NTSB Releases Preflight-Check Video

Pilots should be extra-vigilant when doing preflight inspections prior to a first flight after maintenance work, the NTSB says, and this week the board released a 14-minute video on the topic. The video also addresses the crucial role of mechanics in ensuring that an aircraft's flight-control system is rigged correctly after maintenance is done. The video features a real-life close call involving a CessnaT-182Tthat occurred near St. Louis in December 2014. "Improving safety in general aviation has been one of our 'Most Wanted List' items for the last several years," said NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart. "These safety alerts are important tools to share the lessons learned from our many investigations. It is our hope that pilots and mechanics will take these lessons and apply them, and avert future tragedies."

The video features interviews with two pilots who struggled to maintain control of a small single-engine airplane on its first flight following maintenance work. The pilot flying the Cessna talks about how he was able to figure out that the flight-control trim system had been reversed, and how he remedied the situation in time to land the plane safely. The highly experienced mechanic who did the work on the Cessna also shares his perspectives on how the maintenance error occurred. He also offers advice to other aircraft maintenance professionals on how to avoid a similar mistake. The video follows the release of four general-aviation safety alerts issued by the NTSB on April 7. Two of those alerts -- "Pilots: Perform Advanced Preflight After Maintenance" and "Mechanics: Prevent Mis-rigging Mistakes" -- summarize the key findings presented in the video.