Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

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The National Transportation Safety Board continued its spotlight on loss of control in-flight&nbsp;(LOC-I) accidents today, hosting another event to delve into the issues surrounding LOC-I and preventive measures through training and technology.&nbsp;The day-long roundtable session, moderated by NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt, is the latest in a series of efforts the Safety Board has taken to address general aviation’s leading cause of accident fatalities. The NTSB previously has hosted a symposium, issued safety alerts, held regional sessions, and highlighted LOC-I in its "Most Wanted List" of transportation safety improvements.

 


Joining Sumwalt in today’s roundtable were NTSB member Earl Weener, other senior-level Safety Board staff, and representatives from the FAA, aviation associations, universities, and companies.

 


“Loss of control in-flight kills more general aviation pilots and passengers than any other factor,” Sumwalt told the roundtable participants, saying the roundtable’s goal is to develop clear actions to address the issue. “Loss of control in-flight is claiming entirely too many lives. Let's get to work.”

 


Over the past 10 years, 978 pilots lost control of their airplanes, resulting in 1,672 fatalities. “That is enough to fill this conference room six times over. Loss of control is a real problem,” said John Delisi, NTSB director of the Office of Aviation Safety.

 


The roundtable is focusing on a number of factors that could play a role in preventive measures, including professionalism, pilot mentoring, new technologies such as flight data monitoring, simulator solutions, information sharing, common pilot mistakes, and management systems.

 


The session opened with NASA shuttle commander and Orbital ATK Flight Systems v-p and general manager Charlie Precourt discussing the importance of creating a culture of learning in general aviation.&nbsp;Some initial training experiences are not pleasant, he said, and create a fear of continuing education. At NASA, he said, “We taught each other to not fear embarrassment, because embarrassment is what comes with learning. It reinforces; sometimes it is easier to learn from your mistakes than your successes.”

 


Aerobatic champion and Patty Wagstaff Aviation Safety general manager Patty Wagstaff stressed the importance of professionalism, agreeing with sentiments that Sumwalt also expressed: “You do not have to be a professional pilot to act like a professional. Professional pilots are always seeking ways to improve.”&nbsp;

 


She expressed concern that many pilots do not gain even basic skills, and she emphasized the need to be open to instruction and willingness to make mistakes in instruction.&nbsp;“Sometimes we have to go backwards to move forwards. I think pilots really have to revisit the basics.”

 


“I think there is a lack of rudder skills and a lack of understanding of the aerodynamics behind some of these maneuvers,” added Carolina Anderson, associate professor of aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who noted that students need more training on stall speeds in slips and skids. She also said she believes glider training often helps with stick-and-rudder skills as well as emergency management planning.

 


Dave Sizoo of the FAA’s Small Airplane Standards division further discussed a need for pilots to remain connected with the aircraft, saying a weakness in generalized attention is a contributor to loss of situational awareness. “Pilots need to be connected with the airplane and understand when the airplane is talking to them,” Sizoo said.

 


The early roundtable discussions also focused on the expanded use of simulators, including desktop and home-based systems, and addressing a concern that this might interfere with gaining flight time.

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