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Description
Instrument failures are responsible for a small fraction of air craft accidents. Instrument failures do happen, though, and proper handling of the event can save your life. Simulated failures in the real airplane, however, often lacks realism. The instrument is covered rather than giving false information and the failure is rarely a surprise.
A Big Deal?
Dead instruments are obviously more critical in IFR flying than in VFR. Party this is because all these instruments are really a backup to your eyes, ears, and seat-of-the-pants. When the failed attitude indicator disagrees with the real horizon, there's no issue in identifying the failure. When you're on the gauges, though, the instruments are primary and backup to each other and some of your senses can't be trusted. Less information and conflicting information makes for delayed or incorrect responses.
A good simulator addresses this problem nicely. It doesn't need to be a fancy aviation training device, either. Desktop simulator games can maintain the skills you need to stay shinny side up. The keys to surviving are recognizing the problem and responding appropriately.
Exact statistics are hard to come by because it is difficult for the NTSB to determine the exact circumstances if the pilot is no longer with us.
In one study involving over 2500 air carrier events from 1983 to 1999, only one was determined to be due to vacuum system failure, 10 involved spatial disorientation, and 42 were caused by continuing flight from VFR into IMC. In 2001, 1750 GA accidents had five vacuum failures, 22 disorientations, and six pilots going from VFR into... |
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