I was peacefully working on my computer with my usual cup of coffee. My quiet day ended abruptly when my wife, who had gone into town, screeched into the driveway and jumped out of the car yelling that there had been an airplane crash at the private, grass airport behind our house. She reported that an airplane was in a ditch and two people were standing outside it and that no one was acting as if there was any urgency. I immediately jumped in the car and took the two-minute drive to the accident scene.
Sure enough, a very nice Citrabia Explorer lay crumpled in the ditch. The two occupants of the airplane were walking about, each nursing a minor head wound. A neighbor convinced them both to visit the local hospital emergency room to get their injuries checked. They were both treated and released. The airplane had done what good airplanes do. It had absorbed the brunt of the impact and had protected its occupants from more serious injury.
Like most accidents, this one was completely avoidable. The aircraft owner/pilot and his passenger had departed with full fuel less than an hour ago from an airport less than 20 miles away. While flying over the private airport where the accident occurred, the pilot observed that the left fuel gage was indicating that the left tank was empty. The gage for the right fuel tank apparently indicated that the tank was nearly full, but the pilot believed that he had a fuel problem. He elected to make a precautionary landing at the private, grass airport. This would normally not be faulted even though there was no indication of power loss and the right fuel gage indicated ample fuel quantity. But in this case, the pilot was apparently “rattled” by the “emergency”. He elected to land downwind and too high on the approach. He realized late in the approach that he would land too far down the runway but chose to continue with the landing rather than to risk a go-around with a perceived fuel problem. Unable to stop in time, the airplane struck the ditch and was substantially damaged. Had the ditch not been there, the airplane would have most likely continued onto a fairly busy state highway just a few yards away. This story could easily have had a more tragic ending.
This is just one story of an avoidable accident caused by a pilot making poor choices when confronted with an unexpected circumstance. I could site many more such cases ranging from gear-up landings to fatal stall-spin accidents.
Perhaps the airlines can teach us something about dealing with these unexpected happenings. A modern airliner is an extremely reliable but extremely complex piece of machinery. There is much more opportunity for equipment to malfunction because there is much more equipment. The airlines have done a very good job of differentiating between critical, life-threatening situations that they call “emergencies” and important, but not immediately critical situations that they call “abnormals”. For example, an engine fire is most certainly an “emergency”. It must be dealt with correctly and expeditiously. The failure of a hydraulic pump or air conditioning pack when there is a redundant system is an “abnormal”.
Who decides what is an “emergency” and what is an “abnormal”? It is not the flight crew confronted by the situation. A committee of experienced pilots and engineers has developed both “emergency” and “abnormal” procedures and checklists based on the design of the particular airplane and experience with actual situations. The procedures and checklists are thoroughly tested in simulators before they are put into practice. The important point is that potential situations are considered in advance of their actual occurrence and a reasonable course of action is decided upon and written down.
How might our Citabria pilot have fared had he pulled out an “Abnormal Checklist” that included an item such as “Low Fuel Reading”? He might have had a more positive outcome if his checklist had directed him to verify the reading on the other tank, look for evidence of a fuel leak from the suspect tank, and determine available flight time/distance with the fuel in the non-suspect tank.
So where can we get “Abnormal Checklists” like the airlines have? Well, and rightly so, there is no ready-made source. The response to an abnormal situation by a general aviation pilot must be one in which the individual pilot feels comfortable. An inexperienced pilot may not feel comfortable running a diagnostic procedure for an electrical failure while the seasoned pilot might be able to divide his or her attention sufficiently between flying the airplane and disabling circuit breakers. Each pilot in accordance with the individual’s comfort level should develop the abnormal procedures. Of course, the procedures will be different for different airplanes as well. Also, pilots who fly under instrument conditions may need a set of procedures for VFR conditions and another set for when operating IFR. The same will apply to night operations versus daytime flying.
The process of developing these abnormal procedures will be a valuable learning experience. They should be developed with the Airplane Flight Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook nearby for reference. This activity also lends itself well to a group effort. While individual comfort levels in dealing with the various contingencies must be considered, a group of three of four pilots can effectively collaborate on the project. Once a set of abnormal procedures has been developed, they should be tested under simulated conditions, perhaps with another pilot aboard who can assist with looking for traffic and providing a critique of the procedures.
Here is a list of potential “abnormal situations” with which to get started:
Unanticipated strong headwinds
Increasing oil temperature
Engine vibration
Light structural icing
Alternator off-line
Ammeter or load meter shows excessive load
Odor of something burning
Try to decide on appropriate courses of action for the above conditions. Consider your own comfort level as well as the type of aircraft and flight conditions. Then, try out your ideas in a simulated environment before it becomes “the real thing”.
Click here to take the short course on "Abnormal Procedures".
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