Business as Usual For Aviation Program

by Adam Gellert

On Thursday Oct. 24, an Iowa Lakes aviation student was making a cross-country flight, when they experienced an engine malfunction. Luckily, the student was able to successfully make an emergency landing near Bancroft, Iowa, and only received minor injuries.

The following morning the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived on scene for an inspection of the landing site. The student-pilot was taken to a nearby hospital for an examination as well, as per NTSB protocol.

According to Iowa Lakes aviation program instructor Tim Busch, these investigations are routine.

“Any time there’s any kind of incident with an aircraft they have to get involved,” Busch said. “They have to come in and make sure what exactly went wrong and then clear the pilot to fly again.”

An emergency landing is a scary thought, but Busch is confident that the program sufficiently prepares students for these situations.

“Very early in the courses we take kids out and simulate these scenarios,” Busch said. “We’ll go up on a flight and cut the engines and teach them how to react. We take safety very seriously and practice all sorts of different situations in a controlled environment first.”

As of this writing, the exact cause for the plane issues hasn’t been determined yet. The weather was clear that night, and the air craft was up to date on maintenance. The student flying the plane must also wait for the NTSB to clear them to fly again, which could take some time Busch says.

“These investigations can take a lot of time,” he said. “They’re very thorough, and that can be really annoying because we’re waiting and waiting on their report.”

This incident hasn’t but any kind of damper on the aviation program at Iowa Lakes. Busch is confident in his teaching and the skill of the students, and classes and flights are carrying on as normal.

The student who performed the emergency landing has been cleared to fly again by a doctor, but still has to wait on the go-ahead from the NTSB however. Busch says the pilot is “raring to go” and hasn’t been shaken by this experience at all.