How to manage this scenario?

[tinman]

After reading some of the night flying adventures and news of the recently-lost pilot, I have done some mental scenario-based flight training. I have an ugly scenario that I wanted to run by VAF for possible solutions. I have just flown my -8 in darkness for the first time and get tense just thinking about how I would handle this:

Assumptions: Low-hour vfr pilot flying in day/night vfr only RV.
Weather: Currently clear night flight
Aircraft Equipment: EFIS with no glideslope for instrument approaches. Moving map gps.

Scenario: You are solo and flying along at night with no moon and you realize that you can no longer see the lights on the ground. Remembering your training, you shift to instrument flight in order to keep things rightside up. It is obvious that some sort of fog has rolled in and is blanketing the world below. To make things more interesting, you have only enough fuel to stay up for another hour. Your stomach is starting to churn and your mouth is getting dry...

You are caught on top with not very much fuel at night...what do you do to get her down so that you can make a post to VAF the next day to tell how you managed to survive your own stupidity? What steps would you take to get her down in one piece?

[pierre smith]

[quote=tinman;378817]
...what do you do to get her down so that you can make a post to VAF the next day to tell how you managed to survive your own stupidity? QUOTE]

....more than likely get to make that post. On a serious note, a similar scenario killed John Kennedy...a black, clear night with no lights and no instrument rating, out over the Atlantic.

You said day/night VFR airplane. How are you going to keep the shiny side up?
IMO, night flying over dark, unlit areas, like I have in the country around here, equates to IFR flying.

My -o2,

[Geico266]

No problem. You know behind you is clear to the ground. Do a 180 turn, find the lights and and go back to the nearest airport, land, and figure out a new plan for the morning flight. Your self imposed punishment for not knowing what the dew point and temps in the area were is grounded until morning. Unless you are in a real desolate area you would have been able to see the lights disapearing as the clouds / fog moved in. It has actually happened to me, it's kinda spooky!

You only have an hour of fuel left? You should have been on the ground!

If you get caught on top remember the 4 "C"s. "Inadvertent IFR" is not all that uncommon.

Contact ( Call ATC)
Confess (Tell them your situation, N number, fuel, experience, plane, ect.)
Comply (Do what they tell you)
Conserve (Throttle back to best glide)

ATC will help you get to an area that is reporting clear skies, or at least areas with high ceilings. Remember, landing is not an option so you need to start stacking the deck in your favor. ATC is there to help. Like your scenario states you have "dry mouth", and are under stress. It's time to call in the Calvary and get help. Two heads are better than one.

The following is only what I would do, do not use if you do not feel comfortable with it. There are many ways to get though clouds. I'm the first one to post "a solution" here so don't shoot the messenger, come up with a better message. Lets make this a learning thread, not a "pick on Larry" thread.

Get to the clear sky or high ceiling area and hopefully you can see the ground, if not you will need to make a descent through the clouds. Hopefully you have a GPS on board and it has road data on it. Get over the biggest road you can find and use that as a decent line. They don't build towers in the middle of the road. Use the artificial horizon in the EFIS to maintain level controlled flight with a decent rate of 300-500 FPM, expect icing, but you need to get though it. Once though the clouds and you can see lights go to the nearest airport, land, and buy beer, lots of beer. Oh, and a lottery ticket.

JMHO

[tinman]

For the purpose of the discussion, let's assume an EFIS such as Dynon is on board along with a moving map gps.

You are in the do-do...let's not argue about the decisions that put you there...

[TomVal]

Hi Don,

My personal limits...I do not fly at night, I do not fly VFR over the top over a solid undercast. However, it is important to get some hood time in your aircraft with an observer and pratice turning, communicating, chart reading, and navigating.

Regards,

[tinman]

Contact ( Call ATC)
Confess (Tell them your situation, fuel, experience, plane, ect.)
Conserve (Throttle back
Comply (Do what they tell you)


So what will ATC most likely do to get you down? Will they offer you vectors to the nearest small airport and let you try to work your way down through the clouds or will they try to vector you to their "big" airport and talk you down?

[Geico266]

Originally Posted by tinman

So what will ATC most likely do to get you down? Will they offer you vectors to the nearest small airport and let you try to work your way down through the clouds or will they try to vector you to their "big" airport and talk you down?

Why didn't you turn around and find the ground?

If ATC give you vectors to a big airport take them. Big airport mean less towers, good radar service, and they know where the towers are. They will lay out your options based on the info you give them. ATC is there to save lives. Remember the 4 "C"s.

[TomVal]

I'll keep this very long story very short. The year...1976. My rented aircraft was not IFR equiped. Night flight from Galveston, TX to Wichita, KS. Got caught over widespread low level stratus (contrary to the FSS wx briefing I had received). Had to declare a fuel emergency and landed at McConnell AFB. McConnell had a PAR approach (radar approach), plus two 10,000' runways. I was greeted with flashing lights and military police with M-16's. Got a call from the FAA, my flight planning and recorded wx brief saved my butt. Oh yea, the PAR also saved my butt!

Regards,

[Geico266]

Originally Posted by DAGO

I'll keep this very long story very short. The year...1976. My rented aircraft was not IFR equiped. Night flight from Galveston, TX to Wichita, KS. Got caught over widespread low level stratus (contrary to the FSS wx briefing I had received). Had to declare a fuel emergency and landed at McConnell AFB. McConnell had a PAR approach (radar approach), plus two 10,000' runways. I was greeted with flashing lights and military police with M-16's. Got a call from the FAA, my flight planning and recorded wx brief saved my butt. Oh yea, the PAR also saved my butt!

Regards,

Good decision making! Dealing with the FAA afterwards can be a hasstle, but at least you were around to deal with them. Good story, well done!

[tinman]

Good story, Tom. This is what I was hoping to learn. There is much to learn from electronic hangar flying. My preference is to learn from others rather than myself