Safe Landings - March 2011
It has been said that the only voluntary act in aviation is the decision to take-off. Every action after take-off involves the skillful management of risk, the enjoyment of flight and a continuous stream of decisions that result in a safe landing.
In 1974, NASA created the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) to allow aviation professionals to share experiences in a frank, non-punitive manner. The ASRS structure allows pilots and other aviation professionals to file an anonymous report of an incident, error or occurrence that the contributor feels might be of value to others. These reports are gathered, analyzed and data based by NASA experts and made available to all interested parties as a tool for creating pro-active aviation safety programs. Additionally, NASA distributes an electronic publication, CALLBACK, which contains selected, de-identified, reports on a free subscription basis. In Flight USA is proud to reprint selected reports, exerted from CALLBACK, for our readers to read, study, occasional laugh at and always, learn from. Visit http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/ to learn how you can participate in the ASRS program.
Listen To Your Little Voice
ASRS report narratives frequently contain references to a “little voice” that offers timely advice. The voice, of course, resides within the mind of the reporter and is usually the voice of experience or sometimes just the “vocalization” of a gut feeling. While it is possible to get through some situations despite what a little voice is telling us, the following reports show that the voice usually has something important to say.
“…Then That Little Voice…Started Shouting”
Poor visibility and unfamiliarity with the GPS navigation equipment contributed to a Piper Cherokee pilot’s approach to the wrong airport. It took the emphatic interruption of a little voice to get the reporter to climb, confess and communicate.
• I skipped getting a weather briefing. [The flight] should have taken no more than 30 minutes. Smoke and haze filled the sky and the visibility was probably made worse by a nearby forest fire. I flew…to the coast, then eastward. When ready to call Tower to request landing clearance, I checked the GPS to get the distance. The GPS was displaying the satellite page…. I flipped through the GPS pages looking in vain for navigation information and returned to the satellite page. I backtracked and dialed in the VOR…then called for landing clearance. The VOR needle wandered and I told Tower that I was having problems with my navigation equipment, but I declined the offer of additional assistance. I couldn’t think of anything to ask for.
Descending to pattern altitude, I peered into the [partially obscured] sky, keeping the beachfront to my left, looking for the smoke stack and runways at the water’s edge. It seemed to take forever. The GPS did not give me ground speed or any navigation information. Since I thought that the GPS automatically switches from the satellite page to a navigation page on startup, I decided that the signal quality was not good enough to switch….
Finally, two crossing runways appeared to my left, but it didn’t look quite right. I told Tower that the runways were in sight and asked whether he could see me just off-shore. I was cleared for Runway 24 and started looking for the numbers. Tower asked me for a position report, leading me to believe that he didn’t see me. I was looking straight at the Tower and he should have been able to see me.
When a runway numbered “2” became visible, I was trying to figure out how to get to Runway 24. Then that little voice that lives somewhere in the back of my brain started shouting, “There should not be a Runway 2 at this airport.” At the same time, Tower was again asking me for a position report. I was looking down the departure end of a runway at an unknown field at pattern altitude.
I could imagine an aircraft on takeoff roll coming straight toward me. My response was an immediate right turn to get away from there. In a 45-degree bank and losing altitude, unusual attitude training kicked in and I got the plane straight and level. Then the 5 “C’s” came to mind: Confess that I’m lost; Climb above the Minimum Safe Altitude; Communicate with the appropriate controlling agency; Conserve fuel; Comply with the Controller’s instructions. I told Tower, “I’m declaring an emergency. I don’t know where I am. I’m lost.” I climbed back up to 2,800 feet while the Tower contacted Approach Control and got me a [transponder] code. A very professional Controller vectored me to the correct airport.
I have spoken to an instrument instructor and arranged for additional training…. I will be sure to learn more about using the GPS. I did not know that it would not automatically return to a navigation page after acquiring satellites…. I will not skip a weather briefing even for a short flight.
From Feb 2011 ASR Call Back, issue 373
