For his insight, creativity, and farsightedness in fostering the introduction of both Ground Proximity Warning Systems and Enhanced GPWS, which dramatically reduced the number of
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents--resulting in immeasurable reduction of fatalities and saving countless lives.
A study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent government agency that investigates accidents on highways, on railroads, and in the air, found that after the GPWS systems were put into larger planes, "
controlled flight into terrain" accidents (as they are dryly called) dropped by 75 percent.
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) is the biggest contributor.
Sikorsky is developing autonomous and optionally-piloted technology that will ultimately decrease instances of the number one cause of helicopter crashes:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).
"These accidents are often caused by lack of proficiency and poor decision making, and they typically lead to
controlled flight into terrain, loss of control, or continued VFR flight into IMC," said Richard McSpadden, executive director at ASI.
Hasemeyer's call out of the rapidly approaching terrain prevented a potential
controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
Fortunately, the aircraft did not impact the ground, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this and four crewmembers would be just another
controlled flight into terrain statistic.
Controlled flight into terrain during the cruise phase of flight (i.e., straight and level flying) or the maneuvering phase of flight (i.e., changing altitude or direction) together accounted for 46 (67%) fatal occupational crashes.
The result was a classic VFR-into-IMC
controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident.
Very little about the crash was unpredictable as one of hundreds of examples of
controlled flight into terrain. However the computer modeling that was done nailed down a few of the hazards in much more detail than we usually get from the generalized tone of SIGMETs and AIRMETs.