1. C.F.I.T.
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2. “How did that goat get into this cloud?”
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3. CFIT Definition
A CFIT accident is “one in which an otherwise serviceable aircraft under the control of the crew is flown unintentionally into terrain, obstacles or water, with no prior awareness on the part of the crew of the impending collision”
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4. We are all average. No-one is GOD.
-We are human we make mistakes when operating systems/interfacing with technology/CRM & Automation
-Is it our human failing cos we are stupid?
-Is it the design of the equipment; small buttons, small screen?
-Is it the interface; poor labelling, poor schematics?
-Is it logic; Otto not doing something in the order/way a human would?
EXP: FMS vs home computer.
Q Screen size
Q Windows vs mode buttons and submenus
Q Qwerty vs alphabetic keyboard
Q Vertical vs horizontal location of screen
Q Use of Colour
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5. Causes of CFIT CFIT occurs in IMC or at night or both
Lack of Horizontal position awareness
33%
Lack of Vertical position awareness
66%
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6. CFIT Accidents Chart
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7. Risk Factors Altimeter settings Safe Altitudes ATC Errors
Incorrect units used (inHg/hPa/mbars)
Incorrect values transcribed from radio communications
Confusion of QNH/QFE settings
Extreme atmospheric conditions
Safe Altitudes
ATC Errors
Be prepared to question
Flight Crew Complacency
Familiarity leads to complacency
Non Precision Approaches
No SOP for GPWS pull up warning
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8. CFIT Is it a new type of accident?
March 1931 the Southern Cloud (Tri-motor Fokker) crashed 200mls NE Melbourne. Since then over 30,000 pax & crew have lost their lives in CFIT accidents
Half of all early piston engine commercial aircraft accidents were due to CFIT
It can happen at any stage of the flight
Virtually all CFIT accidents involve either:
Error in Navigation
Ineffective monitoring
Failure to follow S.O.P.s
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9. Equipment to reduce CFIT risk
Radio Alt - introduced in late 1960’s
GPWS
SAS Electronics Engineer started concept in Europe
1971 Voluntarily installed by a number of airlines
1973 Boeing offered it as a recommended safety device
1974 Basic part of all Boeing aircraft manufactured
1975 FAA enacted a rule requiring all large transport aircraft to be fitted
This followed a TWA 727 accident in USA, during a VOR/DME approach, 90 Fatalities
FAA Mandatory Requirement rushed through & UK CAA Follows
MSAW – 1975 software package for ATC detects a/c flying below MSA and enables the controller to warn the crew. Developed for use with ARTS (automatic radar terminal systems) radar capabilities
VASI, PAPI, ILS, VOR, DME,
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10. Early GPWS Doubts Prior to the introduction the FAA expressed doubts
Would crew become complacent?
If crew followed procedures wasn’t that a sufficient safeguard against CFIT?
In a survey conducted soon after the GPWS installation requirement, 83% of the pilots surveyed expressed concerns about false or nuisance alerts.
Concerns included:
having a midair collision while performing a mandatory pull-up
losing control of the airplane while distracted
ignoring a valid warning because of system credibility problems
ignoring a valid warning through a misunderstanding of the cause of the warning.
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11. Frequency of pull-up warnings
GPWS Improvements
Frequency of pull-up warnings
Mark 1 = 1 per 750 sectors
Now = 1 per 5,000-7,000 sectors
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12. CFIT KL
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