Sustainability and Environment
NTSB urges upset training for charter/frax pilots
The crash of an aeromedic

The
crash of an aeromedical Cessna Citation 550 into Lake Michigan more than two years ago has prompted the NTSB to recommend that the FAA require all Part 91K and Part 135 operators to incorporate upset recovery and related checklists and procedures into their training programs.

Noting that many Part 121 operators use upset recovery training aids, the Board urged the FAA to identify airplanes other than the Citation series with autopilot control panel designs that may lead to inadvertent activation of the autopilot and require manufacturers to redesign and retrofit the autopilot control panels to make the buttons easily distinguishable and to guard against unintentional activation.
Further, the Board wants to require Cessna to redesign and retrofit the yaw damper and autopilot switches on the autopilot control panel in Citations to make them easily distinguishable and to guard against unintentional pilot activation.