“If the pilots were holding neutral position of the yoke, released the gust lock on taxi and then the lock itself would disengage, BUT did not do control check then the yoke would not reset itself to align with the elevator control commands.”
“The report also indicated a possible problem with a mechanical gust lock system, which protects aircraft components from wind damage while planes are parked. Aviation experts say the plane would have been unable to take off if the lock was engaged.”
As I understand this situation, you might set the gust lock to protect the parked airplane before you leave because it will be sitting for a while.
Then you get a call on the cellphone alerting you that the passengers are on the way to the airport. One thing you visually check in the cockpit is that the gust control lever is OFF either before or during the reading of the checklist. The Captain was also a mechanic so he would probably see things that the average pilot, like me, might miss. A friend of mine was Maintenance Officer at a USAF ADC base in MA back in the fifties and he used to take a random mechanic off the flight line on test hops of one of his F89’s, a move calculated to help avoid another reverse control hookup he had experienced.
Question: Placing the gust control lever in the OFF position in this Gulfstream does not actually turn the gust control OFF until - and unless - you do a control check?
I would think that placing the Gust Control Lever to the OFF position would turn the Gust Control OFF.
Gulfstream builds a nice airplane – why the extra step to turn the Gust Control OFF? You will have your hands on the controls as you start the TO roll and that feel will tell you if things are normal whether or not you actually did a full control check. The B767 was the last plane I flew and its controls were pretty simulator-like numb but you would know early on if they were not right. The Gulfstream is very light by comparison and would have a very lively feel I would think.
Admittedly I am out of the loop age-wise but I recall, for instance, a young USAF pilot flying strip alert take off with his seat belt inadvertently unfastened. Checklists are handy but do not cover all categories, especially if you are in a hurry, or hurried.
I am curious because apart from the tragedy of the deaths of those on this airplane, I was startled to read recently that Gulfstream lost a brand new airplane with their own test pilots on a test hop. I do not know what caused this accident but if that particular Gulfstream crew, or engineering staff, missed something, there may be something more than the infamous pilot error afoot here.
Each death is an individual heartrending tragedy to all, and the particular loss of Lewis Katz is a big loss to the community as well. He helped a lot of people.
Aircraft accidents are the biggest learning curve we surf in this industry, and as Ernie Gann pointed out, Fate is out there looking for each of us. That you have never scratched an airplane does not mean that you won’t, or can’t.