The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a safety alert, illustrated by a series of animations, intended to encourage pilots to take action to reduce chances of being involved in a midair collision.
The safety alert, issued Nov. 16, uses the animations — which depict the pilots’ visual field of view from four airplanes involved in two midair collisions — to show the limitations of the “see and avoid” concept of aircraft separation.
“The animations show how difficult it can be for pilots to spot converging aircraft that may present a midair collision risk in a dynamic visual environment,” the NTSB said.
NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart added, “These accidents and the animations clearly demonstrate the safety benefit of augmenting pilots’ vision with technological safety nets. Technologies in the cockpit that warn of traffic conflicts through displays or alerts can help pilots become aware of, and maintain separation from, nearby aircraf…
