"Weather or Not? Avoiding the Bad Stuff"

Hosted by renowned pilot and aviation expert CAPTAIN BRIAN SCHIFF

With special guest presenter GREG REVERDIAU

An upgraded Cessna 421C, advanced weather tools, a professional pilot, and plenty of warnings—yet N4467D still penetrated a severe storm, lost control, and came apart in the Gulf of Mexico with five fatalities. In this episode, THE SCHIFF SHOW welcomes Greg Reverdiau, aviation educator, human factors specialist, and co-founder of Pilot Institute, one of the largest online training platforms for manned and unmanned pilots. Together, we will replay the flight, the ATC exchanges, the convective SIGMET environment, and the weather technology picture that set this crew up for disaster.

Using the same teaching style and tools Greg’s team applies in Pilot Institute’s online ground schools and accident case studies, we will slow the event down and visually compare what the pilot likely saw on XM weather versus what was really happening on radar and satellite imagery. We will examine attenuation, radar shadowing, distance limits, and radar tilt management in a single pilot IFR workload, along with the 10 to 15 minute latency “gotcha” that can turn a seemingly safe gap into the core of a mature thunderstorm.

By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to: 

• Recognize the specific limitations of onboard radar and XM / satellite weather—and why “seeing red” is not the whole story in convective environments.
• Apply practical techniques for using strategic (XM) versus tactical (airborne radar) tools, so you do not “thread the needle” through a moving line of storms.
• Identify human factor traps highlighted in this accident, including expectation bias from airline PIREPs, pressure to continue, and over-trust in what ATC “is painting” on their scopes.
• Decide earlier and more confidently when to divert, hold, or turn back—even when technology, ATC, and other pilots seem to be telling you it’s fine to continue.

This podcast is the audio part of the original live video broadcast available at https://www.theschiffshow.tv/14 If you wish, please visit that website to view the archived version of the live event - including audience comments and polling.

This podcast qualifies for FAA WINGS credit.  After listening, go HERE to test your knowledge and earn immediate FAA WINGS credit upon successful completion of the quiz.  You must be registered on the FAA Safety Team website to access this quiz and credits.  If you have not yet registered, you may do so HERE.

THE SCHIFF SHOW is proudly sponsored by AVEMCO.  Learn more about Avemco Insurance Company HERE or give them a call 800-276-5199.  Tell them THE SCHIFF SHOW sent you and earn a 5% discount on your aircraft insurance.