Secure or Remove Loose Items in the Cockpit

The cockpit of a general aviation aircraft is a small space, and it can quickly become cluttered with charts, headsets, flight plans, kneeboards, pens and more. Loose items can and do cause serious accidents.

A couple of close calls:

• Aerobatic 'lockup' in an Airtourer. Lockup happens when the aircraft is set up incorrectly for a manoeuvre and ends up vertical with no airflow acting on any of its surfaces. The pilot must neutralise the controls and wait to see whether the aircraft falls backwards or forwards. In this case, the aircraft slapped forward so violently that the axe was pulled from its secured mounting and struck the pilot in the back of the head.
• Airbus A330 pitch-down. In February 2014, an A330 flying from RAF Brize Norton to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan suddenly pitched nose-down while cruising at 33,000 ft. It continued for 33 seconds, losing 4,400 ft, before the aircraft's self-protection measures initiated a recovery. Several passengers and crew were injured. A British Military Aviation Authority inquiry found that a digital SLR camera had been placed between the sidestick and the captain's left armrest. When the captain's seat was moved forward, the camera jammed against the base of the sidestick, commanding the dive.

During your pre-flight, check the aircraft for loose and unnecessary items and remove them before flight.

For aerobatic flights, remove everything from the aircraft except the flight manual and a couple of sick bags.