Business & Commercial Aviation May 01, 2014

“Crossover speed” is a term that came to the fore after the loss of a USAir Boeing 737 on Sept. 8, 1994, near Aliquippa, Pa., while maneuvering to land at Pittsburgh International Airport. The NTSB determined probable cause of the accident to be a loss of control resulting from the movement of the rudder surface to its blowdown limit. The rudder most likely deflected in the opposite direction to that commanded by the pilot as a result of a jam in the main rudder power control unit. The aircraft was destroyed and all 132 people aboard perished.

Pilots need to appreciate a rudder's power. When a pilot inputs full rudder unnecessarily, the very large yawing moments that result produce large sideslip angles and heavy structural loads on the aircraft.

In a Nov. 13, 2012, email, Avantair President and founder Steve Santo attempted to reassure the troubled fractional ownership program’s 600-plus shareholders that the company was being proactive when it voluntarily grounded its fleet of 56 Piaggio P180 Avanti turboprops the previous month.

I have a confession to make. In 35 years of flying high-performance jet aircraft, I have never gone around from an unstable approach. Not ever.

Redefining the midsize class