wong,
What you are looking for is the Universal Book of What To Do, so that no real judgement is needed, I think. We are not there.
Back when we were writing the flight manual, I was discussing the draft S-76 emergency procedures with an FAA pilot who disagreed with one (it was the standard chip light procedure - if confirming secondary indications, get to safe single engine speed, shut down the engine, etc.)
He said that this procedure would lead a fellow who was hovering at home base to take off and get to forward flight if he saw a chip light! The "discussion" was saved when an experienced FAA ops inspector said, "If he is that dumb, he deserves to die!"
If we could write down all the possibilities in a book, we would not need trained professionals, we could wire the book to the controls and save all that pilot pay (don't worry, its coming!)
I wrote the paragraph in the front of Chapter 3 of the S-76 RFM, which I do not have handy to quote here, but it basically says that these procedures are the recommended ones, but compound emergencies and conditions might lead the pilot to do other things. I wrote that so that a chief pilot wouldn't read the book to a Captain who made it home.
If a guy took the helo around in the case we are discussing, and all was OK, he did good. If he rejected and all was OK he did good. If we are confused that multiple actions are acceptable, and that this is a ambiguous world, we must adjust.
Think of the Air Florida that hit a bridge rather than violate max EPR, or the Air Canada that ordered meals while the CB's were popping prior to a toilet fire, or the AA DC-10 that was slowed to Vy while climbing at 2000 fpm and lost control. Think of the United that flew home with no controls, and made it, mostly. Procedures are guidelines, not bibical pronouncements. Lose the ability to think and you are already having an accident, it is in the future.
Any other students of Ernest Gann out there?
