The weather is an important factor in relation to planes and their situation in the skies. Often, the pilots have very little choice, as the weather conditions become severe in a matter of minutes. One such case took place in New South Wales in 2012. It is clear that the pilots are very much limited in the number of things they can do to decide on the best course of action and often, the choices are absent altogether.
Sometimes, there are weather conditions that leave pilots with no options. There was an accident that took place on June 4th, 2012. A pilot flew a Cessna 182Q from Walgett to Mudgee (Fatal aircraft accident highlights ongoing risks of flying in poor weather, 2013). The pilot was the only person on board and was “flying under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR)” (Fatal aircraft accident highlights ongoing risks of flying in poor weather, 2013). These are regulations that outline the instructions on how to fly in weather that is appropriate for the airplanes. The takeoff took place in good weather and an elevation of 5,500 feet was reached.
Once the pilot was in the air, the atmospheric conditions worsened and a cloud base started to form. This was the beginning of the changing weather and the pilot had to make a decision, as to continuing the flight on the set height or changing it. There are not many choices, as the person can either climb higher and fly over the weather system or lower the airplane and find coverage under the severe weather conditions. The visibility was influencing the choices of the pilot and so, the instruments on the panel board became crucial to the pilot. The decision to lower the plane to 1000 feet was taken. The takedown of the plane happened gradually but the results were devastating. The pilot has crashed into the mountains near Tooraweenah, NSW (Fatal aircraft accident highlights ongoing risks of flying in poor weather, 2013). Unfortunately, the pilot did not survive and the plane was destroyed in the process.
It is obvious that pilots have dangerous employment where only a number of steps can be taken to prevent an accident. There is a great dependence on the abilities of the plane and weather, and a person has to make quick decisions in directing the plane. A plane crash is one of the worst events, as passenger planes have a great number of people on board. The above case shows that catastrophic situations are not limited to planes that transport a large number of people. Private planes are also affected by the weather and have little chance if the conditions are severe. Even though the pilot has to go through extensive training and tests, there are still times when a situation cannot be predicted, and a person has to go by their feelings and thoughts that are present in the moment. All the crashes of airplanes that happen cannot directly affect the other planes, as the changing conditions of the weather are specific to an area and time of day.
There are numerous documented cases that relate to planes crashing or having problems due to weather conditions, and the ending is not always positive. It is a fact that people cannot change the atmospheric events, so they can only be avoided.
Reference
Fatal aircraft accident highlights ongoing risks of flying in poor weather. (2013). Web.