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The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die [Hardcover]

Paul Craig (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This literal survival guide for new pilots identifies "the killing zone," the 40-250 flight hours during which unseasoned aviators are likely to commit lethal mistakes. Presents the statistics of how many pilots will die in the zone within a year; calls attention to the eight top pilot killers (such as "VFR into IFR," "Takeoff and Climb"); and maps strategies for avoiding, diverting, correcting, and managing the dangers. Includes a Pilot Personality Self-Assessment Exercise that identifies pilot "types" and how each type can best react to survive the killing zone.

From the Back Cover

You can fly through the zone. Or you can die in it. Most pilots earn their private certificate with 40 to 70 flight hours. Then they leave their instructors behind and enter the killing zone. Grimly embracing the period from 50 to 350 flight hours--a vital time for new pilots to build practical and decision-making skills--this deadly zone lays in wait for those who err, killing more pilots than all other periods put together. You don't have to be one of them. Aviation safety specialist Paul Craig--discoverer of the killing zone--shows you the fatal errors that inexperienced pilots make time after time and gives you tactics to avoid them. Based on the first in-depth, scientific study of pilot behavior and general aviation flying accidents in more than 20 years, The Killing Zone:

*Identifies the time frame in which you are most likely to die

*Alerts you to the 12 mistakes most likely to kill you

*Outlines preventive strategies for flying through the zone alive

*Provides guidelines for avoiding, evading, diverting, correcting, and managing dangers

*Includes a "Pilot Personality Self-Assessment Exercise" for an individualized survival strategy

Survive the dangers that lurk in the killing zone.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (December 12, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 007136269X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071362696
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #188,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #93 in  Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Aviation > Piloting & Flight Instruction

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Paul A. Craig
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
"DESPITE THE BOOK TITLE, flying is safe." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
premature liftoff, pilot checkride, pilot personality, vacuum system failure, maneuver accidents, flight hours, takeoff accidents, inadvertent stall, visual lookout, attitude gyro, private pilot certificate, personal minimums, instrument meteorological conditions, complex airplane, unicom frequency, carburetor heat, uncontrolled airport, runway incursion, accelerated stall, static side, general aviation pilots, aircraft collided, crab angle, liftoff speed, turn coordinator
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North Carolina, Flight Hours of the Pilot Fig, Los Angeles, National Transportation Safety Board, New York, Piper Cherokee, Knots Travel Time, Meth Amphetamine, South Carolina, Martha's Vineyard, Oklahoma City
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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
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 (9)
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 (6)
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A good survey of flight safety., February 25, 2001
By Michael Kneip (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die (Hardcover)
Author Paul Craig's thesis -- that low time pilots face special risks
due to their lack of experience -- is generally unremarkable. After
all, the aviation community has long regarded experience as the single
most important factor in flight safety.

While the author's basic
premise is well known, his thorough examination of the `killing
zone' -- his term for the statistically risky period between 50 and
350 total flight hours - is well handled. With thorough analysis
of NTSB data combined with his own research the author presents a
survey of aviation's "best practices". Pilots will find this
material familiar, but will appreciate the author's detailed, in-depth
approach.

Where `The Killing Zone' stumbles is in its practical
advice for new pilots. The author's suggestions are too general, and
differ little from those found elsewhere. Controversial remedies such
as requiring the flight schools to be more forthright about flying
risks, or implementing mandatory ongoing training for low time pilots,
are avoided altogether. Stronger editing - describing an accident
as having occurred in a "Money M20C" (sic) seems a little sloppy
- would also have helped.

"The Killing Zone" is a worthy
read for all pilots, and new pilots in particular will benefit from
this ambitious, if slightly flawed, examination of flight safety.

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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly Good Book, January 6, 2004
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die (Hardcover)
As a pilot who had already made it through the "Killing Zone" and past the 350 hour hour mark, I was doubtful that this book would have much new insight for me.

I was very pleasantly surprised, however, for two reasons. First, Paul Craig did an excellent job describing how each of many procedures should be performed properly AND what the common pitfalls were. So many books tell you how to do it right and then do not mention what the common traps and errors are.

Second, while many of the several hundred suggestions and stories in the book were not new to me, quite a few were, and I learned more than I expected.

For example, the case of a pilot who took off in the morning on a cold day having drained the sumps diligently. 45 minutes into the flight the ice in the tanks (due to improperly replaced fuel caps) melted and caused the engine to stop. The moral here is that if you find loose fuel caps and the temperature is below freezing, it is not enough to simply drain the sumps. You need to put the plane in a hanger (or let the sun warm it up) until you are confident that there is no ice inside.

Another example is LAHSO operations and how they work and that the controllers will tell you how much distance you have if you ask. After reading that I memorized my home field dimensions and am prepared to visualize whether 3000 feet is enough for me to safely LAHS.

Perhaps the best concept he explored was complacency and our natural tendencies as pilots to extrapolate. We miss an item on the checklist once and nothing goes wrong so we think we do not need it. I was sad to read how many people learned this lesson the hard way when they missed a simple yet crucial checklist item that could have prevented a terrible crash.

As long as there are any planes crashing due to human error, this book is relevant and worthwhile.

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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars OK, but not worth the hype, March 25, 2003
By Canuck (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die (Hardcover)
The use of statistics is pretty questionable -- the author cites the absolute number of accidents at different experience levels, but not the *rate* of accidents.

Are there more accidents between 50 and 350 hours because those pilots are less safe, or just because there are more pilots with 50-350 hours experience? The Killing Zone may actually exist, but the numbers in this book don't prove it; in fact, they may give a false sense of security to pilots with more than 350 hours experience, because their accident rates may be relatively higher than they think (how many private pilots give up before 350 hours?).

When you strip away the number games, what's left? This book does contain good safety information and a selection of accident reports, but that information is no different that what you will find in a typical flying magazine or online article: don't fly VFR into IMC, don't turn back when the engine fails just after takeoff, etc. etc. By all means, read it, but read STICK AND RUDDER and THEY CALLED IT PILOT ERROR first -- they'll give you far more for your time and money.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of What Kills Pilots
I found it to be a well written and accurate account of a real problem: the rate of GA pilots who die, especially between 30-500 hours of PIC has not declined in spite of all... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Suttree

4.0 out of 5 stars All pilots, but especially new ones, should read this.
Here's a book providing the data (and analysis thereof) showing how and why pilots get into serious trouble. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Peter Giannola

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but things you should already know as a pilot
Not enough unique content in this book. There are better books (Stick and Rudder), and plenty of websites (for example: AOPA & FAA Accident Database) that have similar... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Michael R. Harmon

2.0 out of 5 stars Good practice, bad theory
This is a good book for practical reminder of the need to be in the safety mindset, illustrated by the real GA accident cases, and pretty much repeats everything your CFI told... Read more
Published 13 months ago by l_o_b

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Any Pilot
As a student pilot, I found this book extremely educational, interesting, and scary at the same time. Read more
Published on August 7, 2008 by Scott Barnes

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
This product is same as described in purchase. Delivery was very quickly and good conditions. I recommend this product and provider. Sincerely. Jose Pena
Published on February 5, 2008 by Jose Pena

4.0 out of 5 stars Great knowledge for aspiring pilots
Paul Craig's book is also excellent for pilots who may be doing a lot of flying to attain the hours needed to advance their career. Read more
Published on August 10, 2007 by H. R. Pierce

5.0 out of 5 stars Fly safer
This book contains detailed review of pilot induced errors through many NTSB accident reports categorized by cause and commented by author. Read more
Published on February 15, 2007 by Domagoj Petrovic

5.0 out of 5 stars Important knowledge for any pilot
Craig's research reveals weak spots in the planning and experience of many pilots, describing both intentional and inadvertent actions which commonly lead to accidents. Read more
Published on December 22, 2006 by Eric Gideon

4.0 out of 5 stars The Killing Zone
As a pilot in training I found the book to be quite informative and an exceptional resource for recognizing and avoiding some of the obvious and not so obvious reasons why pilots... Read more
Published on November 9, 2006 by Richard G. Gonzalez

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