I can tell by some of the more colorful responses my initial post was a little simplistic!
My actual situation was I seriously took a look at getting a Cirrus SR20 and learning to fly.
I commute 300 miles round trip every week for my work. I live in the Midwest where weather is always a factor.
I was evaluating a GA aircraft as a possible transportation option - not just for recreation.
I am an engineer. I was drawn to the Cirrus because it appeared to be a modern aircraft with modern avionics.
However, per my nature, I thoroughly researched the possibility. I reviewed every flight incident for the Cirrus SR20 & 22 to see if all those safety claims translated to better outcomes.
I was surprised, with such a modern plane, how many fatal accidents were still occurring in the pattern during decent flight conditions.
A few really caught my eye. One was a naval aviator who crashed just doing a base turn in decent weather.
The second was the female pilot that crashed her SR20 trying to land in Houston. You probably know the details.
She had two missed approaches at a busy airport with 737's landing all around her. In that situation, I imagine she was pretty stressed. She was going to Houston to visit a relative in the hospital who had cancer. That really hit home for me. I lost my brother to cancer last year. On the third attempt, she power on stalls the aircraft. She dipped the wing and tried to retract the flaps about 10-15 knots too soon. Killed everyone on board.
She had done everything outlined in the plan - she had the proper training - had recent time in aircraft - was flying a well maintained plane - it was decent weather. Under stress, which is pretty common in my life, she simply made a mistake and it killed her and the family members on board. I accept I could have easily made the same mistake under those stressful conditions.
As an engineer, with such a modern aircraft, it frustrated me the machine itself could not have done more in that situation. The avionics knew the airspeed, the altitude, the pitch angle, and everything else about the current flight envelope. However, it allowed her to retract the flaps well below proper airspeed and power stall. I know many will simply "blame the pilot" for a basic mistake. Blame the lack of training, the ATC that were not great, etc. However, I see that accident as a failure for the GA manufacturing community as well.
Competent pilots, in good weather, during routine pattern procedures, should not crash a modern airplane IMO. That should be the standard for the engineering. That is just the engineering side of me talking. The tech should be better than that. Can tech prevent all accidents? Of course not. However, it seams to me, after reviewing these accidents, it is still not preventing some very preventable accidents either.
I personally am not above a simple mistake in the pattern due to stress, etc. I could see myself in that female pilot. Frankly, her "sin" to me was very minor. Under stress, she simply tried to turn and retract the flaps a little too early. Should that be a fatal mistake? Is that an acceptable engineering standard? It turned me off getting a PPL.
This was just my opinion. I certainly respect there are different ones out there!
Just to add another perspective, and to follow up on
@hindsight2020, I have to keep aware of the human element in all my flying. Professionally and personally, my safety begins before getting in the car to go to the airport. No matter what anyone says, flying has very little good analog to anything else. There is a reason why Threat and Error Management TEM has been introduced, dare I say, engineered into aviation. Engineers will never be able to get around the human element. Sorry to say that, but the most powerful computers can never out do the mush sack at the top of the spine. Without commenting on prior accidents and incidents, I can safely conclude that the errors I make even before getting the plane to the end of the runway can be eye opening. I have certainly turned the plane around and decided to call it a day before even committing aviation. I have even stopped pulling the airplane out of the hangar because I realized that I'm just not up to flying that moment! (Nearly ripped my wingtip offn the plane on the side of the barn!)
Threats not addressed cause errors, which can lead to "undesired aircraft states." And we all have had a few UASs. How we mitigate these threats before they become errors is worthy of a PhD thesis or 3, and have. Suffice it to say, training, checklists, procedures, preflight thinking, being present, understanding one's own limits, knowing full well the limits of the airplane, the list can go on ad nauseam.
For some simple examples: I know I am a decent IFR pilot, I get trained to be. I'm lucky to fly a 737 with another vastly trained pilot in a very safe, redundant world. Big however, we still make mistakes, errors, from external threats and hopefully very few internal threats (leave home at home). Just getting the cargo loaded, W&B correct, fuel correct, FMC loaded correctly, weather and them freakin' NOTAMs all sorted out, MX issues addressed, all are very real threats that we have copious procedures to make sure we can even get the damned engines started on time. Then theres the taxi to the end of a runway someplace way over there crossing 4 other runways in use. Now, if we've made it that far, holy smokes let's fly! But wait, there's special departure procedures that differ from the normal DP if an engine goes on strike, wake turbulence from the guy in front of us, pressure to push up the throttles from ATC (usually crew induced)...wait, why aren't the autothrottles engaging? Why isn't the flight director up? Where's the heading bug? Did we set the right altitude? V1Rotate! Where are my pants?
But threats and errors can be mitigated along the way. Anyone can read the previous paragraph and see how dynamic getting offn the ground can be. A billion threats and a billion +1 mitigations. Sometimes, we even get the airplane to the place it is supposed to go - on the same day!
This all is relatable 100% to GA. And, again, it all starts before leaving home for the hangar. For example, I know I can fly in the clouds in a 737, and I know my Sierra will too. However, I know I am not safe to fly in the clouds in my Sierra. Why? Because the threats are too big. I am only trained to fly 737s in the clouds. If I got training, developed procedures for single pilot IFR with a delinquent autopilot, replaced some gyros... Yes, maybe the Sierra in the clouds would be safer than right now. I know my Sierra has capabilities greater than I am willing to test right now, too. And this is all the feakin' key right there if you ask me. TEM.
It is up to the mush sack on the top of the spine to know when to bug out, divert, increase automation, decrease automation, land ASAP, not take off, etc. Without the mush sack on the top of the spine being present and actively flying, the airplane is just a drone. And look at them there accident rates. TEM.
The threats are real, the errors happen, and the resolve to keep it greasy side down is always there. Hopefully, threats are acknowledged, errors are mitigated, and I'll never have to test my resolve to keep it flying. Regardless of the tech in the cockpit, and the engineering of the plane, the mush sack on the top of the spine will still be the saving grace in times of need, if it is up to the task.
This is why I don't fly into KSEA with my Sierra, until I go get the stamp for my WA State Airports Passport. And when I do go there, it'll be with another pilot after a good brief, and at the time suggested by ATC. TEM. I've moved plenty of metal there with another professionally trained, competent pilot next to me, and it is still a mess sometimes.
Looking at flying from a pure engineer's standpoint is (in my opinion only!) short changing the capabilities of flying. Aviating is definitely an art backed up with science and a heavy dose of TEM. With the correct mindset from the moment that one decides to commit aviation, it is a very very rewarding and safe endeavor. It is a reliable form of transportation when the TEM works! Go buy your SR20 and get flying!
There, the thread is back on topic with my last sentence.
