C172 INSTRUCTOR PLT; WHILE SUPERVISING HIS AND OTHER STUDENTS; DID NOT ENSURE HIS FLT PLAN WAS CLOSED. A SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT WAS ALMOST LAUNCHED.

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THIS WAS THE THIRD XCOUNTRY FLT OF THE DAY THAT I SUPERVISED/FLEW ON. THE FIRST 2 FLTS HAD THEIR FLT PLANS CLOSED. THE THIRD FLT FOUND ME FORGETTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STUDENT HAD CLOSED THE FLT PLAN. IT WAS NOT CLOSED. A SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT WAS ALMOST MOUNTED BECAUSE THE LCL AUTHS COULD NOT FIND THE ACFT ON THE GND. (ANOTHER PLT TOOK OFF ON ANOTHER FLT WITH THE PLANE IN QUESTION.) I TRY TO IMPRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE USEFULNESS OF FLT PLANS AND ALSO THE NEED TO CLOSE THEM. BUT SOMETIMES THE CLOSURE PART GETS FORGOTTEN. TRICKS TO HELP REMEMBER; SUCH AS WEARING A WATCH ON THE OTHER WRIST DID NOT WORK THIS TIME BECAUSE OF OTHER TOPICS BEING DISCUSSED. I HAVE HEARD OF PLTS NOT EVEN FILING FLT PLANS WHEN THEY GO OVER BENIGN TERRITORY BECAUSE THEY KNOW OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF FORGETTING TO CLOSE THEM. I AM TRYING TO RESIST THAT THESIS BUT IT IS STARTING TO MAKE SENSE. THE PROB IS ONE OF HUMAN ERROR; AS THE TOPIC OF FLT PLAN CLOSURE WAS ONCE AGAIN DISCUSSED ON THE RAMP; YET IT WAS FORGOTTEN WHEN OTHER DUTIES/DISTR OCCURRED MOMENTS LATER. I DO NOT KNOW OF A REMEDY FOR THIS.