IFR Emergencies
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IFR Emergencies
Hi there guys! I am undergoing my CFI training and had to present a topic on IFR emergencies & how to handle it...any ideas? I got bonkered down sumwhere in the scenario of electrical failure in IMC condition...
Depends if your instruments are electric or vacuum and what are the standby, how long can they operate on battery power, is it Night or day etc.
Not nice in the sim loosing the avionics at night and then having the batteries run flat and only having a torch and a compass
Not nice in the sim loosing the avionics at night and then having the batteries run flat and only having a torch and a compass
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How about an engine failure in full IMC in a Chieftain / Nav close to MTOW and unable to maintain altitude. But how to deal with that, I have no idea. That happened to someone a while back but I don't think it was in IMC.
Another guy in Chieftain a while back loses all electrics at night from Tassie to Essendon, no radios, torch only, over Bass Strait in IMC with no visible horizon (obviously). Not life threatning, but scary none the less.
Another guy in Chieftain a while back loses all electrics at night from Tassie to Essendon, no radios, torch only, over Bass Strait in IMC with no visible horizon (obviously). Not life threatning, but scary none the less.
Its just a matter of having enough redundancy. May get the adrenalin flowing a bit but if you keep your cool any well trained IR pilot should be able to get it back down.
1) Blackout in IMC at night (worst case senario?) - not a problem since the advent of LED torches - they run for a long time. 1) I clip one onto my headset for night TOs - 2) have another in the side pocket. 3) Regulation shock-proof torch in the pocket between the front seats, 4) another in the flight bag. 5) If all else fails, I have a tiny LED torch on the aeroplane keys.
2) Total comm loss in IMC - 1) pull out the ICOM handheld from the pocket behind the pilots seat. The charger is plugged into the rear seat cigarette lighter so is always charged. 2) fire up the mobile phone - ring the briefing office if you can't think of anyone else, they will sort it out (speaking from experience!). 4) Use sat phone as for 2. 3) Fire up the tablet computer and the Next G modem and send someone an email. 4) Start a new thread on Ppruine - "Help! I have total loss of comms". Do you really need to talk to anyone anyhow?
3) Vac pump failure in IMC - 1) Look at the stdby electric AH and blank out the U/S one. 2) Fly partial panel - worth practicing regardless of how much technology you have. 3) Use the electronic AH on the tablet computer (runs off solid-state whiz box). 4) Use the flight instrument screen on your Garmin portable GPS - 496 refreshes fast enough for this to be a viable option. Vertical card compass makes it easier to fly a course. GPS makes compass pretty redundant anyway. Biggest problem in the Bo is having to hand fly as the AP goes U/S.
4) Total loss of navaids in IMC - 1) get yourself some radar vectors. 2) some panel GPS's have battery back-up. 3) Use the portable GPS on the yoke to track to a destination and fly a GPS arrival or RNAV appr. 4) Use USB GPS and geo-referenced appr plates on the tablet to get you home. 5) Pull the spare GPS outta the flight bag if needed. 6) Use the VOR feature on the Icom handheld.
5) Total loss of engine power in IMC - Use moving map and terrain avoidance feature on any of your GPS's to steer to the best possible spot to pull off a successful forced landing.
6) If all else fails - stick your head between your legs and kiss your arse goodbye!
My worst multiple failures were: 1) oil drained out of the mag compass; 2) AH rolled upside down; 3) total electrical failure! Fortunately happened in VMC on top and the destination was CAVOK. Private hired ****-box aeroplane. Owner got really upset when I wrote up the maintenance release!
Dr
PS: Think these senarios through so you have some idea of what you are going to do - before it actually happens.
1) Blackout in IMC at night (worst case senario?) - not a problem since the advent of LED torches - they run for a long time. 1) I clip one onto my headset for night TOs - 2) have another in the side pocket. 3) Regulation shock-proof torch in the pocket between the front seats, 4) another in the flight bag. 5) If all else fails, I have a tiny LED torch on the aeroplane keys.
2) Total comm loss in IMC - 1) pull out the ICOM handheld from the pocket behind the pilots seat. The charger is plugged into the rear seat cigarette lighter so is always charged. 2) fire up the mobile phone - ring the briefing office if you can't think of anyone else, they will sort it out (speaking from experience!). 4) Use sat phone as for 2. 3) Fire up the tablet computer and the Next G modem and send someone an email. 4) Start a new thread on Ppruine - "Help! I have total loss of comms". Do you really need to talk to anyone anyhow?
3) Vac pump failure in IMC - 1) Look at the stdby electric AH and blank out the U/S one. 2) Fly partial panel - worth practicing regardless of how much technology you have. 3) Use the electronic AH on the tablet computer (runs off solid-state whiz box). 4) Use the flight instrument screen on your Garmin portable GPS - 496 refreshes fast enough for this to be a viable option. Vertical card compass makes it easier to fly a course. GPS makes compass pretty redundant anyway. Biggest problem in the Bo is having to hand fly as the AP goes U/S.
4) Total loss of navaids in IMC - 1) get yourself some radar vectors. 2) some panel GPS's have battery back-up. 3) Use the portable GPS on the yoke to track to a destination and fly a GPS arrival or RNAV appr. 4) Use USB GPS and geo-referenced appr plates on the tablet to get you home. 5) Pull the spare GPS outta the flight bag if needed. 6) Use the VOR feature on the Icom handheld.
5) Total loss of engine power in IMC - Use moving map and terrain avoidance feature on any of your GPS's to steer to the best possible spot to pull off a successful forced landing.
6) If all else fails - stick your head between your legs and kiss your arse goodbye!
My worst multiple failures were: 1) oil drained out of the mag compass; 2) AH rolled upside down; 3) total electrical failure! Fortunately happened in VMC on top and the destination was CAVOK. Private hired ****-box aeroplane. Owner got really upset when I wrote up the maintenance release!
Dr
PS: Think these senarios through so you have some idea of what you are going to do - before it actually happens.
Emergencies always conjours images of engine failures, however of all the pilots I know, engine failures are rare and I don't know anyone who had engine problems in IMC. However, between a small group of IFR mates, we can rack up the following issues in the last 5 years:
Alternator failure at night IMC (luckily a twin)
Alternator failure (single IFR plan but in VFR)
Vac pump failure (single IFR plan but in VFR)
AH failure (just exiting cloud on descent to land)
Pitot heat failure (IMC with ice).
I think its these type of things that are more likely to get you. A battery powered GPS pretty much deals with all of these. This largely echoes the FTDK response, which I think is pretty good.
Alternator failure at night IMC (luckily a twin)
Alternator failure (single IFR plan but in VFR)
Vac pump failure (single IFR plan but in VFR)
AH failure (just exiting cloud on descent to land)
Pitot heat failure (IMC with ice).
I think its these type of things that are more likely to get you. A battery powered GPS pretty much deals with all of these. This largely echoes the FTDK response, which I think is pretty good.
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Engine failure in IMC
I was IFR at 9000ft in a Mooney M20 a couple of years back when i had an engine failure in IMC due to contamination in the fuel control unit. 
For the next 9 minutes i received radar vectors from air traffic control taking me away from high terrain to try and land at a nearby airport. I finally got visual approx 1000ft above the surface and away off the coast. I was able to land on the beach without a mark on the aircraft. Had it not been for the calm reassurance of the controller i dont know if i could have made it as i was very new to IFR with only around 75hrs IFR experience at the time. It took a good week before the heart rate returned to normal. If something goes wrong, remember fly the airplane!! I have had various interesting experiences since in IMC such as water in the pilot static system causing the airspeed indicator to take on a mind of its own.
For the next 9 minutes i received radar vectors from air traffic control taking me away from high terrain to try and land at a nearby airport. I finally got visual approx 1000ft above the surface and away off the coast. I was able to land on the beach without a mark on the aircraft. Had it not been for the calm reassurance of the controller i dont know if i could have made it as i was very new to IFR with only around 75hrs IFR experience at the time. It took a good week before the heart rate returned to normal. If something goes wrong, remember fly the airplane!! I have had various interesting experiences since in IMC such as water in the pilot static system causing the airspeed indicator to take on a mind of its own.
The C210 driver out of Darwin on the paper run a few years back departing into a nice wet season night just gone IMC had a partial engine failure gave a mayday call and the ATC guy vectored him back onto a final for RWY 29, and on landing the engine caught fire.
Good work by ATC and the pilot
Good work by ATC and the pilot
What about old mate in the caravan last year i think it was, engine failure out of Townsville and made it back to the runway! 
Think it was like BKN009 or something ****e too!
Think it was like BKN009 or something ****e too!
