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Controlled flight into terrain
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<h2 id="causes">Causes</h2> <p>While there are many reasons why an aircraft might crash into terrain, including poor weather and navigational equipment failure, pilot error is the most common factor found in CFIT accidents.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>Behind such events there is often a loss of <a href="/facts/Situational_awareness/0EMpWgTa">situational awareness</a> by the pilot, who becomes unaware of their actual position and altitude in relation to the terrain below and immediately ahead of them. Fatigue can cause even highly experienced professionals to make significant errors, which culminate in a CFIT accident.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>CFIT accidents frequently involve a collision with terrain such as hills or mountains or tall artificial obstacles such as <a href="/facts/Radio_tower/Xh2FLXuK">radio towers</a> during conditions of reduced visibility while approaching or departing from an airport. A contributing factor can be subtle navigation equipment malfunctions which, if not detected by the crew, may mislead them into improperly guiding the aircraft despite other information received from properly functioning equipment. CFIT is a constant hazard during <a href="/facts/Aerial_application/e0LpTctF">aerial application</a>, <a href="/facts/Close_air_support/buqaXGIp">close air support</a>, and <a href="/facts/Aerial_firefighting/4R9nv5Qm">aerial firefighting</a> operations, which involve routine low-altitude flight along varying routes over terrain that may be unfamiliar to the pilots. </p> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <p>Before the installation of the first electronic terrain warning systems, the only defenses against CFIT were conventional see-and-avoid aviation practices, pilot simulator training, <a href="/facts/Crew_resource_management/Yb4EQsbj">crew resource management</a> (CRM) and radar surveillance by <a href="/facts/Air_traffic_service/QDxXPSfa">air traffic services</a>. While refinements applied to those practices helped reduce the incidence of CFIT accidents, they did not eliminate them. </p><p>To further assist in preventing CFIT accidents, manufacturers developed <a href="/facts/Terrain_awareness_and_warning_system/gGHlatEv">terrain awareness and warning systems</a> (TAWS). The first generation of those systems was known as a <a href="/facts/Ground_proximity_warning_system/tG8SNSuw">ground proximity warning system</a> (GPWS), which used a <a href="/facts/Radar_altimeter/EAkMxW47">radar altimeter</a> to assist in calculating terrain closure rates. That system was further improved with the addition of a <a href="/facts/GPS/DKVLnzF3">GPS</a> terrain database and is now known as an <a href="/facts/EGPWS/tG8SNSuw">enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS)</a>. When combined with mandatory pilot simulator training which emphasizes proper responses to any caution or warning event, the system has proved very effective in preventing further CFIT accidents.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>Smaller aircraft often use a GPS database of terrain to provide terrain warning. The GPS database contains a database of nearby terrain and will present terrain that is near the aircraft in red or yellow depending on its distance from the aircraft.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Sterile_flight_deck_rule/hY68tpRY">sterile flight deck rule</a> was implemented to limit pilot distraction by banning any non-essential activities in the cockpit during critical phases of the flight, such as when operating at below 10,000 feet (3,000 m).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Aviation portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Acronyms_and_abbreviations_in_avionics/2rTYW6jT">Acronyms and abbreviations in avionics</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Aviation_safety/tFTm3S2p">Aviation safety</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Minimum_safe_altitude_warning/vd6jqoqV">Minimum safe altitude warning</a> (MSAW)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Aviation_obstruction_lighting/TaMTAbKX">Aviation obstruction lighting</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Suicide_attack/M5M7TFHv">Suicide attack</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Category:Controlled_Flight_Into_Terrain">CFIT articles in SKYbrary</a>: The single point of reference in the network of aviation safety knowledge</li> <li><a href="http://www.cast-safety.org/pdf/cictt_occurrence-category0804.pdf">Aviation occurrence categories: Definitions and usage notes</a> (<a href="/facts/Aviation_safety_improvement_initiatives/sWXoktbK">CAST</a>/<a href="/facts/ICAO/TzrL1mLr">ICAO</a>)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Boeing: Commercial Airplanes – Jetliner Safety – Industry's Role in Aviation Safety". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2016-10-21. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092157/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092157/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"IATA Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accident Analysis Report, 2008–2017 Data" (PDF). International Air Transport Association (IATA). 2018. <a href="https://www.iata.org/contentassets/06377898f60c46028a4dd38f13f979ad/cfit-report.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.iata.org/contentassets/06377898f60c46028a4dd38f13f979ad/cfit-report.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Uncontrolled Flight into Terrain (UFIT)". www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120306010038/http://www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76%3Auncontrolled-flight-into-terrain-ufit&catid=13%3Ajames-mcbride&Itemid=14" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120306010038/http://www.flighttrainingnews.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76%3Auncontrolled-flight-into-terrain-ufit&catid=13%3Ajames-mcbride&Itemid=14</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Boeing". mediaroom.com. <a href="http://boeing.mediaroom.com/1997-02-20-Boeing-Training-Aid-Addresses-Leading-Accident-Cause" target="_blank">http://boeing.mediaroom.com/1997-02-20-Boeing-Training-Aid-Addresses-Leading-Accident-Cause</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Air Force Magazine, February 2004, Air Force Association, Arlington, VA. <a href="/wiki/Air_Force_Magazine" target="_blank">/wiki/Air_Force_Magazine</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"IATA Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accident Analysis Report, 2008–2017 Data" (PDF). International Air Transport Association (IATA). 2018. <a href="https://www.iata.org/contentassets/06377898f60c46028a4dd38f13f979ad/cfit-report.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.iata.org/contentassets/06377898f60c46028a4dd38f13f979ad/cfit-report.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Boeing: Commercial Airplanes – Jetliner Safety – Industry's Role in Aviation Safety". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2016-10-21. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092157/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20110629092157/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/safety/manufacturers_role.html#controlledFlight</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Parmet, AJ; Ercoline, WR (2008). "6, Spatial Orientation in Flight". In Davis; Johnson; Stepanek; Fogarty (eds.). Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine (4th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-0781774666. <a href="978-0781774666" target="_blank">978-0781774666</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System - Honeywell Aerospace". honeywell.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-18. Retrieved 2009-11-04. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140718012212/http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/Products-Services/Avionics-Electronics/EGPWS-Home.html?c=21" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20140718012212/http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/Products-Services/Avionics-Electronics/EGPWS-Home.html?c=21</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Garmin". garmin.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-30. Retrieved 2010-01-07. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171030043607/http://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=153" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20171030043607/http://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=153</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Baron, Robert A. (1995). "The Cockpit, the Cabin, and Social Psychology". airlinesafety.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 7 May 2018. <a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Baron" target="_blank">/wiki/Robert_A._Baron</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>