Moment of Impact
It is the moment in aviation that scares me the most.
The reason: you’ve just lost all of your options. And more.
Much more.
It’s the unfortunate circumstance nine people suddenly faced over the Hudson River last weekend – horrifically captured on video – after a Piper Lance and a loaded tour helicopter met at the right place at the wrong time.
It is an outcome with no odds.
Honestly, I’d rather lose an engine. Have smoke in the cockpit. Even a fire. Or hit a piece of granite at 200 knots without knowing it.
Because the last time I looked, there was no emergency checklist for a midair collision. And those last 1,000 feet of flight in a wingless or rotor-less aircraft can’t come fast enough.
This is sure to spark more interest in airframe parachutes.
But for those of us flying in planes built before that bright idea, there is no save. Just prevention.
Technology can help. Traffic avoidance systems and the much talked-about but little-used ADS-B will surely get a bump from its boosters following this crash.
But technology can also hurt, especially when those glass panels are pretty enough to keep your head down, not up and outside.
Air traffic controllers provide a second set of eyes. But they didn’t matter here, and they haven’t always helped before.
In the end, avoiding this point-of-no-return moment is all about you.
Know where you are. Know who’s around you. Know who might be around you. And most importantly, be darn sure you know who might not know that you’re around them.
Because at the moment of impact, it’s already too late.
