Eliminating CFIT and loss of control from commercial air operations: the problems and the solutions

How often, following a serious aviation accident, do media reports state ‘Weather conditions at the time were reported as poor’? As accident records confirm, 98% of all fatal CFIT and loss of control (LoC) accidents... [ view full abstract ]

How often, following a serious aviation accident, do media reports state ‘Weather conditions at the time were reported as poor’? As accident records confirm, 98% of all fatal CFIT and loss of control (LoC) accidents involving commercial aircraft operations occur whilst the crew are flying on instruments in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). But how can professional pilots lose control of a fully functional aircraft in IMC; or CFIT an aircraft in IMC, whilst flying on the instruments which were specifically designed to enable safe flight in IMC? This paper proposes that there are five distinct, but intrinsically linked issues, which, when events conspire, align to enable a LoC or CFIT trajectory to progress unchallenged, to a fatal outcome.