FAA
Aviaon Safety
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General Aviaon
Joint Steering Commiee
Safety Enhancement Topic
Controlled Flight Into Terrain
Technological advances in situaonal awareness have dramacally reduced the number of General
Aviaon Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, CFIT accidents
connue to occur and at least half of them are fatal. This fact sheet will help acquaint readers with the
precursors of CFIT accidents and highlight some technological and safety risk management soluons.
What is CFIT?
CFIT is dened as an unintenonal collision
with terrain (the ground, a mountain, a body of
water, or an obstacle) while an aircra is under
posive control. Most oen, the pilot or crew is
unaware of the looming disaster unl it is too late.
CFIT most commonly occurs in the approach or
landing phase of ight.
Accidents where the aircra is out of control
at the point of impact are not known as CFIT.
Rather, they are considered uncontrolled ight into
terrain. Similarly, incidents resulng from deliberate
acts, such as terrorism or suicide by the pilot, are
also not considered to be CFIT.
In a typical year, there are about 40 CFIT
accidents, about half of which are fatal.
Why Does it Happen?
Pop Quiz: CFIT accidents occur primarily at
night. True or False? Surprisingly, the answer is
false. It’s logical to think that CFIT accidents usually
involve inexperienced pilots in dark night and/or
instrument meteorological condions. Or you might
suppose that most arise from the painful paern of
what accident reports describe as “connued VFR
ight into IMC.” However, the General Aviaon
Joint Steering Commiee (GAJSC) observed that a
clear majority of the CFIT accidents in a typical year
occur in daylight, and with visual condions.
So how does CFIT happen? How could
anyone connue controlled ight into terrain that
you can easily see and avoid? One major factor is the
loss of situaonal awareness — failing to know at all
mes what the aircra’s posion is, how that
posion relates to the altude of the surface
immediately below and ahead, and how both relate
to the course being own.
Another big factor in CFIT accidents is wire
strikes. You might think most wire strikes are
conned to agricultural ying, but more than half do
not involve this type of operaon. Accident data
also shows that wire strikes oen occur below 200
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AFS-850 20_11
feet above ground level. If you’ve got to y low, give
yourself some room. A lile extra altude – even
500 feet – will keep you above 90-percent of the
wires.
Other top causes of CFIT are IFR procedural
mistakes (e.g., ight below minimum enroute
altude, descent below MDA) and unrealisc
aircra performance expectaons (e.g., high density
altude, tailwinds on approach). To avoid these
pialls, make sure you’re in compliance with all
aspects of the clearances you accept and the
procedures you y. Equally important is to
thoroughly research the environment you plan to
operate in, especially at high altudes and/or with
short or obstructed runways.
How Can I Avoid CFIT?
Safety Risk Management (SRM) is a vital part
of warding o a possible CFIT accident. It involves
knowing what you’re geng into and understanding
what capabilies and resources you have that will
ensure a ight is completed safely. This starts at
preight. Make use of a Flight Risk Assessment Tool
(FRAT) and the PAVE acronym (Pilot, Aircra,
EnVironment, and External Pressures) to help you
build a personalized risk assessment before a ight.
During ight, you also need to stay vigilant
to any changing condions, like deteriorang
weather, fuel status, and the onset of fague. Be
ready and willing to adjust your plans. Don’t let Plan
Connuaon Bias (aka Get-there-is) or external
pressure lure you into making a poor decision.
Having a Plan B at the ready can make a route
change much easier to raonalize and accept.
There are a host of technological programs,
applicaons, and devices that can aid pilots in
situaonal awareness and risk assessment (e.g.,
moving maps with terrain overlays). In fact, pilots
have access to more informaon than ever before
and that has already contributed to a 20-year
www.FAASafety.gov Produced by FAA Safety Brieng | Download at 1.usa.gov/SPANS
reducon in CFIT accidents. But all that informaon
comes in many dierent forms so pilots must be
thoroughly familiar with and procient in device
operaon and informaon interpretaon.
Technology can also lead to unwanted distracons
so remember to always Fly the Aircra First!
Tips and Best Practices
Keep your skills sharp between ights by
ying simulators or ight training devices. Many
feature realisc graphics so you can get a look at
unfamiliar desnaon environments. And you can
pracce instrument procedures before you have to
y them for real. But remember, simulaon is not
adequate preparaon for ights to unfamiliar and/
or challenging environments. Therefore you should
also make it part of your plan to get regular
prociency training with a ight instructor. Of course
we recommend FAA WINGS Pilot Prociency
Training, but no maer what program or instructor
you choose, try to include scenario-based training.
Finally, be sure to give yourself some
breathing room. That means at least a mile from
airspace and 2,000 feet vercally from terrain you’re
trying to avoid. And since weather is very dynamic,
you may consider even greater clearance distances
to avoid any unexpected IMC.
Resources
Advisory Circular 61-134, GA CFIT Awareness
hps://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/
Advisory_Circular/ac61-134.pdf
CFIT Video — What More Can We Do?
hps://youtu.be/JBxg6hgbAr8
