flight leader 9-14

University Air Center
Owner: Dr. Michael Lukowski
General Manager: Bill Pokorny
Gainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville, FL
(352) 335 – 4681
www.universityaircenter.com
University Air Center newsletter
Editor: M. J. Banner
Vol. 2
September 2014
FLIGHT LEADER is a monthly E-newsletter and forum for aviation. We invite your letters and
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There they were . . .
Fatal inadvertent stall-spin accident in U. S. Air Force MC-12W *
Michael Banner, CFII, MEI
Flight instructor, University Air Center
Gainesville Regional Airport
MC-12 W Liberty – U. S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft
MC-12 W Liberty’s have been deployed by the U. S. Air Force to war zones in Iraq and
Afghanistan for several years. The aircraft are military versions of the Hawker-Beechcraft Super King
Air 350 and Super King 350 ER. Modifications include a variety of externally mounted antennae and
large bulges on top and bottom of the fuselage for the housing of radar, multiple sensors, and
specialized photographic and related camera equipment. The MC-12 W is a medium- to low-altitude,
* This story is based on a U. S. Air Force accident report in 2013
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twin-engine (Pratt & Whitney
PT6A-60A, 1,050 shp) turboprop
aircraft. Its primary mission is to
provide intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (ISR) support
directly to ground forces. The MC12W is a joint forces air
component commander asset in
support of the joint force
commander. A typical mission crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, as well as two technicians for the
operation of radar, communication, and surveillance equipment.
In April of 2013, an MC-12W Liberty crashed during a mission northeast of Kandahar Airport
(KDH), Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing its crew of four. The airplane was based at KDH and operated by
the Air Force on a combat ISR mission. Based on information from the cockpit voice data and flight
data recorders, the following was learned about the accident.
Upon entering the operating are at approximately 1 PM local time the crew encountered a cloud
deck partially covering their orbit area. Large, rapidly building cumulus clouds began to grow and drift
into the airplane's orbit, prompting a request to climb from 20,000 ft to 23,000 ft; this translates to
climb from 13,800 to 16,800 ft above ground level (AGL). The airplane was flying slowly, as usual, in a
left-hand orbit when the pilot initiated the climb with the autopilot by using the vertical speed (VS)
mode. Slower than normal
cruise speeds may be used while
orbiting over a ground target for
surveillance. In the VS mode a
specific rate of climb in feet per
minute is selected, for example,
climb at 1,000 feet per minute.
In this mode the autopilot
automatically varies pitch
attitude to maintain the selected
rate of climb. While initiating
the climb, the pilot was distracted by continuing to work an orbit adjustment to better service the
tracking of an active target. Approximately ten seconds after the climb was initiated, the climb rate
increased. Fifteen seconds afterward the pilot noticed the airspeed had decreased substantially during
the climb by stating "A little slow, correcting ". Seven seconds later, the mission commander in the
right seat said, "Alright, firewall," meaning advance the throttles as far forward as they would go, and
one second later, the autopilot was disengaged.
The propellers on the MC-12W do not counter-rotate, and advancing the power in the MC-12W
produces left-handed torque (rotational force) and P-factor, creating a left yaw and making the aircraft
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to want to turn left; the airplane was already in climbing left-hand turn. Two seconds after calling to
"firewall" the throttles, and one second after autopilot disengagement, the bank angle warning tone
sounded, indicating the left bank had rapidly increased, estimated to be at 80 degrees. The mission
commander again called for full power, and four seconds later, he directed "eyes inside," telling the
pilot to refer to his instruments for flight information; at the same time the stall warning horn sounded.
The pilot then stated "Whoa, pull up" even though the airplane was nearly stalled and the wings were
nearly perpendicular with the horizon.
The mission commander then advised the pilot to look at his airspeed, took control of the
aircraft, and called for a reduction in power. Four seconds after the mission commander took the flight
controls, the overspeed warning sounded, followed by the landing gear horn sounding. The landing
gear horn indicates the throttles were reduced toward idle. The airplane was in a downward spin
descending at more than 11,000 feet per minute. Subsequently, it impacted the ground with the
fuselage slightly nose-low, in a left bank, with minimal forward momentum; it was destroyed upon
impact and burned during the post-crash fire.
It was concluded that the cause of the accident was an inadvertent stall while in a climbing left
turn, which developed into a left spin followed quickly by a high-speed spiral, from which the crew was
unable to recover. Factors cited as causes in the accident were pilot inexperience in the MC-12W, loss
of airspeed due to pilot distraction, and rapid application of full power at near stalling speed and high
AOA which caused the nose to slice significantly to the left and overbank to the left.
Three predisposing factors in this fatal inadvertent stall-spin accident are the: (1) pilot’s
inexperience in the airplane characterized by choosing the VS autopilot climb mode, (2) pilot’s
inattention in monitoring airspeed and related flight instruments due to distraction, and (3) pilot’s
inappropriate reaction to the stall.
The VS mode is a potentially risky autopilot function for climbing and may be used only when
ample excess power is available to ensure airspeed while not degenerate to near stalling speeds. Use
of autopilot does not relieve the pilot of the need to monitor airspeed and related flight instruments.
During a climb in the VS mode the autopilot pitches the airplane as needed to hold a preselected rate
of climb, while airspeed is variable. The autopilot may pitch the nose up so high that critical angle of
attack (AOA) is reached causing the wings to stall, i.e., an autopilot-induced power “ON” stall. It is
unfortunate, perhaps due to pilot inexperience with the airplane, that the constant airspeed climb
autopilot mode, sometimes referred to as flight level change (FLCH) or indicated airspeed (IAS) mode,
was not used. This mode functions opposite to the VS mode. During a climb in the IAS mode the
autopilot pitches the airplane as needed to hold a constant airspeed, while rate of climb is variable. A
safe climb speed should be selected to preclude the development of an excessive AOA and stall. For
example, the autopilot could be set to climb at an airspeed that is 30 knots greater than the airplane’s
1 G stalling speed to minimize the development of a stall. This accident may not have happened had
the pilot used the IAS climb mode. To lessen the possibility of an autopilot induced stall, it is
recommended to use the IAS climb mode.
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A pilot’s primary job is to safely fly the airplane; one way of doing that is to monitor the flight
instruments at all times with the autopilot “ON” or “OFF”. In this case the pilot failed to monitor
airspeed during the climb. Had the pilot noted airspeed decaying during the climb he could have
lowered the nose by employing a less aggressive rate of climb with the autopilot, added excess power
to maintain climb airspeed, or both. The pilot finally realized the airplane was flying too slowly with the
comment “A little slow, correcting.” Soon afterwards, the mission commander in the right seat said
“All right, firewall” meaning apply full power now and “eyes inside.” At the time the airplane was in a
nose-high steep bank to the left. The leftward pull of non-counter-rotating propellers is most severe at
low forward speed and maximum power will cause the nose to yaw to the left, leading to a steeper
bank to the left, conspiring to pull the airplane into spin departure to the left. Recall the pilot
exclaimed “Whoa, pull up”, the so called panic-pull response. His reaction to the stall was completely
inappropriate. It is likely that neither pilot fully understood what was happening. In the final moments
of the MC-12 W dive, it is estimated the airplane was generating at least 5 G’s, the wings needed to be
unloaded. With the airplane nearly stalled and steeply banked, the appropriate flight control input was
to push the control yoke forward to decrease AOA and break the stall and unload the wings, as well as
roll the wings level by applying opposite/right pedal rudder pressure. Also, the pilots should have been
looking outside to understand what was happening to their airplane, not looking inside at computerized
flight instrument displays.
Both pilots did not seem to recognize the stalled flight condition. Did both pilots lack stick-andrudder skills needed to recognize a developing stall and apply appropriate anti-stall and anti-spin flight
control inputs? Is there too much emphasis today on mastering computer automation cockpit skills
while basic flying skills are neglected? Are pilot stick-and-rudder skills deteriorating due to automation
dependency to the point of endangering pilots and their passengers? If the answers to these questions
are “yes”, then more emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring all pilots have mastery of basic “stickand-rudder” flying skills with emphasis on stall awareness and recovery as well as spin training.
Plane Facts
Michael Banner, PhD, CFII, MEI
A-4 Skyhawk
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A single seat carrier-capable attack aircraft,
Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft Company
the A-4 Skyhawk was developed for the U. S. Navy
and McDonnell-Douglas
and Marine Corps. It is a delta winged, singleDesigner:
Ed Heinemann
engined jet designed and produced by Douglas
Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell-Douglas.
First flight:
22 June 1954
It is a lightweight aircraft with a maximum takeoff
Introduction: October 1956
weight of 24,500 pounds and has a top speed of
approximately 650 KIAS. The aircraft's five
Number built: 2,960
hardpoints support a variety of missiles, bombs,
and other munitions, as well as the capability of delivering nuclear weapons using a low altitude
bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique. The A-4 was originally powered by a Wright J65 jet
engine; from the A-4E model onwards, a Pratt & Whitney J52 jet engine was used.
Douglas Aircraft's Ed Heinemann designed the A-4 in response to a U.S. Navy’s call for a jetpowered attack aircraft to replace the older Douglas AD Skyraider. He opted for a design with minimal
size, weight, and complexity. The result was a jet that weighed half of the Navy's weight specification.
It had a wing so compact that it did not need to be folded for carrier stowage. The diminutive A-4 was
nicknamed "Heinemann's Hot-Rod and "Scooter” on account of its nimble performance.
A-4’s played key roles in the Vietnam War, Yom Kippur War, and Falkland Islands War. Sixty
years after the aircraft's first flight, some of the 2,960 produced and remain in service with several air
forces around the world.
The aircraft is of conventional post-World War II design, with a low-mounted delta wing,
tricycle undercarriage, and a single turbojet engine in the rear fuselage, with two air intakes on the
fuselage sides. The tail is of cruciform design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted above the
fuselage. Armament consisted of two 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannons, one in each wing root, with 200
rounds per gun, plus a large variety of bombs, rockets, and missiles carried under the fuselage
centerline and under each wing.
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It is a delta wing design that combines speed and maneuverability with a large fuel capacity
and a small overall size. Leading edge slats on the wings were designed to drop automatically at an
appropriate speed by gravity and air pressure, saving weight and space by omitting actuation motors
and switches. This was similar to the design used on the German ME-262 and North American F-86 jet
fighters. The wing structure itself was lighter with the same overall strength and the absence of a
wing folding mechanism further reduced weight.
The A-4 pioneered the concept of "buddy" airto-air refueling. This allows the aircraft to supply
others of similar types, eliminating the need for
dedicated tanker aircraft—a particular advantage for
small air arms or when operating in remote locations.
This allows for greatly improved operational flexibility
and reassurance against the loss or malfunction of
tanker aircraft, though this procedure reduces the
effective combat force on board the carrier. A
designated supply A-4 would mount a center-mounted
"buddy store", a large external fuel tank with a hose
reel in the aft section and an extensible drogue
refueling bucket.
A4D-2 (A-4B) on the right is shown
providing air-to-air refueling to a F8U-1P
(RF-8A) Crusader on the left.
The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export of the
postwar era. Due to its small size, it could be operated from the older, smaller World War II-era
aircraft carriers still used by many smaller navies during the 1960s. These older ships were often
unable to accommodate newer Navy fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader, which were
faster and more capable than the A-4, but significantly larger and heavier than older naval fighters.
The Navy operated the A-4 in
both Regular Navy and Naval Reserve
light attack squadrons (VA). Although
the A-4's used as a training and
adversary aircraft would continue well
into the 1990s, the Navy began
removing the aircraft from its frontline
attack squadrons in 1967, with the last
ones (Super Foxes of VA-55/212/164)
being retired in 1976.
A-4 is shown configured as an advisory aircraft
(note red star on vertical stabilizer).
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The A-4's nimble performance also made it suitable to replace the McDonnell Douglas F-4
Phantom II when the Navy downsized its aircraft for the Blue Angels demonstration team, until
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets were available in the 1980s.
Skyhawks were well loved by their crews for being tough and agile. These attributes, along with
their low purchase and operating cost as well as easy maintenance, have contributed to the popularity
of the A-4 with American and international armed forces. Including the United States, at least three
other nations have used A-4 Skyhawks in combat (Argentina, Israel, and Kuwait).
A-4’s were the U.S. Navy's primary light attack
aircraft used over North Vietnam during the early years of
the Vietnam War; they were later supplanted by the A-7
Corsair II in the U.S. Navy light attack role. Skyhawks
carried out some of the first air strikes by the US during
the war, and a Marine Skyhawk is believed to have
dropped the last American bombs on the country. Notable
naval aviators who flew the Skyhawk included Lieutenant
Commanders Everett Alvarez, Jr., John McCain, and James
Stockdale.
VA-146 A-4Cs over the Gulf of
Tonkin in August 1964, USS
Kearsarge steams below
General characteristics
 Crew: one (two in OA-4F, TA-4F, TA-4J)
 Length: 40 feet 3 inches
 Wingspan: 26 feet 6 inches
 Height: 15 feet
 Wing area: 259 ft²
 Empty weight: 10,450 lbs
 Loaded weight: 18,300 lbs
 Max. takeoff weight: 24,500 lbs
 Powerplant: One Pratt & Whitney J52-P8A turbojet, 9,300 lbs thrust
Performance
 Maximum speed: 650 knots
 Range: 1,700 nm
 Combat radius: 625 nm
 Service ceiling: 42,250 ft
 Rate of climb: 8,440 ft/min
 Wing loading: 70.7 lb/ft²
 Thrust/weight: 0.51
 G-limit: +8 to -3 G’s
Armament
 Guns: Two 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannon, 200 rounds/gun
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


Rockets: Four LAU-10 rocket pods (each with four 127 mm Mk 32 Zuni rockets)
Missiles
o Air-to-air missiles:
 Four AIM-9 Sidewinder
o Air-to-surface missiles:
 Two AGM-12 Bullpup
 Two AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile
 Two AGM-62 Walleye TV-guided glide bomb
 Two AGM-65 Maverick
Bombs:
o Six Rockeye-II Mark 20 Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU)
o Six Rockeye Mark 7/APAM-59 CBU
o B57 nuclear bomb
o B61 nuclear bomb
FAR/AIM review
AIM Chapter 1, Global positioning system
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring
(RAIM) failure, and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
Michael Banner, PhD, CFII, MEI
GNSS is a constellation of earth orbiting satellites providing high-frequency signals containing
time and distance data that are used for navigation. An aircraft equipped with an appropriate receiver
obtains signals from multiple satellites to triangulate its position. Currently, three GNSS systems are
operational: (1) Global Position System (GPS ) operated by the United States (1992) initially contained
24 satellites and was upgraded to 30 satellites; (2) GLONASS operated by Russia contains 24
satellites; and (3) Galileo operated by European countries (2013) contains 30 satellites.
For example, the United States GPS constellation of Navigation System Timing and Ranging
(NAVSTAR) satellites is shown below, it consists of:
● 6 orbital planes containing satellites are around the Earth
● 4 NAVSTAR satellites are contained within each orbital plane for a total of 24 satellites
● 2 satellites have been added for a total of 30 NAVSTAR satellites
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Orbital planes:
1
2
3
4
5
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 The GPS constellation of satellites is designed so that a minimum of five satellites are
always observable by a user anywhere on Earth.
 A GPS receiver verifies the usability of signals received from the satellites through
RAIM.
● RAIM is needed to determine if a satellite is providing corrupted information.
● “3, 4, and 5 keeps your GPS receiver alive ”
i. e., To have a 3 dimensional position (latitude, longitude, and altitude), an
aircraft’s GPS receiver needs to have reception from at least 4 satellites. RAIM
requires reception from a minimum of 5 satellites, or four satellites and a
barometric altimeter to detect a signal integrity anomaly. The current barometric
pressure altimeter setting must be entered into the GPS receiver to ensure that
baro-aiding is available.
● Without RAIM, the pilot has no assurance of the accuracy of the GPS position.
● If a RAIM failure occurs when flying cross-country using GPS navigation, then the
pilot must change to a different navigation source, for example, change to VOR
navigation.
● When flying a GPS instrument approach, if a RAIM failure indication message
appears, do not descend to decision altitude (DA)/minimum descent height (MDH).
Immediately execute a missed approach and inform ATC of the situation; request an
ILS or VOR approach.
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RAIM failure on Primary Flight Display (PFD) – Garmin G-1000
● RAIM failure is characterized by the following two changes appearing on the
Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI):
1. Loss of Course Deviation Indicator (CDI)
2. Integrity annunciation “INTEG”
● The figures below depicts sections of an HSI display on the PFD. In Figure 1, GPS is
the navigation source and the CDI is centered, indicating the airplane is on course.
If the CDI suddenly disappears and “INTEG” is displayed (Fig. 2), this signifies a
RAIM failure and GPS guidance can no longer be used.
Fig. 1 (normal)
Fig. 2 (RAIM failure)
● With a RAIM failure, the navigation source for the HSI needs to be changed by
pushing the CDI softkey on the bottom center of the PFD to select VOR 1, Localizer
(LOC) 1 (Fig. 3), or VOR 2 as the navigation source (Fig. 4).
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
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WAAS
● WAAS was devised to improve the position accuracy, integrity, and availability of GPS signals (see
figures below).
● WAAS allows GPS data to be used for takeoff, enroute navigation, and Category I precision
approaches (lateral and vertical/glideslope guidance provided).
● Europe and Japan are also building systems similar to the U. S. Wide Area Augmentation
System.
● The European system is named the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System
(EGNOS).
● The Japanese system is named the Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT)
Satellite-based Augmentation System.
● It is contended that with all three systems operational (WASS, EGNOS, MTSAT), a
worldwide seamless navigation capability will be available with improved accuracy,
availability, and integrity.
● Position accuracy of a WAAS-enabled GPS receiver compared to a standard GPS receiver
is shown.
● Position accuracy increases from 50 feet to 10 feet using a WAAS-enabled GPS receiver
(80% increase in position accuracy).
(This figure was reproduced from the Instrument Flying Handbook, 2012, FAA-H-808315B )
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With WAAS, the normally orbiting NAVSTAR satellites are augmented with the following four
components as shown in sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the above figure:
(1) Wide area ground reference stations (symbolized by red dots) - signals from satellites are
monitored by these stations to determine navigation corrections
(2) Wide area master station (symbolized by blue star) - receives data from the ground reference
stations where navigation correction data are computed
(3) Ground Uplink Station (GUS, symbolized by white triangle) - uplinks correction messages to
geosynchronous or geostationary satellites
(4) Geosynchronous satellites - transmit data to WAAS-enabled receivers in aircraft to improve
position accuracy
(This figure was reproduced from the Instrument Flying Handbook, 2012, FAA-H-8083-15B )
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What’s happening at University Air Center
Self-serve fuel discount
University Air Center continues to hold the line against high fuel prices with our 100 LL selfserve price.
University Air Center Flight School
Call Greg Hunsucker, CFII, MEI, ATP, Flight School Manager or Erin Hogan at (352) 416 – 0787
about:
Low cost flight training using
an FAA approved, full-motion
flight simulator
REDBIRD FLIGHT SIMULATOR™
● Garmin G-1000 transition training
● Simulated spin training
● Instrument proficiency checks (IPC)
● Multi-engine proficiency flying
● Practice flying instrument approaches to any airport in USA
Cost: $60 per hour
Flight training
Our flight school offers Parts 61 and 141 training for the private and instrument pilot’s
certificates and Part 61 training for the commercial pilot’s certificate. Multi-engine flight training is also
available. We have two G-1000 equipped Cessna 172’s, a round dial equipped Cessna 172, as well as a
Cessna 210, Cessna 182 Turbo (G-1000 plus Synthetic Vision), Piper Warrior, and Piper Seminole for
flight training or rental.
Open Airplane
Greg Hunsucker, CFII, MEI, ATP
Flight School Manager, University Air Center
University Air Center is happy to announce our new partnership with Open Airplane; a network
of flight schools and FBOs all over the country. Open Airplane has streamlined the aircraft checkout
process and created a Universal Pilot Checkout that is recognized by all participating FBOs and flight
schools.
The Open Airplane Universal Pilot Checkout allows FBOs and flight schools around the
country to easily verify a pilot’s credentials. What does this mean for a pilot? Simply put, once a pilot
is a member of the Open Airplane network, the pilot can walk into any participating flight school
around the country and rent an aircraft without having to do an onsite checkout.
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Open Pilot locations across the U. S.
Open Airplane is free to join; the pilot is responsible for all costs associated with aircraft
checkout and rental. If you are pilot already checked out to fly a University Air Center airplane you will
still have to undergo the Open Airplane Universal Checkout procedure to be able to rent an
aircraft at another FBO. You will need to get checked out in each make and model of aircraft you
desire to fly. At University Air Center we are currently offering our two G-1000 equipped Cessna 172
airplanes. Open Airplane also requires the pilot to carry renter’s insurance (details are on their
website).
Please visit https://www.openairplane.com/ for more information; or call Greg or Erin at the
University Air Center Flight School (352) 416 - 0787.
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Charter operations
Have you considered chartering a personal jet? No, it’s not just for the rich and famous. Our
Citation jets can carry eight passengers comfortably, and our Eclipse jets can carry up to four
passengers.
Cessna Citation
If you fill every seat, it’s really not that expensive per person for a same day out and back. Plus, you
can party on the airplane, and avoid costly hotel bills because our jets fly on YOUR schedule – where
you want to go, when you want to go! So this year, why not travel in style. Call UAC charter at (352)
562 -6103, ask for a price quote and to reserve your jet. Trust us – it’s an unforgettable experience
that you’ll want to repeat over and over again.
Florida Gators 2014 Home Game Football Schedule
Aug 30
Idaho
Sep 6
Eastern Michigan
Sept 13
Kentucky
Oct 11
LSU
Oct 18
Missouri (Homecoming)
Nov 15
South Carolina
Nov 22
Eastern Kentucky
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