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power which might be obtained under emergency conditions from the type of engine involved. Nor did they contain any instructions requiring that pilots be familiar with the terrain and elevations in the vicinity of airports. It is the opinion of the Board that PCA should have issued such instructions to its pilots in an effort to achieve that "highest possible degree of safety" referred to in the Act.[1]
It is probable that, if Captain Wright had been instructed as to the amount of power which could be used for short intervals in an emergency and had known the terrain over which he was forced to fly, he would have cleared the ridge on which the accident occurred.
The Charleston Municipal Airport presents conditions of great hazard to a pilot in case of an engine failure in take-off towards the west or southwest. The primary and secondary high tension lines form very prominent obstructions, and the ridges to the south and southwest are so close to the airport that any attempt during single-engine operation to make a left turn and proceed eastward up the Kanawha Valley would be attended by serious risks. Although the municipal officers of the City of Charleston have recognized the hazards incident to operation into and out of the present airport and have considered various sites for a new airport, no new site has been finally selected.
- ↑ The Board is considering an amendment to Part 40 of the Civil Air Regulations to clarify the obligation of air carriers to require their pilots to have knowledge of the terrain over which they fly.
