnight. It was a pretty dark night, but there was the tiniest bit of differentiation between the ground and sky. As we climbed out, he was very careful to keep an eye on the vertical speed indicator to confirm that we were maintaining a positive rate of climb and the attitude indicator to make sure we weren't getting into a turn. As we finally got up to cruising altitude and could finally see the lights of Provo ahead of us, we both commented that it was a little scary not being able to see much of anything. I can definitely see how easily you could get confused and not realize you were in a descending turn. I believe this is what happened to John Kennedy Jr., also.
The advice at the end is great! Having used VNC 23 night departure several time, I recall the first time I took off 23 at night it was a shock how dark it was suddenly. Can easily fool the mind. But instantly looking at the VSI to ensure climb maintained. Once oriented north or south the coast line lights remove the “vertigo”. All the other runways in VNC have city lights below you during the climb, 23 at night is a unique challenge.
Decades ago when I was a new VFR pilot I had an arrangement to use a friend's plane. He would go for months to a vacation cabin in the mountains he owned and I would drop him and his wife off then could use the plane for the summer. One time it ended up getting very late, into night, by the time I dropped him off. It was a high overcast totally black night with no lights and surrounding mountains. He was an older more experienced pilot and told me once the wheels were off the ground don't even look outside, just pitch up for Vx climb, trust that the plane would perform as it should, and remain straight until I was 3000 feet above terrain. I was never more attentive to detail as that first, essentially instrument, flight. He was watching and had a portable radio and said he would let me know if I was beginning to deviate. Not looking outside at all helped me concentrate. After that I treat all night flights as instrument, and now simply file IFR to remove any doubt.
I teach VFR night take-offs differently. Always transfer to instruments at lift off. Gradually transfer to visuals, if the real world matches instruments, and still regularly cross check instruments at night. Visual illusions and accelerating forces (in all axis) can and often do cause unusual and unexpected flight attitudes.
I don't fly. So always confounded me that pilots don't almost immediately switch to instruments unless in clear daylight. It's my understanding, always trust the instruments. Always. Your brain/eyes will lie to you.
Good video. I fly quite often at night and I consider every night take off IMC. Plan, plot departure ahead on the ground and be ready to go instrument immediately upon lift off. The bright runway lights will contrast very sharply against the dark sky ahead. Good advice to stay straight and level till achieving good altitude.
This pilot held a commercial certificate with instrument rating, but did he have any actual EXPERIENCE flying in those conditions? As a young, new airline F/O many years ago I likewise held the ratings, but never considered myself a competent instrument pilot until having flown many hours in actual conditions with a crusty old captain next to me. I got a real time look at what can happen one very very dark night. Inky black, no horizon at all, I was hand flying ( I think we may have dispatched with an inop autopilot ) the captain was snacking on a food trey , when out of the blue I had the very strong sensation of climbing and turning. I locked on to the instruments, they told me we were straight and level, I knew what was happening, but the instinct to follow what my inner ear was telling me was almost overpowering. I think the captain suspected something, because he glanced over at me with a slightly suspicious look, so I doubled down on my determination to go by what the gauges were telling me, and soon enough it went away and all was good again, But i know the feeling.
Before I had my IFR we departed over the desert at night. I was concerned about ceilings of about 13000 feet but over the desert there isn't a lot of reporting. As I lined up I gave myself the "are you ready for this"? I had one passenger and made a mental note that if it didn't feel right I would turn around and get a room. After take off everything seemed good and we continued. En route the ceiling's got better, however, my passenger said that it was starting to rain. I looked over at the wingtips and the strobes were catching the rain. I did not like that! I said, No it's not!" and turned the strobes off and went straight to the AI. Another time after getting my IFR I was coming back on a clear night over the desert and it appeared that the freeway was almost at my level even though I was at 10,000 feet. I double checked with flight following the altimeter setting and my altitude by gps. Obviously I was over 8,000 feet AGL but the illusion was real. I did a lot of night flying including hard IFR but you have to do it by the numbers.
Faced with a black hole VFR departure it sounds like good advice to keep on runway heading until the aircraft reaches 1,000 ft AGL. Use the time to retract gear and flaps, trim as needed, and vigilantly scan the instruments. Then make a nice, relaxed, low-bank turn to begin your route.
Even if flying in CAVOK day VFR, I actually try and treat the flight like I'm in IMC for at least the first 1000-2000', just for general awareness of the aircraft's performance and my own orientation. I'm also completely unashamed to put on the autopilot if I'm feeling the slightest bit busy or off. That is the reason these things exist.
This is the other extreme. Having no lookouts massively reduces your situational awareness in high density untowered environments. Nothing wrong with autopilot usage though, it's a very useful tool.
In memory of pilot William Jeffrey Lumpkin and passengers Patricia Lumpkin, Ricky Joe Beaver, and Elizabeth Anne Beaver who lost their lives on N635BD.
Everytime,I see a little plane flying around I look at it and think I hope his airspeed is good, flaps in the proper setting,hope he doesn't bank to hard and end up on this channel.
Had a similar situation shortly after getting my license. I had done a fair bit of of night flying, but always over reasonably populated areas. Dark, moonless night, tall trees on either side of the departure that I knew were looming, and I had to push down the panic and focus on my artificial horizon, directional gyro, and airspeed... it was about 30 seconds that felt like 15 minutes of white knuckle flying.
Happened to me on my first night flight after getting my ticket. It was my wife's first night flight and I wasn't prepared for that. She freaked out on climb out and that had it's effect on me. I lowered the nose, stayed in the pattern and landed. I also realized at that point what a difference it is to already be in flight at twilight and transition into darkness vs. doing the whole flight in darkness. Ultimately I ended up loving flying at night once I was comfortable with it.
A 1200 hour commercial/IFR rated pilot should not have any issue with that kind of departure. Something else happened. Medical or mechanical. Good report and graphics!!
I agree with you -- a pilot of this rating should not make errors like this, however what's truly the most likely explanation given the preliminary NTSB report? But regardless, I really like the lesson here -- even if the NTSB ultimately finds that the answer is something else (mechanical, medical, etc.), we need to remind ourselves of this danger and be ready to switch to instruments quickly.
It’s a reminder not to become complacent, not saying this pilot was, but the best advice is treating night flights like IFR from the start. I was always amazed I was able to fly at night as a private pilot with no instrument rating.
Agreed, but also, we've seen this story time and time again, when instrument-rated pilots lose their minds when they go IMC. After I got my PPC, I would often rent the plane I did my training in to do numerous night flights. While there were lights scattered around the ground from the city and various roads, I lived in Mid TN at the time, so we dealt with terrain often. So while I was enjoying the sights, I would always scan my instruments to make sure I was indeed straight and level and maintaining altitude. I find it difficult to believe that the pilot in this case wasn't doing the same.
'IFR rated' means very little. The IFR rating is easily acquired. Pilots know what they're expected to do beforehand, and they've got the examiner sitting next to them holding their hand (and making them feel safe). Launch over the ocean on a dark night all by your lonesome and it's a whole 'nother deal. IFR competent and current is what matters. Problem with guys like this is that they invariably kill friends and family along with themselves.
Before I received my PPL back in the late 90's, when training, I had an old timer CFI. There were things he taught me that I thought I would NEVER used in an airplane. Turn out, he was very right!! The one thing that has ALWAYS stuck with me was *night TO's.* A very simple rule. When leaving any airport, keep wing level until you reach DOUBLE the pattern altitude. This give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and give you the height to maintain safe altitude. After I get my ATIS, I ALWAYS write this altitude on my clipboard. One less thing to remember, when your mind needs to be on the controls.
The problem is where you have limited airspace or airport procedures that prevent you from doing that like noise abatement. On one of the runways at my home airport (circuit height 800’) you have to make a 90 degree turn to the right before reaching circuit altitude due to noise abatement. People typically turn at 400’. On my last night flight I had to take off from this runway and then my specified departure had a ceiling of 1200’ due to being under the approach path for an international airport. Definitely have to be extra cautious at night.
As already noted, not all airports allow for this to e done. In Rio de Janeiro's downtown Santos Dumont airport (SBRJ), for instance, southbound departures entail a mandatory 40-degree left turn right after take-off in order to clear the Sugar Loaf mountain.
This accident happened to the USA, which is where I fly and have only flown, PIC, lower 48 states. Here, In the US, there are OVER 14,000 airport, most are small, under 5000' runways. I was not talking about an airports in Brazil!! Sure, some of these airports, you MUST turn after leaving. But my thoughts, YOU know this before you fly in and out, if you don't, you have no business flying an aircraft. thus, you can set yourself to leave before sunset. VNC airport, No ATC and NO obstructions, this pilot could have used my technique. The decision you make in aviation can kill you or get you home safely! Decide Wisely!
@@doesntmatter3068 *"I was not talking about an airports in Brazil!!"* Welcome to the internet. Next time you lay out a procedure for flying out of "any airport" as you did above, you might take into account that you have a worldwide audience - or qualify your assertion as _in those airports that I've operated from,_ etc.
Great summary. But it would be interesting to know specifically if he was flying VFR (sounds like he was) or if he had filed an IFR flight plan. An IFR flight plan might have helped get his head into an IFR habit of flying.
Seems like there's something else in play here. Yes, a so called 'black hole' departure straight out, but you'd think he would have pretty obvious ground reference to the left and right from the city lights of Venice. The coastline immediately surrounding the airport is densely populated. A 1200 hour pilot losing their horizon would almost certainly be scanning to try and regain reference, and unless there was a complete power outage at the time, a city of lights would be it. Regardless, appreciate your videos!! Loved the side by side day vs. night simulation!
That was my thinking, he was an experienced IFR rated commercial pilot, he was definitely looking at his instruments that entire time with no horizon. Wondering if it wasn't an instrument failure, wandering artificial horizon at that low-level would be deadly and not really give you time to cross-check your turn coordinator or compass.
One thought I had was he was looking to level off at pattern altitude, dropping that long nose, looking for the horizon that wasn't there and kept going until it was too late.
likely he started his turn early/lower to get a visual reference because all lights on land would be directly behind him, e.g. it's not possible to look far back enough to see the lights until you start turning the plane, so normal turns in visual conditions is to make a 30 deg bank but in this case should be a 15 deg bank cuz IMC-like conditions, he may have done a 30deg turn to decrease the time without visual reference. it's possible that he was treating this as a VFR departure and did not verify the attitude indicator, DG, etc. so after climbing the first few hundred feet, likely realized his mistake and attempted to remedy it.
Excellent assessment and likely spot on. I am instrument rated and stay night current and proficient because I am absolutely convinced that night flying is some of the most disorienting IMC I have had even more so than hard IMC. I routinely experience the somatographic effects when doing night currency in the pattern. It’s so regular an occurrence that I am immediately on instruments at rotation. I don’t go off my instruments until I’m on autopilot or in the case of a currency flight until I’m at pattern altitude and downwind. This is real folks and we have to respect the dangers of night flying. Get your instrument ticket and keep night current AND proficient.
Not a Pilot. I’m a (not practicing) Flight Paramedic and I am really interested in the Crew Resource Management Techniques that you teach. Those techniques translate onto many disciplines, not just aviation, and you present them so well. Besides, my Dad was a USAF Pilot and he instilled in me a passion for excellence and precision in the execution of my job, and you assist in that!
Another great video by AOPA ASI. One picky point. Richard kept using the term “visual acuity” but a more appropriate term would have been “visual reference”.
I'm a new pilot with a C-182P. The old OEM wing leveler A/P is going to be replaced with a Dynon glass avionics system with their A/P. Very important to me as a safety feature these new flying systems/aids. That and having a hangar for the plane.
I took off at a dark night in a wooded area with no lights or references, then at about 400 ft, my passenger (also was a pilot) yelled at me "watch your bank".... That was long time ago, but I still remember it vividly, what a scarry realization.
Although it might seem simple to avoid there has been a lot of accidents with very experienced pilots. As always, this is a reminder that we can all be caught on traps. The only thing we can do is practice and keep current.
We'll never know for certain, but two married couples that just took off from Venice heading home to St. Pete are likely to be chatting away about their day. I cannot imagine an experienced pilot losing SA without some kind of distraction. I know that even on blue sky days, I am always better when there is zero non-pilot chatter at takeoff or in the pattern. It's a rule for me now.
Excellent and professional presentation thankyou. Got me wondering why it isnt normal procedure to regularly do a brief scan of your instruments as a verifaction process during night vfr. It is so easy to get it wrong when light is poor
We do not know if the early low turn at 300’ was intentional or not, but here in Australia the rule is no turns until after 500’ AGL. So sad, yet again.
idk if it was after the tower closed (2100) or not, but FAA _advises_ no turns before reaching pattern altitude (1000' AGL here) at unmanned airports. although i was always taught 700'
I was taught to go straight to instruments at rotation even if VFR. 10 degree up pitch attitude and climb straight ahead at best rate till 500 feet AGL. Commence turn and don’t look outside until on reciprocal of runway heading at 1000 AGL.
Just to have dinner….they had to fly 60 miles away. I don’t understand stuff like that. To me, flying is some thing you do when you have to go some place far away….not a short plane ride just to have dinner.
I flew in NYC (FRG) during my training in my teenage years, night flying was aways cool over NYC with plenty of orange city lights. I now live and fly Angel Flights over FL; what a difference in night flying, especially by the coasts. There are many black holes here in FL. I’m always amazed there is no regulation on having an instrument rating for night flying; other countries have such regulation.
One other visual illusion nit mentioned but that can be problematic is a false horizon. This could be from the lights along the coastline (or a cloud layer) running at an angle not perpendicular to your direction of travel, as in this case where they were heading southwest with a north-south shoreline, which would give the illusion of being in a left bank. Definitely something else to be aware of.
As a low hours 152 pilot I returned to Venice at night after flying across from West Palm Beach then North up from Fort Myers. I did my normal daytime pattern going downwind over the beach to approach over Sharky's restaurant. As I crossed the beach downwind all was completely black and I looked over my shoulder but then when I looked forwards again I was already in a 30 degree bank. Fortunately I had an artificial horizon and had done some instrument appreciation but the feel of panic/ adrenaline was almost overpowering. It was also very disconcerting during the turn to base /final as pier/ beach lights gave a false impression of a horizon.
I believe you are spot on about the cause of this unfortunate accident, it just makes sense given the available information. That was my first thought is switching to IFR instead. Seems like there just should be a requirement for this to automatically be done.
I grew up flying rural PA, NY, ME (40 years ago) where every takeoff felt blackhole. Artificial horizon, airspeed and altimeter are all you need to look at to avoid this problem. Why pilots refuse to either look at or trust their instruments I do not understand. My 2 cents.
It easier to take of in IMC daytime even if the ceiling is 300’. I was prepared for one in a dark forest with no moon…OMG , as soon as the nose went up….BLACK !! Pretty wild i must say. So indeed…be READY !!
Set up a runway heading bug, activate as soon as certain airplane is committed to flight, don't deactivate until ensure positive control of the airplane adn navigation command is maintained!
I live on the Gulf north of Venice. I look out over the night Gulf often. The view of the Gulf at night is...nothing. I consider any departure from runways like 23 at night to be a total IFR/VMC flight, with all the attendant requirements and risk reductions. The moon is only helpful to find the horizon if you get some reflectivity off the water to help you find it, but that requires the moon to be in your line of sight. If the pilot had the moon over his left shoulder, and he turned further right, then the moon was not reflecting on the water. Its light is little benefit; it won't help you see the water surface when looking down. The sad thing is the pilot and pax probably saw the water immediately before they hit it.
It's peculiar to me that "nighttime VFR" is a thing. It's the only time VFR into actual IMC is legal. You should not go up unless you have the functioning equipment and training to "fly blind" (i.e. by reference only to instruments). In craft that can be controlled by automata, use them.
Jeff was not in his 80's, rather he was in his 60's. He'd owned several acft., flew often, however I'm not certain he was instrument competent/current. He & wife, Patty, were friends of mine.
This has happened at Burke Lake Front in Cleveland, Oh several times. My dad said the first time he departed there at night time, it felt like he was in outer space over Lake Erie. I'm fortunate that I have been flying instruments since I was a preteen so my instinct is to go to instruments. Even when VMC I'm always Cross referencing my Instruments as well as looking outside. Sorry for the loss of those involved.
I wonder if the full moon may have actually exacerbated the accident? Perhaps the pilot felt that he was pitching up, and incorrectly assumed that the lunar Reflection was the actual moon.
I treat every night departure as a “black hole departure”- in my 98 hours of night flying GA aircraft Ive learned its generally always difficult to trust the horizon- so now I never do - and those pure dark nights are what I’ve come to love the most
Departing Ocean City Maryland towards the east you have the same issue. You must cross reference your instruments until turning back towards land and picking up a horizon.
This will be noted as a classic case of CFIT. I recommend if you want to fly at night, to have your instrument rating, and reliable instrumentation in the aircraft, and don't be afraid to use it.
Forgive me if this is an ignorant question. I’m new to aviation. If the somatogravic illusion is what was at play here, my question is why is that so? Upon takeoff, wouldn’t the pilot expect to feel the sensation of climbing? Why would he act to lower the nose if he was expecting to be climbing?
I wonder how current this pilot was? The information “1200 hrs and IFR rated” only tells a small part of the story. Did they get 1200 hrs over a period 20 yrs? Was their IFR current or elapsed?
I think part of this is simply poor training, departures at night should be 100% on the instruments until just before the downwind leg. I also think it's farcical that the FAA allows privates to fly at night with incredibly minimal training. In Australia you need a night VFR endorsement which is a minimum of 10 hours at night.
Inadvertent IMC is a big accident area, and takeoff into a black hole requires the same “ survival skills”. Both require you to quickly transition to your instruments, and believe what they are telling you. Basic instruments is a great area to focus on for anyone’s continuation training program. As a CFII I do a lot of FRs and IPCs. For non instrument rated pilots, this is a must area to practice. Seems basic instrument skills fade fast, even for those with an instrument ticket.
I’m thinking this is another benefit of an all-in-one instrument like the g3x touch I use. I have a relatively huge artificial horizon right in front of me if I need it, and can immediately cross reference speed and altitude in the same glance. As a VFR only pilot I have not ever felt concerned flying at night with that instrumentation. I have even flown into a large but unlighted strip at night, using landing lights to illuminate the runway. Only having one engine at night has always been my big concern!
Personally I enjoy the heck out of night flying especially if there is any significant amount of moon light. Yes, you have to keep in mind that it’s often a combination of instrument and VFR so even if you are in ideal VFR always check against your instruments and keep learning from other people’s mistakes do you can avoid making the same ones. My biggest piece of advice - never get in a hurry . If you feel rushed, pushed, under some sort of stress to get somewhere in a hurry, don’t do it. Set your personal limits and stick with them regardless of everything else.. remember that old saying; there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are darn few old, bold pilots
To operate past last-light or before first-light here in Australia requires an instrument rating or a Night VFR rating (which essentially is an instrument rating with no instrument approach endorsements). A very wise rule!
This airport should not permit pm takeoffs on 23. Several crashes. I flew my 310 to Venice for dinner with my wife at a local restaurant. After dinner, back to the dark airport. 23 departure into the black hole….. As soon as the runway lights disappeared under the 310, my visual references were lost. Climbing, accelerating and no references….. I immediately went to the attitude indicator AND had to FIGHT my senses and trust my attitude indicator. The rest of the flight, I was trying to make sense of what just happened…….
Disorientation or vertigo seems so common, but as a non-pilot it mystifies me. Okay, you cannot see the horizon. That's disconcerting but luckily you have an artificial horizon, altimeter, etc. You just have to look down to begin using them. What gets in the way?
It seems to me that all of these spatial disorientation accidents are very likely exacerbated by panic. Your instruments have to be trusted, calm down and fly the damn plane! This is no different than recovering from unusual attitudes under the hood in training. My instructor actually had me fly out over the ocean at night a few miles until the beach was out of peripheral view and had me close my eyes and he put the aircraft in several unusual attitudes over the course of the night flight. It's really easy to recover if you keep your head, if you panic it's impossible. If I ever hear a pilot say they are claustrophobic or afraid of heights, I'll never fly with them if I don't have the ability to control the aircraft (i.e. pilot in front and non pilot spouse in right seat with me and the wife in back.) If you are prone to panic maybe this isn't for you. I really think more training should be about trying to induce panic into the situation and see how the student reacts. If they have a tendency to lock up or give up the controls then training should be discontinued and the student released and that put on their record. It's NOT FOR EVERYONE! I seriously doubt it can be trained out of anyone for the long haul. I think if you have the tendency to panic sooner or later no matter how much you train, when the real situation pops up, you'll freeze. Just my opinion, been wrong before.
Surely the airport authorities should include the very real possibility of this occurring and include it in the atis⁉️ Also, the aircraft would be trimmed for level wings and a normal pitch angle. He was trained for this but ignored his training.
I’ve made numerous night takeoffs and landings at VNC. It is a scenic flight from St. Pete down the coast for dinner. Runway 23 is designated as the calm wind runway, however, after dark I never used it. I always used runway 31 (wind permitting) for take off specifically to avoid taking off into a void and should my engine fail, I was already lined up with the beach. Any night t/o from a coastal airport requires careful consideration.
Personally, I think VFR at night doesn't really exist, even though the flight rules allow for it. And I don't understand how pilots are not specifically monitoring the altimeter when they are operating near the ground.
Dumb question: Where did they get "recommended that runway 23 departures maintain runway heading and best rate of climb (Vy) until 1,000 ft above ground level"? I don't see anything in the chart supplement or even the IFR Takeoff Minimums guides for VNC mentioning this.
A little bit of moonlight can be just enough to make you think you can see OK, and also, your eyes will lock on to anything they can see, with no reference to distance, even a stain on the windshield, delaying your transition to the instruments. Sort of like partial loss of power, fooling you into passing up a good landing zone, and then crashing when the mill lets go completely.
You would think that more than the little artificial horizon these days you could have a projection on the window of the airplane the horizon that you can’t see.
Its almost to point where night flight you need to have more hours of instrument training or IFR certified to where it's just natural to put your head down and stare at instruments.
I have always had a slight, albeit healthy fear of flying over completely open water at night. If you’re not instrument rated, CURRENT, and confident - why do it?
I didn't make it long enough with flight school to get to night flying but why, especially because this guy was a commercial pilot, wouldn't he check his instruments against his visual references when night flying? I know that a person that isn't instrument rated can't fly in instrument conditions but he was a commercial rated pilot with instrument rating. Even if not instrument rated wouldn't it be prudent to at least use them to verify your visual and physical senses?
If I heard you correctly in this video... didn't you say this pilot was instrument rated? With that rating... wouldn't a pilot be ready to go on the instruments IMMEDIATELY after losing visual flight conditions???
My Dad taught me that on every night take off, regardless of if you had an Horizon or not when it came to V2, to transition to my instruments and ignore the visuals or lack of until a well established into a stable, normal climb. Do not begin turns, unless told too until minimum safe altitude and you were comfortable and the aircraft was stable.
I've always dislike night flying and avoided them when ever possible, but I never forgot what he taught me.
You still need to be looking out the window to avoid traffic. Heavy reference to instruments is required and not turning until the plane is settled into a climb is good advice.
He was right. This is why in much of the world, only instrument-rated pilots are allowed to fly at night. Because, absent some sort of horizon, IFR it is. Nearly every nighttime launch from my home base at Monterey, California, to the west was a "Black Hole" departure (unless it was foggy, and then it really was an IFR departure until you broke out on top). VFR habits can get you into trouble in those kinds of conditions. It seems strange to me that this IFR qualified pilot would not make use of the tools right in front of him.
@@johnmajane3731 If you encounter traffic in your first 1000 feet, someone REALLY screwed up right? Not saying it couldn't happen, but I think your odds of SD while looking in and out, are a lot greater than some jackwad crossing the up-wind end of an airport, under 1000'!
Think of the pros landing in IFR. If someone's violating the airspace, neither the pilot or co-pilot for are ever going to see him in time. The co-pilot is simply looking for the runway to appear, while the pilot uses the instruments!
Venice (KVNC) has a complication. Departing planes at night have to check instruments AND traffic below 1000 feet because many people like to fly past KVNC while following the shoreline at various altitudes -crossing the departure end of 23.
@@carlwilliams6977 lots rotary wing traffic down low along the coast. Also possible traffic just skirting the airport or entering the pattern on a cross wind. As far as the "pros" landing on IFR approaches they are under control of ATC for the most part who is providing traffic separation. If you read what I said I said you need to rely on your gauges but also need to be aware of our surroundings.
I vote this channel for giving analysis on anything that requires maturity, balance and wisdom.
or, to put it another way, the opposite of Dan Gryder.
The truth hurts!
@@6StringPassion. I don’t recall AOPA doing these “early analysis” videos until Dan started putting pressure on the industry to not wait 3 years for recommendations on accidents. I don’t agree with all of Dan’s conclusions or methods, but I agree 100% that the NTSB is asleep at the wheel and borderline incompetent. The military does accident investigations that are at least as thorough as the NTSB’s and they usually are done in 3-6 months and they’re almost ALWAYS offer recommendations in contrast to the NTSB who almost NEVER offer recommendations.
@@LTVoyager I agree with you 100%. The context of my comment was only in reference to the terms "maturity, balance and wisdom".
A list of must haves to make it to the golden years,some golden oldies never acquire the wisdom,balance,and maturity and flying tends to put an end to a life of charm and luck.
My CFI tossed me into the black hole on our first cross country night VFR trip to SPG. In his typical style, he didn't give me any warning about what was about to happen. Once the runway lights disappeared and there was nothing in front of us but the blackness of Tampa Bay on a moonless, hazy night, I immediately switched my gaze over to the instruments and turned the wing leveller on and focused on keeping the aircraft at Vy. "How is this even legal? This is IMC!" were what came out of my mouth. He replied, "I know." I'm grateful for the experience. I didn't get any spatial disorientation, but I can see where someone not paying attention could get into trouble very quickly.
Haa...yet another moron CFI who just likes to 'show it to his/her students...without first teaching them that maneuver! There are plenty of 'them' out there. Did I say moron!
Ask JFK Jr. about this phenomenon...
@@V1rowt8 It would be a very one-sided conversation.
@@V1rowt8 JFK confused boat nav lights below him on a clear night for lights on the horizon that he thought were near the airport, and kept rolling to past 90, when he thought he was doing a standard rate turn to the left. Over Block Island and the Cape area bright sun and haze can create a white ball around the airplane, with no distinct source of light or visible horizon, and no sense of up or down. You're in solid IMC in day VFR conditions, and this can also happen in any high moisture environment, particularly near water. Departing late at night in suburban areas can also turn into black holes, with no reflected street or house lights visible and no horizon.
ATP rated, retired military pilot here. This is by far the best channel for aircraft accident analysis. I learn or re-learn something everytime I watch one of your presentations.
Thank you for serving. Pilots are heroes especially during a war.🥰
Just curious; why do you have to mention 'retired military'?
@@fahadfaisal7855 Because he defended my freedom and millions of other Americans, and he has every right too!
@@chrisstromberg6527 - he volunteered to apply for the job and got paid for doing so...just like every soldier...everywhere...would he/she have done it without pay? After all, that's what his job was...but, there's a different connotation to this 'former military' thing...how would you like if someone says 'former bank manager'. Just sayin'
@@fahadfaisal7855 Why would that upset anyone, being a former sales rep myself?
This one I can totally relate. I learned to fly out of Galveston. First night flight with my instructor we took off over the Gulf of Mexico. Clear night with starry sky. On climb out I trimmed the cowling to the “horizon”. My instructor kept pulling the nose up. I asked him why? After he pointed out the actual horizon, I realized the illusion of the distant ship lights and oil rigs were mistaken by me as “stars”. I was headed straight into the ocean. I treated nighttime flying with a great deal of respect after that.
ATP rated pilot here. On my early charter days i took off with a C-207 from page , Arizona in to the lake on a moonless night. Immediately after rotation and as J cleared the end of the runway i sensed some form of dizziness looking outside. So i lowered myself in the seat anf flew soley on instruments. Boy i never forget that. Scary.
A guy (also with an instrument ticket) told me a similar story. He'd always trust his instruments more than his senses. If in doubt, fly by the dials.
I had a similar experience shortly after gaining my PPL 40 years ago. Flew out on a warm summer day, crossing the English Channel to France, a clear blue sky, blue sea with a haze of moisture rising off the sea, perfect horizon at ground level, during the climb the horizon simply disappeared into a haze, unable to tell blue sky from blue sea, fortunately, having completed my PPL training in the UK I'd had to become somewhat familiar with instruments ! But I really had to focus to keep everything together.. a bad half hour.
Same thing happens frequently over Block Island, Cape Cod area in the US, with haze and moisture over water, in bright sunlight, a white ball forms around the airplane creating solid IMC conditions, no indication of up or down or direction. Usually, a 180 will get you out, but you need to transition and be able fly your instruments and complete a procedure turn or similar to return to VFR. A surprise scenario not taught during primary flight training.
Just a thought about something that might have been a contributing factor: Venice has a bunch of noise abatement procedures, for 23 it says to climb at Vx maintaining rwy heading to pattern altitude before turning out. Adding to that, if you've ever flown a Lance they have a really long nose and at Vx visibility of what's in front of you(like the horizon) could be limited. Seems like it would be a situation especially prone to spacial disorientation. I say this as a Lance pilot who has flown into Venice just not at night.
Thanks for that. Do we know the pilot's familiarity with this aircraft model? I'm wondering if he had established a visual horizon, and it was just the wrong one. Also, I know from boating that riding into the direction of the moon will highlight the water, but the moon behind you could provide very little illumination. Very painful loss.
I’m doing whatever pitch attitude gives me the best vis, so Vy. The rich people can stuff it, don’t buy a home near an airport.
One thing that wasn't discussed is that this pilot was in his 80's. Age and currency may have played a role. I don't know the pilot, but I'm in the same neighborhood and heard about the accident. I make the same departure over the water not infrequently. I've experienced mild somatogravic illusions before, and thankfully, I was not very susceptible to them, and able to ignore it and stay on instruments fairly easily. I think what was said here is absolutely vital. Always be on your instruments. I always reference them even in VFR. I've been VFR on top several times and the clouds will definitely give you the illusion of a tilted horizon, similar phenomenon at dusk and in haze.
Just wondering how IFR proficient, current, and mentally sharp one can be in their 80’s ?
The obvious method on a black hole departure is to ‘absolutely’ be on the gauges just right after departure. Pitch to a known rotation pitch angle, (on the artificial horizon), for the initial climb, maybe climb to 200-400 ft. then gear up and settle in to the VX pitch angle, (on the artificial horizon), referencing your IAS to micro-adjust.
Someone else mentioned some noise abatement procedure for rwy-23 of runway heading at VX to pattern altitude, that’s even better !
Night departures into black hole situations are “No Joke”, and should be treated like a departure at 1/2 visibility, and maybe 100-200 ft. ceiling.
Someone else mentioned also looking for traffic while all this is happening.
Well, that seems like a vertigo situation, eyes in and out of the cockpit while ‘essentially’ on a low vis takeoff into low IFR.
I believe the traffic situation might be better mitigated by careful listening to CTAF, or querying the control tower, if there is one ?
And an ADSB “in” would certainly be helpful in identifying other nearby traffic, while climbing out into this black hole situation, until turning the aircraft around towards ground lights again, so as to gain an identifiable horizon.
If one is not proficient, current, and sharp enough to perform a 200 and 1/2 IFR takeoff, then they should not be doing these VFR ‘dark hole” departures either.
The Pilot was only 64 years old according to the FAA. He had been flying under BasicMed rules since June 17, 2021 which makes me wonder if there perhaps were other (medical) factors. Clearly he had not flown in IMC lately (at least legally since June 2018) so he probably wasn't that proficient in IMC type conditions either. Sad that no one involved expected a simple "dinner out with friends" to end this way.
The pilot was 64
I have a runway at my home airport like this. Take off over water with no lights in the distance for visual reference. Instructor always taught me to switch to instruments at least partially. Recently did a 3 hour cross country during a really dark night and had to rely on instruments quite a bit especially when doing an enroute climb over water. This video is definitely a good reminder as we can get complacent and forget to check our instruments. Scary thing about it is the thought that this pilot was experienced and IFR rated. Let’s stay humble and remind ourselves that this can happen to any of us. Stay safe guys
When I was a flight instructor, I would always take my students up at night for instrument training under the hood. The problem with the hood was that there would be a peripheral vision at the lower corners which would be used by the subconscious to orient the pilot from the illusions associated with flying in IMC. To counter this I would steer them out over Lake Ontario and voila, they’d start to lose control. Any flight instructors out there should try this. Look for the black holes and see the results. It’s a valuable lesson.
This is a must-watch series for every pilot. Thank you for the content, so we can all learn to be safer.
Richard, great content as always. I suffered a somatogravic illusion event in daytime, pure visual (VMC) conditions at KSEE in San Diego. I was doing a missed approach on 27 in a Cirrus, and could not understand why I was not climbing and was going to be unable to clear terrain ahead, given my instructions for a left turn. I informed tower I was unable and was immediately cleared for a right turn (into lower terrain), came back around and landed safely. It took me a few minutes to realize what had happened. It is real and and can hit you at the most unexpected times.
The first time I experienced a black hole departure was when I started flying VFR charter island hopping in the Western Pacific using mainly the Cherokee Six. Even though I was proficient and current on instruments it was still shocking how dark and void of visual references it was when I departed out over the Pacific Ocean on a moonless night. After a while it became routine, however I understand how dangerous it can be for someone not expecting it or not proficient enough on instruments.
as long as you keep an eye on the altimeter, air speed indicator and artificial horizon, you'll be fine.
Not long ago, I had a pilot who flies commercial PC12 SP night ops mention how tough this type of departure is for him despite having flown them for years. He sees them as being one of the highest-risk operations, at least for himself. I found that interesting and would have liked to follow up more with his training background but didn't have a chance to. I trained in SoCal back in the day, and one of the advantages of training there in addition to plenty of nice weather is that, even in a single-engine trainer, a wise instructor can have you out over the ocean or over the desert at night in a matter of a few minutes' flying time, and the good ones will, including some landings and takeoffs at more remote fields on the desert side. How are you going to do with repeated "black hole" departures even while just staying in the pattern? It's something that every instructor should repeat often enough to scare and inform their VFR students and get their instrument students used to a standard, safe procedure for departing into the "black hole." No one should become complacent about such departures, but the right procedure and assuming the need to be on the gauges should also not make it a surprise or frightening or a high-risk encounter.
I have made takeoffs from Santa Barbara Airport (California) runway 27 which is over water and as soon as you cross the beach at night you are in a black hole. The Pacific Ocean is in front of you. I never files VFR out of Santa Barbara and never solo piloted at night. I actually went on the gauges on the take off roll and stayed on them until I had made my turn back towards land and had visual references. I flew the gauges even though the seat of my pants said other. It was a weird feeling.
That is exactly what I thought although I have never experienced something like this in person.
I had the same experience at Santa Barbara before I received my instrument rating. Fortunately my training kicked in and I focused on the instruments. Only after tower cleared me to turn south (was going to SMO) and the shoreline came into view did I start to relax a bit.
Quite an experience isn't it! It didn't hurt my feelings that I didn't have to fly search missions out of Santa Barbara at night.@@mnpattern
The take away on this is that if you’re going to fly over featureless terrain, whether you want to call it a “black hole” or not, you should be taking off and transitioning to your instruments, and you should be slavishly following what your cross check on your instruments is telling you is actually happening, and ignoring any feelings that you have from your body. I recommend flying on an instrument flight plan with an instrument clearance. Sometimes you can become disoriented, and if so, you have to immediately engage your auto pilot because the auto pilot doesn’t get a case of “the leans,” and then you can recover from the feeling and hand fly the aircraft successfully on instruments. This is strikingly similar to the crash that happened a few years ago near Northeast Philadelphia, where a doctor in a Bonanza managed to kill his wife and his daughter along with himself because he “didn’t like using the auto pilot” and he wasn’t actually proficient on instruments in IMC. Speaking as a flight instructor, I highly recommend that you spend the money and the time to work with a proficient instructor in actual IMC conditions, because flying in IMC conditions is not like a simulator and it’s not like using a view limiting device. When I first attempted flying as a single pilot in IMC, I had over 30 hours of actual instrument condition experience that I had flown with an experienced instructor, and most of those hours had been flown in the previous 10 months. When I became an instrument and multi engine instructor, I emphasized the need for this type of flying experience for every pilot who does not want to die in an airplane. There is no substitute for the real thing. The greatest problem in aviation is that wealthy and successful individuals believe that there is something about them that will make them successful in every endeavor, and that is not the case when it comes to aviation. In order to survive and thrive in aviation, you must undertake the specialized training and the requisite time to develop proficiency, no matter how successful you are in the operating room, the court room, or the board room.
Wow, you sound like an excellent instructor. I wish we could hear more from you on RUclips. You could save lives here!
@@chriscusick6890 Well, lives are being saved because of people like Juan Brown and Dan Gryder. I just try to help the process along, because I'm sick of aviation getting bad press and people losing friends and family members without any good reason.
The key aspects of staying alive in aviation are:
1) don't hit anything.
2) don't get too slow, and
3) don't lose control of the aircraft.
If you do those 3 things, your chances of survival increase by orders of magnitude.
At night when taking off into a moonless night in the outback of Australia, upon rotation immediately eyes on the panel , and fly the plan because nothing out there in a dark night is going to help you, never ever , be wear of the vertigo boogie man
My son and I were flying out of Delta Utah (DTA) a couple of weeks ago at around midnight. It was a pretty dark night, but there was the tiniest bit of differentiation between the ground and sky. As we climbed out, he was very careful to keep an eye on the vertical speed indicator to confirm that we were maintaining a positive rate of climb and the attitude indicator to make sure we weren't getting into a turn. As we finally got up to cruising altitude and could finally see the lights of Provo ahead of us, we both commented that it was a little scary not being able to see much of anything. I can definitely see how easily you could get confused and not realize you were in a descending turn. I believe this is what happened to John Kennedy Jr., also.
Excellent advice: be ready for IMC at any stage of flight.
Good point about gaining altitude, transitioning to instruments before changing heading.
The advice at the end is great! Having used VNC 23 night departure several time, I recall the first time I took off 23 at night it was a shock how dark it was suddenly. Can easily fool the mind. But instantly looking at the VSI to ensure climb maintained. Once oriented north or south the coast line lights remove the “vertigo”. All the other runways in VNC have city lights below you during the climb, 23 at night is a unique challenge.
The passenger, Rick Beaver, was a friend of mine, RIP to all those on board.
Decades ago when I was a new VFR pilot I had an arrangement to use a friend's plane. He would go for months to a vacation cabin in the mountains he owned and I would drop him and his wife off then could use the plane for the summer. One time it ended up getting very late, into night, by the time I dropped him off. It was a high overcast totally black night with no lights and surrounding mountains. He was an older more experienced pilot and told me once the wheels were off the ground don't even look outside, just pitch up for Vx climb, trust that the plane would perform as it should, and remain straight until I was 3000 feet above terrain. I was never more attentive to detail as that first, essentially instrument, flight. He was watching and had a portable radio and said he would let me know if I was beginning to deviate. Not looking outside at all helped me concentrate. After that I treat all night flights as instrument, and now simply file IFR to remove any doubt.
I teach VFR night take-offs differently. Always transfer to instruments at lift off. Gradually transfer to visuals, if the real world matches instruments, and still regularly cross check instruments at night. Visual illusions and accelerating forces (in all axis) can and often do cause unusual and unexpected flight attitudes.
I don't fly. So always confounded me that pilots don't almost immediately switch to instruments unless in clear daylight. It's my understanding, always trust the instruments. Always. Your brain/eyes will lie to you.
Good video. I fly quite often at night and I consider every night take off IMC. Plan, plot departure ahead on the ground and be ready to go instrument immediately upon lift off. The bright runway lights will contrast very sharply against the dark sky ahead. Good advice to stay straight and level till achieving good altitude.
This pilot held a commercial certificate with instrument rating, but did he have any actual EXPERIENCE flying in those conditions? As a young, new airline F/O many years ago I likewise held the ratings, but never considered myself a competent instrument pilot until having flown many hours in actual conditions with a crusty old captain next to me. I got a real time look at what can happen one very very dark night. Inky black, no horizon at all, I was hand flying ( I think we may have dispatched with an inop autopilot ) the captain was snacking on a food trey , when out of the blue I had the very strong sensation of climbing and turning. I locked on to the instruments, they told me we were straight and level, I knew what was happening, but the instinct to follow what my inner ear was telling me was almost overpowering. I think the captain suspected something, because he glanced over at me with a slightly suspicious look, so I doubled down on my determination to go by what the gauges were telling me, and soon enough it went away and all was good again, But i know the feeling.
Before I had my IFR we departed over the desert at night. I was concerned about ceilings of about 13000 feet but over the desert there isn't a lot of reporting. As I lined up I gave myself the "are you ready for this"? I had one passenger and made a mental note that if it didn't feel right I would turn around and get a room. After take off everything seemed good and we continued. En route the ceiling's got better, however, my passenger said that it was starting to rain. I looked over at the wingtips and the strobes were catching the rain. I did not like that! I said, No it's not!" and turned the strobes off and went straight to the AI.
Another time after getting my IFR I was coming back on a clear night over the desert and it appeared that the freeway was almost at my level even though I was at 10,000 feet. I double checked with flight following the altimeter setting and my altitude by gps. Obviously I was over 8,000 feet AGL but the illusion was real. I did a lot of night flying including hard IFR but you have to do it by the numbers.
Faced with a black hole VFR departure it sounds like good advice to keep on runway heading until the aircraft reaches 1,000 ft AGL. Use the time to retract gear and flaps, trim as needed, and vigilantly scan the instruments. Then make a nice, relaxed, low-bank turn to begin your route.
Thank you for the detailed and thoughtful analysis. Much appreciated!
Great video great advice, sad loss. Condolences to the families
Even if flying in CAVOK day VFR, I actually try and treat the flight like I'm in IMC for at least the first 1000-2000', just for general awareness of the aircraft's performance and my own orientation. I'm also completely unashamed to put on the autopilot if I'm feeling the slightest bit busy or off. That is the reason these things exist.
This is the other extreme. Having no lookouts massively reduces your situational awareness in high density untowered environments.
Nothing wrong with autopilot usage though, it's a very useful tool.
In memory of pilot William Jeffrey Lumpkin and passengers Patricia Lumpkin, Ricky Joe Beaver, and Elizabeth Anne Beaver who lost their lives on N635BD.
Excellent down and recommendations
Everytime,I see a little plane flying around I look at it and think I hope his airspeed is good, flaps in the proper setting,hope he doesn't bank to hard and end up on this channel.
Had a similar situation shortly after getting my license. I had done a fair bit of of night flying, but always over reasonably populated areas. Dark, moonless night, tall trees on either side of the departure that I knew were looming, and I had to push down the panic and focus on my artificial horizon, directional gyro, and airspeed... it was about 30 seconds that felt like 15 minutes of white knuckle flying.
Happened to me on my first night flight after getting my ticket. It was my wife's first night flight and I wasn't prepared for that. She freaked out on climb out and that had it's effect on me. I lowered the nose, stayed in the pattern and landed. I also realized at that point what a difference it is to already be in flight at twilight and transition into darkness vs. doing the whole flight in darkness. Ultimately I ended up loving flying at night once I was comfortable with it.
A 1200 hour commercial/IFR rated pilot should not have any issue with that kind of departure. Something else happened. Medical or mechanical. Good report and graphics!!
I agree with you -- a pilot of this rating should not make errors like this, however what's truly the most likely explanation given the preliminary NTSB report? But regardless, I really like the lesson here -- even if the NTSB ultimately finds that the answer is something else (mechanical, medical, etc.), we need to remind ourselves of this danger and be ready to switch to instruments quickly.
It’s a reminder not to become complacent, not saying this pilot was, but the best advice is treating night flights like IFR from the start. I was always amazed I was able to fly at night as a private pilot with no instrument rating.
Agreed, but also, we've seen this story time and time again, when instrument-rated pilots lose their minds when they go IMC. After I got my PPC, I would often rent the plane I did my training in to do numerous night flights. While there were lights scattered around the ground from the city and various roads, I lived in Mid TN at the time, so we dealt with terrain often. So while I was enjoying the sights, I would always scan my instruments to make sure I was indeed straight and level and maintaining altitude. I find it difficult to believe that the pilot in this case wasn't doing the same.
'IFR rated' means very little. The IFR rating is easily acquired. Pilots know what they're expected to do beforehand, and they've got the examiner sitting next to them holding their hand (and making them feel safe). Launch over the ocean on a dark night all by your lonesome and it's a whole 'nother deal.
IFR competent and current is what matters.
Problem with guys like this is that they invariably kill friends and family along with themselves.
@@JohnMGreiner Yeah, me too. I used to fly a 172 at night over the mountains in Virginia as I was accumulating hours. Sounds kinda risky to me now.
😁👍😉Thanks and great video and analysis
Before I received my PPL back in the late 90's, when training, I had an old timer CFI.
There were things he taught me that I thought I would NEVER used in an airplane.
Turn out, he was very right!!
The one thing that has ALWAYS stuck with me was *night TO's.* A very simple rule.
When leaving any airport, keep wing level until you reach DOUBLE the pattern altitude.
This give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and give you the height to maintain safe altitude.
After I get my ATIS, I ALWAYS write this altitude on my clipboard.
One less thing to remember, when your mind needs to be on the controls.
The problem is where you have limited airspace or airport procedures that prevent you from doing that like noise abatement. On one of the runways at my home airport (circuit height 800’) you have to make a 90 degree turn to the right before reaching circuit altitude due to noise abatement. People typically turn at 400’. On my last night flight I had to take off from this runway and then my specified departure had a ceiling of 1200’ due to being under the approach path for an international airport. Definitely have to be extra cautious at night.
As already noted, not all airports allow for this to e done. In Rio de Janeiro's downtown Santos Dumont airport (SBRJ), for instance, southbound departures entail a mandatory 40-degree left turn right after take-off in order to clear the Sugar Loaf mountain.
This accident happened to the USA, which is where I fly and have only flown, PIC, lower 48 states.
Here, In the US, there are OVER 14,000 airport, most are small, under 5000' runways.
I was not talking about an airports in Brazil!!
Sure, some of these airports, you MUST turn after leaving. But my thoughts,
YOU know this before you fly in and out, if you don't, you have no business flying an aircraft.
thus, you can set yourself to leave before sunset.
VNC airport, No ATC and NO obstructions, this pilot could have used my technique.
The decision you make in aviation can kill you or get you home safely! Decide Wisely!
@@doesntmatter3068 *"I was not talking about an airports in Brazil!!"*
Welcome to the internet. Next time you lay out a procedure for flying out of "any airport" as you did above, you might take into account that you have a worldwide audience - or qualify your assertion as _in those airports that I've operated from,_ etc.
Great summary. But it would be interesting to know specifically if he was flying VFR (sounds like he was) or if he had filed an IFR flight plan. An IFR flight plan might have helped get his head into an IFR habit of flying.
Add in he was quite up there in age too.
Seems like there's something else in play here. Yes, a so called 'black hole' departure straight out, but you'd think he would have pretty obvious ground reference to the left and right from the city lights of Venice. The coastline immediately surrounding the airport is densely populated. A 1200 hour pilot losing their horizon would almost certainly be scanning to try and regain reference, and unless there was a complete power outage at the time, a city of lights would be it. Regardless, appreciate your videos!! Loved the side by side day vs. night simulation!
That was my thinking, he was an experienced IFR rated commercial pilot, he was definitely looking at his instruments that entire time with no horizon. Wondering if it wasn't an instrument failure, wandering artificial horizon at that low-level would be deadly and not really give you time to cross-check your turn coordinator or compass.
One thought I had was he was looking to level off at pattern altitude, dropping that long nose, looking for the horizon that wasn't there and kept going until it was too late.
likely he started his turn early/lower to get a visual reference because all lights on land would be directly behind him, e.g. it's not possible to look far back enough to see the lights until you start turning the plane, so normal turns in visual conditions is to make a 30 deg bank but in this case should be a 15 deg bank cuz IMC-like conditions, he may have done a 30deg turn to decrease the time without visual reference. it's possible that he was treating this as a VFR departure and did not verify the attitude indicator, DG, etc. so after climbing the first few hundred feet, likely realized his mistake and attempted to remedy it.
Another Brilliant analysis. This is at an academic level.
Brilliant.
😂
Excellent assessment and likely spot on. I am instrument rated and stay night current and proficient because I am absolutely convinced that night flying is some of the most disorienting IMC I have had even more so than hard IMC. I routinely experience the somatographic effects when doing night currency in the pattern. It’s so regular an occurrence that I am immediately on instruments at rotation. I don’t go off my instruments until I’m on autopilot or in the case of a currency flight until I’m at pattern altitude and downwind. This is real folks and we have to respect the dangers of night flying. Get your instrument ticket and keep night current AND proficient.
Thank you AOPA team!! Great content as always! We can all learn from these. Be ready for anything at any phase of the flight.VFR or IFR. Thank you!
Thank you Val & Eric!
Not a Pilot. I’m a (not practicing) Flight Paramedic and I am really interested in the Crew Resource Management Techniques that you teach. Those techniques translate onto many disciplines, not just aviation, and you present them so well. Besides, my Dad was a USAF Pilot and he instilled in me a passion for excellence and precision in the execution of my job, and you assist in that!
Another great video by AOPA ASI.
One picky point. Richard kept using the term “visual acuity” but a more appropriate term would have been “visual reference”.
I'm a new pilot with a C-182P. The old OEM wing leveler A/P is going to be replaced with a Dynon glass avionics system with their A/P. Very important to me as a safety feature these new flying systems/aids.
That and having a hangar for the plane.
I took off at a dark night in a wooded area with no lights or references, then at about 400 ft, my passenger (also was a pilot) yelled at me "watch your bank".... That was long time ago, but I still remember it vividly, what a scarry realization.
Although it might seem simple to avoid there has been a lot of accidents with very experienced pilots. As always, this is a reminder that we can all be caught on traps. The only thing we can do is practice and keep current.
We'll never know for certain, but two married couples that just took off from Venice heading home to St. Pete are likely to be chatting away about their day. I cannot imagine an experienced pilot losing SA without some kind of distraction. I know that even on blue sky days, I am always better when there is zero non-pilot chatter at takeoff or in the pattern. It's a rule for me now.
Excellent and professional presentation thankyou. Got me wondering why it isnt normal procedure to regularly do a brief scan of your instruments as a verifaction process during night vfr. It is so easy to get it wrong when light is poor
We do not know if the early low turn at 300’ was intentional or not, but here in Australia the rule is no turns until after 500’ AGL. So sad, yet again.
idk if it was after the tower closed (2100) or not, but FAA _advises_ no turns before reaching pattern altitude (1000' AGL here) at unmanned airports. although i was always taught 700'
I was taught to go straight to instruments at rotation even if VFR. 10 degree up pitch attitude and climb straight ahead at best rate till 500 feet AGL. Commence turn and don’t look outside until on reciprocal of runway heading at 1000 AGL.
@@DJ99777 you were taught correctly.
Pilot: "Fly you somewhere?"
Friends: "Sure. How's your eyesight?"
Pilot: "Can't see jack at night."
Friends: "Okay, let's leave 3 hours after sunset!"
Just to have dinner….they had to fly 60 miles away. I don’t understand stuff like that. To me, flying is some thing you do when you have to go some place far away….not a short plane ride just to have dinner.
Moonlight reflecting and flickering off of our prop can have an affect on us too.
I flew in NYC (FRG) during my training in my teenage years, night flying was aways cool over NYC with plenty of orange city lights. I now live and fly Angel Flights over FL; what a difference in night flying, especially by the coasts. There are many black holes here in FL. I’m always amazed there is no regulation on having an instrument rating for night flying; other countries have such regulation.
Not a pilot but I do have a bit of a quality background and always appreciate the root cause analysis that goes into these investigations.
One other visual illusion nit mentioned but that can be problematic is a false horizon. This could be from the lights along the coastline (or a cloud layer) running at an angle not perpendicular to your direction of travel, as in this case where they were heading southwest with a north-south shoreline, which would give the illusion of being in a left bank. Definitely something else to be aware of.
As a low hours 152 pilot I returned to Venice at night after flying across from West Palm Beach then North up from Fort Myers. I did my normal daytime pattern going downwind over the beach to approach over Sharky's restaurant. As I crossed the beach downwind all was completely black and I looked over my shoulder but then when I looked forwards again I was already in a 30 degree bank. Fortunately I had an artificial horizon and had done some instrument appreciation but the feel of panic/ adrenaline was almost overpowering. It was also very disconcerting during the turn to base /final as pier/ beach lights gave a false impression of a horizon.
That's really scary and I think most pilots under-estimate how strongly and quickly you have to think in order to avoid reacting impulsively.
I can’t really like anything where people lose their lives, but I really appreciate the objective presentation of what is known and the likely causes.
I believe you are spot on about the cause of this unfortunate accident, it just makes sense given the available information. That was my first thought is switching to IFR instead. Seems like there just should be a requirement for this to automatically be done.
I grew up flying rural PA, NY, ME (40 years ago) where every takeoff felt blackhole. Artificial horizon, airspeed and altimeter are all you need to look at to avoid this problem. Why pilots refuse to either look at or trust their instruments I do not understand. My 2 cents.
It easier to take of in IMC daytime even if the ceiling is 300’. I was prepared for one in a dark forest with no moon…OMG , as soon as the nose went up….BLACK !! Pretty wild i must say. So indeed…be READY !!
I believe This scenario has played out at Burk lakefront in Cleveland Ohio more than once as well.
Set up a runway heading bug, activate as soon as certain airplane is committed to flight, don't deactivate until ensure positive control of the airplane adn navigation command is maintained!
I live on the Gulf north of Venice. I look out over the night Gulf often. The view of the Gulf at night is...nothing. I consider any departure from runways like 23 at night to be a total IFR/VMC flight, with all the attendant requirements and risk reductions.
The moon is only helpful to find the horizon if you get some reflectivity off the water to help you find it, but that requires the moon to be in your line of sight. If the pilot had the moon over his left shoulder, and he turned further right, then the moon was not reflecting on the water. Its light is little benefit; it won't help you see the water surface when looking down. The sad thing is the pilot and pax probably saw the water immediately before they hit it.
It's peculiar to me that "nighttime VFR" is a thing. It's the only time VFR into actual IMC is legal. You should not go up unless you have the functioning equipment and training to "fly blind" (i.e. by reference only to instruments). In craft that can be controlled by automata, use them.
Jeff was not in his 80's, rather he was in his 60's. He'd owned several acft., flew often, however I'm not certain he was instrument competent/current.
He & wife, Patty, were friends of mine.
This has happened at Burke Lake Front in Cleveland, Oh several times.
My dad said the first time he departed there at night time, it felt like he was in outer space over Lake Erie.
I'm fortunate that I have been flying instruments since I was a preteen so my instinct is to go to instruments. Even when VMC I'm always Cross referencing my Instruments as well as looking outside.
Sorry for the loss of those involved.
I wonder if the full moon may have actually exacerbated the accident? Perhaps the pilot felt that he was pitching up, and incorrectly assumed that the lunar Reflection was the actual moon.
Crazy this dude does this and died. Like wtf. If this dude can screw up anyone can. Like wth
I treat every night departure as a “black hole departure”- in my 98 hours of night flying GA aircraft Ive learned its generally always difficult to trust the horizon- so now I never do - and those pure dark nights are what I’ve come to love the most
Departing Ocean City Maryland towards the east you have the same issue. You must cross reference your instruments until turning back towards land and picking up a horizon.
This will be noted as a classic case of CFIT. I recommend if you want to fly at night, to have your instrument rating, and reliable instrumentation in the aircraft, and don't be afraid to use it.
Forgive me if this is an ignorant question. I’m new to aviation. If the somatogravic illusion is what was at play here, my question is why is that so? Upon takeoff, wouldn’t the pilot expect to feel the sensation of climbing? Why would he act to lower the nose if he was expecting to be climbing?
How is spatial disorientation possible with so many good instruments to help?
I wonder how current this pilot was? The information “1200 hrs and IFR rated” only tells a small part of the story. Did they get 1200 hrs over a period 20 yrs? Was their IFR current or elapsed?
I think part of this is simply poor training, departures at night should be 100% on the instruments until just before the downwind leg.
I also think it's farcical that the FAA allows privates to fly at night with incredibly minimal training. In Australia you need a night VFR endorsement which is a minimum of 10 hours at night.
Inadvertent IMC is a big accident area, and takeoff into a black hole requires the same “ survival skills”. Both require you to quickly transition to your instruments, and believe what they are telling you. Basic instruments is a great area to focus on for anyone’s continuation training program. As a CFII I do a lot of FRs and IPCs. For non instrument rated pilots, this is a must area to practice. Seems basic instrument skills fade fast, even for those with an instrument ticket.
I’m thinking this is another benefit of an all-in-one instrument like the g3x touch I use. I have a relatively huge artificial horizon right in front of me if I need it, and can immediately cross reference speed and altitude in the same glance. As a VFR only pilot I have not ever felt concerned flying at night with that instrumentation. I have even flown into a large but unlighted strip at night, using landing lights to illuminate the runway. Only having one engine at night has always been my big concern!
Personally I enjoy the heck out of night flying especially if there is any significant amount of moon light. Yes, you have to keep in mind that it’s often a combination of instrument and VFR so even if you are in ideal VFR always check against your instruments and keep learning from other people’s mistakes do you can avoid making the same ones. My biggest piece of advice - never get in a hurry . If you feel rushed, pushed, under some sort of stress to get somewhere in a hurry, don’t do it. Set your personal limits and stick with them regardless of everything else.. remember that old saying; there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are darn few old, bold pilots
To operate past last-light or before first-light here in Australia requires an instrument rating or a Night VFR rating (which essentially is an instrument rating with no instrument approach endorsements).
A very wise rule!
This airport should not permit pm takeoffs on 23. Several crashes. I flew my 310 to Venice for dinner with my wife at a local restaurant. After dinner, back to the dark airport. 23 departure into the black hole….. As soon as the runway lights disappeared under the 310, my visual references were lost. Climbing, accelerating and no references….. I immediately went to the attitude indicator AND had to FIGHT my senses and trust my attitude indicator. The rest of the flight, I was trying to make sense of what just happened…….
"I do make it a policy when flying at night cross country to go IFR" - Hal Shevers, 1978 (Sportys pilot shop)
Disorientation or vertigo seems so common, but as a non-pilot it mystifies me. Okay, you cannot see the horizon. That's disconcerting but luckily you have an artificial horizon, altimeter, etc. You just have to look down to begin using them. What gets in the way?
It seems to me that all of these spatial disorientation accidents are very likely exacerbated by panic. Your instruments have to be trusted, calm down and fly the damn plane! This is no different than recovering from unusual attitudes under the hood in training. My instructor actually had me fly out over the ocean at night a few miles until the beach was out of peripheral view and had me close my eyes and he put the aircraft in several unusual attitudes over the course of the night flight. It's really easy to recover if you keep your head, if you panic it's impossible. If I ever hear a pilot say they are claustrophobic or afraid of heights, I'll never fly with them if I don't have the ability to control the aircraft (i.e. pilot in front and non pilot spouse in right seat with me and the wife in back.) If you are prone to panic maybe this isn't for you. I really think more training should be about trying to induce panic into the situation and see how the student reacts. If they have a tendency to lock up or give up the controls then training should be discontinued and the student released and that put on their record. It's NOT FOR EVERYONE! I seriously doubt it can be trained out of anyone for the long haul. I think if you have the tendency to panic sooner or later no matter how much you train, when the real situation pops up, you'll freeze. Just my opinion, been wrong before.
Surely the airport authorities should include the very real possibility of this occurring and include it in the atis⁉️ Also, the aircraft would be trimmed for level wings and a normal pitch angle. He was trained for this but ignored his training.
I’ve made numerous night takeoffs and landings at VNC. It is a scenic flight from St. Pete down the coast for dinner. Runway 23 is designated as the calm wind runway, however, after dark I never used it. I always used runway 31 (wind permitting) for take off specifically to avoid taking off into a void and should my engine fail, I was already lined up with the beach. Any night t/o from a coastal airport requires careful consideration.
Personally, I think VFR at night doesn't really exist, even though the flight rules allow for it. And I don't understand how pilots are not specifically monitoring the altimeter when they are operating near the ground.
Dumb question: Where did they get "recommended that runway 23 departures maintain runway heading and best rate of climb (Vy) until 1,000 ft above ground level"? I don't see anything in the chart supplement or even the IFR Takeoff Minimums guides for VNC mentioning this.
Ban night takeoffs in these black hole areas so this weird dissociation isnt a big as a issue
A night departure is an IFR departure, period. You have to treat it that way.
A little bit of moonlight can be just enough to make you think you can see OK, and also, your eyes will lock on to anything they can see, with no reference to distance, even a stain on the windshield, delaying your transition to the instruments. Sort of like partial loss of power, fooling you into passing up a good landing zone, and then crashing when the mill lets go completely.
You would think that more than the little artificial horizon these days you could have a projection on the window of the airplane the horizon that you can’t see.
Its almost to point where night flight you need to have more hours of instrument training or IFR certified to where it's just natural to put your head down and stare at instruments.
I have always had a slight, albeit healthy fear of flying over completely open water at night. If you’re not instrument rated, CURRENT, and confident - why do it?
Doing Gods work as always Mr McFadden. Thank you sir, hopefully it will save a life, maybe mine :)
The moon was off the pilot’s left shoulder? Or right shoulder.
I didn't make it long enough with flight school to get to night flying but why, especially because this guy was a commercial pilot, wouldn't he check his instruments against his visual references when night flying? I know that a person that isn't instrument rated can't fly in instrument conditions but he was a commercial rated pilot with instrument rating. Even if not instrument rated wouldn't it be prudent to at least use them to verify your visual and physical senses?
If I heard you correctly in this video... didn't you say this pilot was instrument rated? With that rating... wouldn't a pilot be ready to go on the instruments IMMEDIATELY after losing visual flight conditions???
He technically never went into IMC. He could very probably still see lights on land and the moon.