Serious Error in SureCheck Checklist

VWGhiaBob

VWGhiaBob

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VWGhiaBob
OK...I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flack on this, but here goes. :eek: We're talking safety here.

I am the equivalent of an early student pilot. That's because I earned by PPL four decades ago and haven't flown since. I only had 70 hours until I started up again. Now I have around 90.

As part of re-starting, I purchased a SufeCheck checklist (http://www.surecheck.net/). As a "new" pilot, I use my checklist religiously and will even when I'm' not new anymore. SureCheck is a really cool tool...easy to read, has all the important info about the plane, etc. Except for one thing: I relied on it and the consequences could have been very serious.

Here's what happened.

I followed the SafeCheck checklist yesterday - every single step. I was cleared for take off and rolled out to the runway. As I throttled up, I noticed a bit of sluggishness - nothing extreme...just not quite right.

I looked down at the panel...nothing wrong. I reached down to the brake, which is hidden by the yoke. OOppss!!! The brake is on and I'm rolling! I released it, and we were fine.

Upon landing, I checked by SureCheck checklist. Well, it says "Set" the brake for run up. But :no: , it never says to release the brake.

Should I have known to check the brake? Yes, but remember I'm new and it's all still a bit overwhelming right now.

Why didn't I notice the sluggishness on final taxi onto the runway? Older C172 hand brakes (and fuel gauges) are notoriously unreliable and don't work well. My handbrake slows the plane down, but you can also easily taxi and roll without noticing it's on.

I checked my SafeCheck checklist for the C172 and P128. Same problem.

I have written to SafeCheck. Granted, I'm resonsible for my safety. I should have known. My bad. But checklists are there for a reason: We are all human and make mistakes. Checklists help us avoid forgetting important flight tasks.

IMHO, A checklist that tells you to engage the handbrake before take off should also tell you to release it.

Anyway, lesson leared for me. I'm recommending to SafeCheck that they fix this in future versions.

I'm sure many will think I was foolish for forgetting to release my brake. I'll take the flack. But I did it and want to help others to not get into the same situation.
 
You need to get your brake checked. My brake holds the plane. It wouldn't be an issue. BTW, I usually don't set the emergency brake. Just hold it with my feet for run up.
 
John221us said:
You need to get your brake checked. My brake holds the plane. It wouldn't be an issue. BTW, I usually don't set the emergency brake. Just hold it with my feet for run up.
Click to expand...

My PA28-150 would slide the plane on anything but bone dry asphalt.

I could probably get airborne in my Bonanza with the extra HP and the crappy parking brake.
 
Run-up requires a lot of heads-down time, so a passive brake is a good idea to prevent creeping somewhere you shouldn't. However, it needs to actually work.

If your parking brake doesn't make the airplane feel wrong while taxiing (at the very least), it needs servicing. You should never continue a takeoff that doesn't feel normal.
 
From what I can recall, none of the checklists for the planes I currently fly list releasing the parking brake after run up. If there is a taxi section on your list, it may be there at the top of that list. If so, one could argue that you should have followed the taxi checklist before moving again.

Remember, checklists aren't always intended to tell you what to do. Many things should be automatic, obvious, or part of a workflow. In those cases, the checklist is used to "check" that everything has been done.

To become more familiar with the airplane, consider not looking at the checklist item status when you're doing the checklist. Just read the checklist item, move that control/switch to where you know it should be, verbalize, and then verify against the checklist status. So, instead reading "Mixture.....full rich" on the checklist, and then pushing it full rich, read "Mixture", move it full rich based on your knowledge of where it should be, say what you did, and then read "full rich" on the checklist.

Regardless of this little incident, it would be very wise to compare any new checklist to your previous one, the owner provided one if you're renting, and the POH checklist, prior to using that checklist operationally.
 
I've looked at the SureCheck material and not happy with it. Why? Because the real checklist is in the POH. The cherokee I fly predates POH and has an AFM but still, a more current cherokee/archer POH has a very comprehensive checklist, emergency procedures, etc. I consider SureCheck (and others) to be too generic.

It's personal preference, but I like a checklist specific to the airplane I'm flying. It's very important for the variations of 172s (older ones have 3-4 fuel drains, the newer ones are in the double digits!), carb vs. injected engine procedures, etc.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
OK...I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flack on this, but here goes. :eek: We're talking safety here.

I am the equivalent of an early student pilot. That's because I earned by PPL four decades ago and haven't flown since. I only had 70 hours until I started up again. Now I have around 90.

As part of re-starting, I purchased a SufeCheck checklist (http://www.surecheck.net/). As a "new" pilot, I use my checklist religiously and will even when I'm' not new anymore. SureCheck is a really cool tool...easy to read, has all the important info about the plane, etc. Except for one thing: I relied on it and the consequences could have been very serious.

Here's what happened.

I followed the SafeCheck checklist yesterday - every single step. I was cleared for take off and rolled out to the runway. As I throttled up, I noticed a bit of sluggishness - nothing extreme...just not quite right.

I looked down at the panel...nothing wrong. I reached down to the brake, which is hidden by the yoke. OOppss!!! The brake is on and I'm rolling! I released it, and we were fine.

Upon landing, I checked by SureCheck checklist. Well, it says "Set" the brake for run up. But :no: , it never says to release the brake.

Should I have known to check the brake? Yes, but remember I'm new and it's all still a bit overwhelming right now.

Why didn't I notice the sluggishness on final taxi onto the runway? Older C172 hand brakes (and fuel gauges) are notoriously unreliable and don't work well. My handbrake slows the plane down, but you can also easily taxi and roll without noticing it's on.

I checked my SafeCheck checklist for the C172 and P128. Same problem.

I have written to SafeCheck. Granted, I'm resonsible for my safety. I should have known. My bad. But checklists are there for a reason: We are all human and make mistakes. Checklists help us avoid forgetting important flight tasks.

IMHO, A checklist that tells you to engage the handbrake before take off should also tell you to release it.

Anyway, lesson leared for me. I'm recommending to SafeCheck that they fix this in future versions.

I'm sure many will think I was foolish for forgetting to release my brake. I'll take the flack. But I did it and want to help others to not get into the same situation.
Click to expand...

Wow, you sound like me. Got my PPL in 1976 and stopped flying shortly thereafter with 75 total hours. Started up again in 2010 and now have about 400 hours.
 
Make your own checklist from the one in the AFM/POH.

Far better, and helps you commit critical steps to memory. Especially better if there are STCs on the plane with separate check steps.
 
With all due respect to the checklist, if when taxiing you can't tell by the aircraft's responses that the parking brake is set, you have a problem that a checklist won't fix.
 
As was once told to me: It's a checklist, not a how-to guide.
 
Brad Z said:
As was once told to me: It's a checklist, not a how-to guide.
Click to expand...

You mean I shouldn't pick up the checklist when flying new people and start leafing through it saying "Let's see how you fly this thing."
 
I consider parking brake handles on little airplanes as good for hanging the trash sack and little else. They can't be trusted and are mostly dead weight. If I want the plane to stay in one place I hold the brakes wif my feet. If I want it to move, I release them.
 
wsuffa said:
Make your own checklist from the one in the AFM/POH.

Far better, and helps you commit critical steps to memory. Especially better if there are STCs on the plane with separate check steps.
Click to expand...
This!

When I started flying the DC-3, I found that I really preferred the checklist format and flow that we used in the airplane.

So I took the DC-3 format and went through and tailored all the other airplane checklists to that common style...basically combining the items from the POH into a common flow for every airplane. Helps alot when you are transitioning frequently between Cesssnas, Pipers, Beech...etc. Some specific items will be different, but the general flow and pattern will be the same.

But, that said, I don't think I have never seen a checlist that said release the parking brake after runup. Just one of those as needed/applicable items. You can't rely on everything to be in a checklist.....otherwise you would be constantly looking down at a piece of paper and never out the windows.
 
I'm with John - I use my feet for the emergency brake. Never have to worry about forgetting to release. But back to the topic - I have had problems with Surecheck checklists before and don't like them.

I do what Bill suggests and make my own from the AFM/POH.
 
Came for one of the schools in LGB.... Another reason to use the POH for the checklist

FYI......

So how does a pilot bust a check ride over a checklist?

One answer to how a personalized checklist can mousetrap a pilot on a checkride may be found in FAR 91.9: “No person may operate a civil aircraft without complying with the operating limitations specified in the approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual, markings, and placards, or as otherwise prescribed by the certificating authority of the country of registry.”

Checklists are included in the approved flight manual (AFM). Note that the
Pilots Operating Handbook (POH) for most light aircraft built after 1975 is also designated as the FAA-AFM. Using checklists that don’t include all of the elements of the POH/AFM checklists can be evidence of a violation of FAR 91.9. The Practical Test Standards (PTS), the guide to the conduct of a checkride, gives the method to enforce the use of appropriate checklists. For example, for the task of Starting the Engine, one objective is to determine that the applicant utilizes the appropriate checklist for the engine start procedure.

Although not specifically defined, the FAA use of the term "appropriate” is also found in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25) in the discussion of the POH/AFM Normal Procedures, Section 4.

The general format of Section 4 consists of “several checklists that may include preflight inspection, before starting procedures, starting engine, before taxiing, taxiing, before takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, before landing, balked landing, after landing, and post flight procedures. To avoid missing important steps, always use the appropriate checklists when available. Consistent adherence to approved checklists is a sign of a disciplined and competent pilot” “Appropriate” is further emphasized by adding the term “approved.”
Click to expand...
 
I personally dislike surecheck and won't use them. They oversimplify whats needed and add junk that's not.
First, I always encourage my students to get their own poh for the airplane. Assuming you consistently fly the same airplane, or model. Now that you have your own poh, not only can you actually thoroughly read the pilot operating handbook, you can view the checklist made specifically for that airplane. Then make your own checklist, using the poh.

I'm not sure how your instructor teaches parking brake usage, but I don't even let my students use them. Feet on the brakes, that's your parking break. I find people who set their parking break tend to NOT pay as much attention to what's going on outside the airplane, because they think the break is going to keep them parked. Obviously you found out the plane can definitely move with the brake set.
When using your feet, you keep an inside outside scan going, which is what you should be doing anyway.
 
At one of my first lessons, my CFI told me to make up my own checklist. I've done it ever since, for every airplane i've flown. It made me read the POH thoroughly, to understand why things are on the list, and why they are in that particular order. It also gave me a chance to add certain things such as local procedures that are helpful. Plus, I could format it to suit me.

If you read the POH checklist very carefully, you'll see that it probably will say the same thing - set brakes, and won't say - release brakes.

I don't trust the parking brake to keep the plane from rolling when it's parked, so I don't even bother with it during runup.
 
I bet you will never miss the parking brake again.
Getting it burned into your brain beats a checklist any day.
 
Wow...this website rocks. Lots of great advice above! It's all really helping me overcome my 40 year hiatus! Thanks, all!
 
Now that you know the checklist is not working for you on that regard, you need to find a sharpie and add it.

Or simply not use the checklist - I have my own - that has been converted to PDF format - and now resides in my home airport folder as a self-created procedure in Foreflight.
 
Fearless Tower said:
This!



But, that said, I don't think I have never seen a checlist that said release the parking brake after run-up.
Click to expand...

Engine Start:

Brakes... Set

Taxi:

Brakes...Check.. to me this has two meanings... release the parking (hold) brake, and bump the toe break to make sure they are working..

But you're right, it doesn't specifically say Release the Parking Break..
 
I'm sure that every checklist (and POH procedure set) omits some implied actions besides releasing the parking brake.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'm sure that every checklist (and POH procedure set) omits some implied actions besides releasing the parking brake.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can't recall seeing one that says disengage starter after engine is running. Guess we are supposed to fly around with that nice grinding sound, while holding a key/pushing a button.
 
Heh - my checklist says to verify the doors are latched, but doesn't say anything about unlatching them later.

---


I've heard it explained - it's a checklist, not a to-do list.
 
Matthew,
Unlatching a door is not the same as not unlatching a brake before takeoff. Even if this is not in the POH, I would submit that it should be. Right or wrong, we rely on checklists. And leaving a brake on without knowing it could lead to VERY serious consequences. In my case, I caught it. Some day another novice like me may not, and end up running out of runway or (less serious) frying the brakes.

It's an easy fix, one that should be made with out question. Safety first!
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Matthew,
Unlatching a door is not the same as not unlatching a brake before takeoff. Even if this is not in the POH, I would submit that it should be. Right or wrong, we rely on checklists. And leaving a brake on without knowing it could lead to VERY serious consequences. In my case, I caught it. Some day another novice like me may not, and end up running out of runway or (less serious) frying the brakes.

It's an easy fix, one that should be made with out question. Safety first!
Click to expand...

Do you keep your parking brake on when driving your car? Do you need a checklist for your car? This is simple stuff. I'm not trying to be derogatory, but some things are common sense, and shouldn't be on a checklist.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
...we rely on checklists.
Click to expand...
There's the problem -- we do not "rely on checklists." We use checklists to avoid relying on memory. If you can't remember to do routine things in the airplane without reading them off the checklist, you are not using your checklist properly.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
Matthew,
Unlatching a door is not the same as not unlatching a brake before takeoff. Even if this is not in the POH, I would submit that it should be. Right or wrong, we rely on checklists. And leaving a brake on without knowing it could lead to VERY serious consequences. In my case, I caught it. Some day another novice like me may not, and end up running out of runway or (less serious) frying the brakes.

It's an easy fix, one that should be made with out question. Safety first!
Click to expand...

I understand the difference. I was just caught up in the moment.

--

What you experienced is another reason to create your own checklist based on the POH, of course. If you ever find yourself missing something, you can add it, highlight it, or whatever.

By the way - does your checklist specifically say "Set parking brake" or just "Set brakes"?
 
One other thing to consider - the SureCheck, and others, will probably be facing some serious liability issues if they created a checklist that was fundamentally different from the POH.

I wouldn't be too quick to say that SureCheck created a hazardous situation if they had, at minimum, what's in the POH version.
 
Ron Levy said:
There's the problem -- we do not "rely on checklists." We use checklists to avoid relying on memory. If you can't remember to do routine things in the airplane without reading them off the checklist, you are not using your checklist properly.
Click to expand...
Exactly!
 
It's a checklist, not a do-list. Develope a flow that works for you, do that, and then verify it with the checklist.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
.I purchased a SufeCheck checklist (http://www.surecheck.net/)..
Click to expand...

It looks like SureCheck is only for Cessna trainers.

My CFI told me to never use the parking brake on a Cessna trainer because it won't work, but for a Cherokee or Arrow I may use it during run-up because it's actually a very good brake.

For a Cirrus, the POH says "Brakes - Hold" during run-up.
 
Everyone should develop their memory/flow checks and confirm all items were complete with the checklist. The checklist should be the high emphasis items. According to Cessna one of their high emphasis items is releasing the parking brake after your run up is complete. At least according to their 182Q POH. Every checklist I have ever used has had the release of the parking brake following the runup, as either part of the before takeoff checklist or the engine runup checklist. I have never flown an aircraft that I was left to my own devices for a checklist though, so I have no experience with the commercial checklists like SureCheck. The FBOs I flew with wanted you to use theirs and the college I am flying with now has their own checklist as well. All have followed the POH checklist with perhaps a few things added if they felt necessary. Some FBOs have you turn the ignition off momentarily to check for a grounded magneto prior to pulling the mixture. Notifying SureCheck was the right thing to do, if they felt it was ok to omit that step then that is on them. I am sure they have a clause on their website somewhere that says their checklist is not the end all to checklists and as PIC you always fall as the responsible party for a safe flight.
 
To close this out, I checked out a competing checklist product. The competing product says to release the brake before takeoff.

I stand by my original premise. This is a major omission, whether it's missing in the POH, Surecheck, or anywhere. We use checklists to help us remember important safety tasks. Failure to release a brake is a serious issue. If they are going to have a step to "Set" the brake, without question, they should have one to release it!
 
On mine after landing check list it didn't have "Landing Light - OFF" I just wrote it in myself. Now I don't forget it. When something is generic like those checklists I feel like you have to tailor them to your needs, whatever they are.

I'm in an old trainer and the parking brake doesn't really work well so I just keep my feet on the brakes during the run up and ignore putting on the parking brake. I could see myself forgetting to undo the parking brake if I did do that because the plane will still roll, so I just avoid that step altogether, I think it's safer, for me at least.
 
Checklists can't trump brain... but thanks for sharing the story.

For a little positive note, I have a checklist from a different company and I found a glaring error on it that miscalculated one of the V-speeds. I notified the company, and they immediately issued a new revision and sent me a new checklist.

So... always check those checklists... don't trust 'em just because they're all pretty multi-colored and laminated well. :)
 
VWGhiaBob said:
To close this out, I checked out a competing checklist product. The competing product says to release the brake before takeoff.

I stand by my original premise. This is a major omission, whether it's missing in the POH, Surecheck, or anywhere. We use checklists to help us remember important safety tasks. Failure to release a brake is a serious issue. If they are going to have a step to "Set" the brake, without question, they should have one to release it!
Click to expand...

It's only an omission if you are using the checklist as a do-list. As many have said, a checklist is not necessarily a do-list. Because it's not intended to be a by-the-numbers guide to flying an airplane, many obvious things are not included.

There are many human-machine interactions that aren't listed on your checklist. The low priority ones are left out. If they weren't, your 172 checklist would require a binding. Every pilot is different, and each is unique in the mistakes he is prone to make. If you've discovered a mistake you're likely to make, such as trying to taxi without the airplane prepared for taxiing, you should add it to your checklist. That's why many of us have our own checklists.

I'll be writing a paper on checklist usage for the final project in my human factors class. I'll post a link when I've written it, to help you better understand the philosophies of checklists.
 
VWGhiaBob said:
To close this out, I checked out a competing checklist product. The competing product says to release the brake before takeoff.

I stand by my original premise. This is a major omission, whether it's missing in the POH, Surecheck, or anywhere. We use checklists to help us remember important safety tasks. Failure to release a brake is a serious issue. If they are going to have a step to "Set" the brake, without question, they should have one to release it!
Click to expand...
You can stand by your premise all you want, but your premise's premise that a checklist should be relied on to tell you what to do is fundamentally flawed and it suggests you don't understand either the purpose of a checklist or your responsibilities as a pilot.

-30-
 
Does your checklist also have "step on rudder pedals to turn the plane while taxiing" listed? If not it could be a safety item because when you need to turn, you might not have it on the checklist and you'll taxi into a building or another plane, or a group of children out at the airport on a field trip! Think of the children! Why didn't the checklist company tell you that you have to use the rudders to taxi? I don't know why I'm bolding stuff. Loud noises!
 
Just for fun - because I'd rather do this than drive to work, I checked a couple of information manuals against a commercial checklist.

172S Cessna manual - normal procedures:
Before Starting Engine: 4) Brakes - test and set
Before Takeoff: 1) Parking brake - set
22) Brakes - release

172S Checkmate:
Start: Brakes
Runup : Brakes - set
Pre-takeoff: Brakes - release

PA-28 Archer II Piper manual:
Before starting engine: Brakes - set

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I have a number of other manuals, but I'm not going through all of them.

It's interesting that Piper doesn't tell you to set brakes at any time other than when starting the engine, and doesn't tell you to release them.

--

At some point, we have to rely on something called 'training', and not try to fly from a 2-page laminated sheet of 1 and 2 syllable words.

We all have an "Oh, ****!" moment now and then. When it's used as a learning/teaching moment, it can result in some good.
 
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