Seventy-four accidents occurred between pilots who lost control of the aircraft with limited visibility; 80% of them (59) occurred in uncontrolled airspace, where the minimum visibility is one mile. It is extremely difficult to judge the view of a mile forward from a moving aircraft. In some cases, accidents occurred in weather conditions that met or exceeded minimum legal requirements. In other cases, it is likely that the pilots had difficulty accurately determining flight visibility one mile from the moving aircraft and flew in conditions below those required by law. A one-mile visibility leaves no room for error and allows pilots to fly in weather conditions where there are not enough external references to ensure uniform control of the aircraft. Therefore, the Board recommends: Ground operations are more difficult at night, especially at an unfamiliar airport. Study the airport diagram to avoid confusion and familiarize yourself with runway layout and designations. Next, ask the ground control for progressive rolling instructions. The controller guides you step by step from where you want to go. The goal is to prevent you from going where you don`t want (or shouldn`t) be, like on an active track. Weather information is accessible by telephone, through remote computer terminals or in person at a weather office. There are no regulations that specifically require a pre-VFR weather briefing.
However, the likelihood of accidental night entry into IMC could be reduced if pilots had appropriate information on which to base their decision to undertake or postpone a flight. This applies to all night flights, private and commercial, but the council is particularly concerned about the safety of the air transport system used by paying travellers. The Board is of the view that the Department of Transport should encourage private pilots to obtain weather briefings prior to conducting a night flight, but that the requirements for commercial pilots should be more stringent. Therefore, the Board recommends that: Although Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.151 requires only a 45-minute fuel reserve for night visual flight rules (VFR) flights, headwinds, navigational errors, and unexpected weather conditions can deplete fuel at a frightening rate. Careful pilots replenish their fuel reserves with at least twice the minimum. It may take 30 minutes or more for your eyes to get used to low light, but 20 minutes with dim red cockpit lighting provides a moderate level of adjustment. Once your eyes have adjusted when you look at the white lights, the adjustment process should start all over again. In brightly lit airports, you can`t avoid this exposure, so keep in mind that your night vision may be impaired for some time after takeoff. All these phenomena are good signs that you should find the nearest airport and country. If you`re not equipped with a qualified instrument, not only do you enter through your VFR head, but nighttime precipitation often signals the development of more severe weather conditions, such as rain-induced fog. When it`s cold, precipitation can cause the cell to freeze.
5. When a taxiway is used at night, the aerodrome operator shall display each side of the taxiway by means of a series of fixed blue lights or blue retro-reflective markings arranged so that the two luminous lines or markings are parallel and the distance between the adjacent lights or markings on each line does not exceed 200 feet (60 m). Currently, there is no method to ensure that a minimum level of instrument flying proficiency has been achieved prior to obtaining a night rating. An assessment of a pilot`s capabilities in dizzying conditions that occur in adverse weather conditions at night seems warranted. In addition, there is currently no method to ensure that a minimum level of proficiency has been maintained after a night note has been issued; Therefore, some form of training and/or refresher testing also seems justified. This training and examination should focus on the instrument flying skills required to perform safe night vision flight, skills that are much less complex than, for example, those required to perform a full instrument approach.
