Narrative:

Aircraft operator administered by mr X who conducts low level wildlife surveys and is based in xyz, identification. As a superbly polished articulator, mr X is able to symbolize the utmost highest regards for safety to anyone. However, in the pursuit of capitalizing on the highly specialized low level survey market, mr X has repeatedly stated to individuals with the use of his small aircraft aircraft he can do his surveys, 'faster and more accurately than anyone else on the planet earth.' in an effort to justify the cost of his computer equipment, mr X has placed himself in a position whereupon he must back up his statements to clients in order to maintain his status for speed and accuracy. The problem has manifested itself in 2 ways. First, in an effort to accomplish missions as fast and as accurate as possible and provide clients, when on board, with the optimal viewing opportunity, mr X anc chief pilot mr Y are conducting low level flts by simultaneously operating the small aircraft aircraft at excessively low airspds (80 mph IAS) in combination with high bank angles (50 to 59 degrees). The technique is usually executed with no flap extension to 2 notches of flaps. As a low level pilot and FAA designated accident prevention counselor, I know this to be a fairly deadly combination. The vso stall speed of this particular aircraft is approximately 60 plus/minus 3 mph. In a 55 degree bank, the stall speed increases approximately 33 percent to approximately 80 mph. During 1992, both messrs X and Y routinely demonstrated this technique to me and sometimes in the presence of a client passenger. Second, while conducting both non-special use and special use activities (as defined by the office of aircraft services (oas)) for the department of interior (doi) with and without doi employees on board, aircraft operator is, without exception, having all of its pilots performing a combination of the following additional activities which include but are not necessarily limited to: counting, sexing, and aging wildlife populations and classifying vegetation and habitat types after which the pilot is immediately required to look down towards the floor at the computer keyboard while he depresses various key combinations in an effort to record his observations and the observations of doi employees when on board. Sometimes the pilot is required to have his attention diverted towards the keyboard for several seconds at a time, especially in turbulent air and when the computer is acting up, which occurs spontaneously, and with regularity, due in part to static discharges and other computer glitches. The aforementioned deviations to approved oas procedures are most prevalent and pronounced when aircraft operator personnel are the sole occupant(south) of the aircraft. During 1992 these additional distracting duties were accomplished contrary to approved oas procedures for both standard and special use activities and have resulted in close encounters with other aircraft which could be defined as nmacs. Upon approaching mr X with the aforementioned safety matters, mr X became very agitated toward my concern for safety, stating on more than 1 occasion, 'there is no one on the planet earth who is safer than me and my operation.' this situation was to be reported earlier but I was and still am somewhat fearful of some avenue of reprisal from mr X, should he determine the origin of this report via the report narrative description I have provided. In this case, the return of the identity strip, by itself, will not assure the reporter's anonymity. I recommend that aircraft operator modify its low level survey procedures with 1 or a combination of the following: increase low level speeds to approximately 100 plus/minus 5 mph and/or limit its low level bank angles to approximately 20 plus/minus 5 degrees. I recommend that aircraft operator adhere to approved oas procedures for both standard and special use activities. I do not want aircraft operator to have another fatal accident in which several lives could be forfeited due to either a uncontrolled collision with the ground or a controled collision with another aircraft or man-made obstruction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR OPERATOR EMPLOYEE RPT ON UNSAFE FLT OPS IN LOW ALT CIVIL OP.

Narrative: ACFT OPERATOR ADMINISTERED BY MR X WHO CONDUCTS LOW LEVEL WILDLIFE SURVEYS AND IS BASED IN XYZ, ID. AS A SUPERBLY POLISHED ARTICULATOR, MR X IS ABLE TO SYMBOLIZE THE UTMOST HIGHEST REGARDS FOR SAFETY TO ANYONE. HOWEVER, IN THE PURSUIT OF CAPITALIZING ON THE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED LOW LEVEL SURVEY MARKET, MR X HAS REPEATEDLY STATED TO INDIVIDUALS WITH THE USE OF HIS SMA ACFT HE CAN DO HIS SURVEYS, 'FASTER AND MORE ACCURATELY THAN ANYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET EARTH.' IN AN EFFORT TO JUSTIFY THE COST OF HIS COMPUTER EQUIP, MR X HAS PLACED HIMSELF IN A POS WHEREUPON HE MUST BACK UP HIS STATEMENTS TO CLIENTS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN HIS STATUS FOR SPD AND ACCURACY. THE PROB HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF IN 2 WAYS. FIRST, IN AN EFFORT TO ACCOMPLISH MISSIONS AS FAST AND AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE AND PROVIDE CLIENTS, WHEN ON BOARD, WITH THE OPTIMAL VIEWING OPPORTUNITY, MR X ANC CHIEF PLT MR Y ARE CONDUCTING LOW LEVEL FLTS BY SIMULTANEOUSLY OPERATING THE SMA ACFT AT EXCESSIVELY LOW AIRSPDS (80 MPH IAS) IN COMBINATION WITH HIGH BANK ANGLES (50 TO 59 DEGS). THE TECHNIQUE IS USUALLY EXECUTED WITH NO FLAP EXTENSION TO 2 NOTCHES OF FLAPS. AS A LOW LEVEL PLT AND FAA DESIGNATED ACCIDENT PREVENTION COUNSELOR, I KNOW THIS TO BE A FAIRLY DEADLY COMBINATION. THE VSO STALL SPD OF THIS PARTICULAR ACFT IS APPROX 60 PLUS/MINUS 3 MPH. IN A 55 DEG BANK, THE STALL SPD INCREASES APPROX 33 PERCENT TO APPROX 80 MPH. DURING 1992, BOTH MESSRS X AND Y ROUTINELY DEMONSTRATED THIS TECHNIQUE TO ME AND SOMETIMES IN THE PRESENCE OF A CLIENT PAX. SECOND, WHILE CONDUCTING BOTH NON-SPECIAL USE AND SPECIAL USE ACTIVITIES (AS DEFINED BY THE OFFICE OF ACFT SVCS (OAS)) FOR THE DEPT OF INTERIOR (DOI) WITH AND WITHOUT DOI EMPLOYEES ON BOARD, ACFT OPERATOR IS, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, HAVING ALL OF ITS PLTS PERFORMING A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES WHICH INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT NECESSARILY LIMITED TO: COUNTING, SEXING, AND AGING WILDLIFE POPULATIONS AND CLASSIFYING VEGETATION AND HABITAT TYPES AFTER WHICH THE PLT IS IMMEDIATELY REQUIRED TO LOOK DOWN TOWARDS THE FLOOR AT THE COMPUTER KEYBOARD WHILE HE DEPRESSES VARIOUS KEY COMBINATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO RECORD HIS OBSERVATIONS AND THE OBSERVATIONS OF DOI EMPLOYEES WHEN ON BOARD. SOMETIMES THE PLT IS REQUIRED TO HAVE HIS ATTN DIVERTED TOWARDS THE KEYBOARD FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AT A TIME, ESPECIALLY IN TURBULENT AIR AND WHEN THE COMPUTER IS ACTING UP, WHICH OCCURS SPONTANEOUSLY, AND WITH REGULARITY, DUE IN PART TO STATIC DISCHARGES AND OTHER COMPUTER GLITCHES. THE AFOREMENTIONED DEVS TO APPROVED OAS PROCS ARE MOST PREVALENT AND PRONOUNCED WHEN ACFT OPERATOR PERSONNEL ARE THE SOLE OCCUPANT(S) OF THE ACFT. DURING 1992 THESE ADDITIONAL DISTRACTING DUTIES WERE ACCOMPLISHED CONTRARY TO APPROVED OAS PROCS FOR BOTH STANDARD AND SPECIAL USE ACTIVITIES AND HAVE RESULTED IN CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER ACFT WHICH COULD BE DEFINED AS NMACS. UPON APCHING MR X WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SAFETY MATTERS, MR X BECAME VERY AGITATED TOWARD MY CONCERN FOR SAFETY, STATING ON MORE THAN 1 OCCASION, 'THERE IS NO ONE ON THE PLANET EARTH WHO IS SAFER THAN ME AND MY OP.' THIS SIT WAS TO BE RPTED EARLIER BUT I WAS AND STILL AM SOMEWHAT FEARFUL OF SOME AVENUE OF REPRISAL FROM MR X, SHOULD HE DETERMINE THE ORIGIN OF THIS RPT VIA THE RPT NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION I HAVE PROVIDED. IN THIS CASE, THE RETURN OF THE IDENTITY STRIP, BY ITSELF, WILL NOT ASSURE THE RPTR'S ANONYMITY. I RECOMMEND THAT ACFT OPERATOR MODIFY ITS LOW LEVEL SURVEY PROCS WITH 1 OR A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING: INCREASE LOW LEVEL SPDS TO APPROX 100 PLUS/MINUS 5 MPH AND/OR LIMIT ITS LOW LEVEL BANK ANGLES TO APPROX 20 PLUS/MINUS 5 DEGS. I RECOMMEND THAT ACFT OPERATOR ADHERE TO APPROVED OAS PROCS FOR BOTH STANDARD AND SPECIAL USE ACTIVITIES. I DO NOT WANT ACFT OPERATOR TO HAVE ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT IN WHICH SEVERAL LIVES COULD BE FORFEITED DUE TO EITHER A UNCTLED COLLISION WITH THE GND OR A CTLED COLLISION WITH ANOTHER ACFT OR MAN-MADE OBSTRUCTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.