Thread by @latimes

A pilot preparing to pull a jet away from the gate forgot to disengage the parking brake.

It took another pilot three tries before touching down successfully.

A first officer forgot to turn on the plane's anti-icing mechanism.

@hugomartin reports: latimes.com/business/story…

At least a dozen flying errors and mishaps have happened since May that pilots and first officers have attributed, at least in part, to being out of practice because the COVID-19 pandemic. latimes.com/business/story…

“Because I had not flown in a few months, I was rusty,” said the first officer who forgot to activate the plane's anti-icing mechanism. latimes.com/business/story…

Aviation experts say that when pilots are inactive for several months, their skills and proficiency deteriorate.

“The key to flying safely is frequency,” said one expert. “You are not as sharp if you haven’t flown for a while.” latimes.com/business/story…
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Among the most common errors are coming in too fast or too high during landing or forgetting to get clearance from the air traffic control tower before descending. latimes.com/business/story…

In April and May, the number of daily takeoffs in the U.S. dropped to about 75% below pre-pandemic levels.

In recent months, the number of takeoffs has risen to 43% below pre-pandemic times. latimes.com/business/story…

As a result, some pilots have been brought back to work after being away for months.

@hugomartin with the full story: latimes.com/business/story…