In the discussion about checklists that followed my “Do you write your own checklists ?” post, the addition of safety items popped out (thank you Sylvia…). I reviewed some checklists, and found out that things like “Doors closed” and “Safety belts” are included, but by far not all the safety checks, like the line-up check.

My line-up check is a mixture of operational and safety items:

1. Landing light on
2. Pitot heat on (not when flying VFR)
3. Transponder ALT (tends to disappear with new Mode-S units)
4. Runway identified
5. Approach sector clear
6. Runway heading and gyro cross-checked
7. Time noted (when cleared for take-off)

Some of these things (1. 2. 3.) are typically part of manufacturers check-lists, all the others are additions, from operators or from myself. I particularly like the point 5: Approach sector clear.

This is typically a non-technical item which is however extremely safety relevant. It is important on non-controlled airfields, but even where a tower is active, this very simple check can avoid a go-around / rejected take-off incident, or even worse.

HOWEVER (noticed the big letters ?), there is a typical human factor pitfall with this very simple check. The presence of an undetected or unexpected plane on final is so seldom, that this check can easily be overlooked. Pilots can simply forget it – the line-up check is usually a memory one – or look mechanically in the direction of approach, but don’t really see what goes on there. One can then read incident reports where the pilot mentions “I checked but saw nothing”, where a plane was less than a mile on final, in good visibility.

There are other items in our checklists that seem to “never occur” and present the same risk of being overlooked, particularly in stressful situations. This is exactly why we use check-lists and drills, and getting used to respect them also under normal circumstances reduces the risk to neglect them when they are really needed.

So before announcing “approach sector clear”, be sure to have a look, and a good one. It will not cost you more than two seconds to properly scan this crucial portion of airspace.