Nighttime actual: scrubbed mission

whereisrandall

whereisrandall

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jan 3, 2016
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333
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Wiscasset, Maine
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Display name:
Randall Williams
I turned around tonight in deteriorating IMC, mostly out of an abundance of caution.

The forecast was VMC with a front coming in later in the evening - the tail of Hermine. Weather briefer told me about it, and to expect possible low level shear about the time of my flight.

Wheels up at 9:30 pm, collected IFR clearance in the air, smooth sailing despite a 30 knot headwind from Western Mass to Manchester, with a thin layer clearly visible over MHT.

A KingAir in front of me reported 2,500 ceilings at Sanford, just south of Portland Maine - I was bound for KIWI, a tiny class E northeast of there. I'm IFR rated and current, but have zero nighttime actual, and was not at all excited about over an hour in IMC, then shooting an approach at 11:00 PM - the end of a long day. I turned around, doubling my airspeed in the process. I picked up some actual on the way home, but got below it and made it back in to the airport VFR.

Anybody with lots of actual time - or a decent autopilot! - wouldn't have been fazed by the conditions. But it spooked me a little. My takeaways: 1) schedules can be changed, and 2) I need to get up with a CFII who's got lots of actual and go through the paces with them.

What would you have done? I'm sure there are loads of folks who would have rightly pressed on, and maybe a handful who wouldn't have?
 

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Great decision. When your gut tells you you're getting too far outside of your comfort zone & you listen...that's a good thing & showing great judgement.

In the 50 years that I've been flying it's truly sad when an airplane goes down due to weather & if the pilot would have waited a few hours he would have made it just fine.

A late night instrument approach after a long day is not the best situation.
 
Yep. Fatigue plus IMC plus night plus lack of confidence plus...

When they start to pile up like that, it's time to execute an "out".

Any reason not to land closer to the destination and wait for daylight, instead of going all the way back? Just wondering.
 
It is always a good idea to go to plan B if one's original plan isn't going well.

In your case you decided to return and generally stay in VMC conditions.

You landed safely.

IF you aren't comfortable night IMC, an AP is not the solution.

I am assuming you are IFR qualified and current, just rusty.

Easiest is to get a safety pilot (or instructor) and pick a night with good weather and a bright moon, start out with getting comfortable flying your plane at night, once you are, break out the hood and start with basic maneuvers, holding and then a few approaches.

Once you are comfortable under the hood, pick another full moon night with a layer, if you have any doubt about your abilities, bring an instrument rated (and current) instructor (ii would be ideal), file, and fly around in that layer.

Finally, if you aren't flying enough to keep proficient, set personal minimums so you won't inadvertently put yourself in conditions beyond your ability. (2000' & 5 is a good starting point for avoiding drama.
 
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Good job. Knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em is key to longevity in GA flying.
 
saddletramp said:
Great decision. When your gut tells you you're getting too far outside of your comfort zone & you listen...that's a good thing & showing great judgement.
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This right here. Too many pilots would have pressed on when they had the same concerns as you with unfavorable consequences. Yes there was nothing that bad about the weather and you would have made it in but you were tired, unsure about IMC & night, and your capabilities. You did the right thing. Nice job!
 
I agree with everyone else here. Maybe you would've made it just fine. Maybe there would've been an issue and you'd have to make even harder decisions further along. While it sometimes feels like "chickening out" to go to Plan B or turn around and head back from whence you came, it's always the right decision. Because as soon as you start to get uncomfortable, the stress level goes up (even if you don't realize it). Then, you add IMC at night (with which you have zero experience), with "possible low level wind shear" rattling around in your head... and I'd say you did a great job of aviating.

Baby steps outside of your comfort zone are OK, since that's how you gain experience, confidence and knowledge. But it sounds like this was a bit more outside of your comfort zone. So job well done!
 
I was never comfortable flyin IMC at night unless I could descend to VFR above the MVA. I was doubtful I could survive an electrical failure with my lighting and avionics and lacking backup electrical.
 
A good man has to know his limitations. IWI has no surface area class E. Just a 700' transition area. Of course, with IWI as a primary destination, diverting to BXM with an ILS to an 8000' runway leaves some options available.
 
Can't agree more with all that's been said. You listened to the right voice in your head. Much rather be chatting with you here than be chatting about you.
 
Thanks, gang.

I'm pretty comfortable at night - but IMC night is a different kind of bubba. My last 6-approach currency run 3 months ago was at night with a safety pilot. After number 3, I needed a breather - the workload was getting to me.

Manchester would have been fine to land - but prefered my friend's guest room rather than a hotel. Ceilings today are 500 AGL along the whole route, and my 75-minute outbound leg at 70 knots was much shorter at 135 knots. :)

@mjburian - spot on. It was the harder decisions that would come in the increased workload that I was worried about.

My plan B was to go west to VFR conditions. I had the ILS at Portland and Brunswick if needed, but didn't want to push it.

Pilotworkshops IFR scenarios and listening to liveATC recordings of pilots coming to harm keep me pretty sober.

Thanks everybody for the reassurance. I do have high personal minimums because of my low actual time, and night actual with conditions below MVA just got added to the list.

There's a good single-engine piston CFII close to me with lots of actual time, I've been trying to get on his schedule when it's 1000-1500 OVC and will keep trying.
 
:thumbsup: that's a great attitude to have about it Randall. I especially like how you planned for an out, and then executed it.
 
I did my IPC the other night... Dark, tired, and some actual... and of course the hood... Did ok except for partial panel.. I was all over the damn map. You made the right call.
 
You know why you don't read more "I really felt uncomfortable and knew I was in over my head, but I kept on going" posts? Cuz they are dead!

Good for you. Now go get with a CFI and get that experience.
 
jordane93 said:
FWIW I think shooting an approach at night in IMC is a lot easier than during the day. I can usually see the rabbits better.
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you may be a little low if you are seeing rabbits...
 
I once saw a silly wabbit but it was wunning across the wunway.
 
You should've kept pressing on. Never cancel an instrument flight because of darkness.
 
whereisrandall said:
I turned around tonight in deteriorating IMC, mostly out of an abundance of caution.

The forecast was VMC with a front coming in later in the evening - the tail of Hermine. Weather briefer told me about it, and to expect possible low level shear about the time of my flight.

Wheels up at 9:30 pm, collected IFR clearance in the air, smooth sailing despite a 30 knot headwind from Western Mass to Manchester, with a thin layer clearly visible over MHT.

A KingAir in front of me reported 2,500 ceilings at Sanford, just south of Portland Maine - I was bound for KIWI, a tiny class E northeast of there. I'm IFR rated and current, but have zero nighttime actual, and was not at all excited about over an hour in IMC, then shooting an approach at 11:00 PM - the end of a long day. I turned around, doubling my airspeed in the process. I picked up some actual on the way home, but got below it and made it back in to the airport VFR.

Anybody with lots of actual time - or a decent autopilot! - wouldn't have been fazed by the conditions. But it spooked me a little. My takeaways: 1) schedules can be changed, and 2) I need to get up with a CFII who's got lots of actual and go through the paces with them.

What would you have done? I'm sure there are loads of folks who would have rightly pressed on, and maybe a handful who wouldn't have?
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U Done Good. . .
 
Velocity173 said:
Someone had to play devil's advocate.
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If the OP, or a lurker with the same lack of confidence( -but good judgement), was to take your advice (challenge) and as a result their last flight has a really bad outcome; how does that fit in with your advocacy?
 
Forrest Ward said:
If the OP, or a lurker with the same lack of confidence( -but good judgement), was to take your advice (challenge) and as a result their last flight has a really bad outcome; how does that fit in with your advocacy?
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Well, If they had lack of confidence, then they wouldn't take my advice would they?

To the OP, obviously I wasn't serious about pressing on. Everyone has their own personal WX mins. Until you get more experience in those conditions, it's not worth the stress or added risk.

Oddly enough, the only times I've ever had a pilot relinquish the controls was in actual at night. Nighttime has its own psychological barrier to it. I think once you get through it (with a CFII), you'll feel much more confident in using your IFR ticket.
 
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Postscript: I waited a full day and a half as the low IFR passed, then took off when the ceilings had finally lifted to MVFR. Had an easy VFR-on-top day then an RNAV approach down to 1,000 ft. Perfect workload level after having felt a little defeated 36 hours before. Thanks everybody for your thoughts, encouragement, and slight dash of trademark PoA snark. :)
 
You could have dropped into Sanford or PWM and waited it out till morning. But if it took 36 hrs for the weather to get back to MVFR, then heading back to Orange was probably a good idea.
 
@BillTIZ - those were definitely on my radar. I was over Manchester when my nerves got to me, and I thought about it - it was super well lit, and I could see the clouds clearly from on top. After passing MHT, though, it was dark dark dark, navigating by my red headlamp (my bird has really poor instrument lights) and I just got spooked. Sanford and everything north of there (including my destination!) were reporting 2,500 ceilings - plenty high. But the 25kt headwinds (an hour plus of hard IFR before the end of day approach) are why I balked. I went back because of the forecast, and because returning at 130kts was fast - plus, I knew it was clear at ORE.
 
Randall, best plan, go back to clear air and get rested.

Story time:
I left Augusta Me, AUG,on Mothers Day after sunset headed back to Nashua ASH. Severe VFR forecast for next 36 hrs.
Passing MHT and talking to tower, an inbound Delta flight reported snow over Lebanon LEB. Snow?
By the time I landed at ASH I had snow in the landing light, tied down and made it to my apartment on the north end of the runway, snow was accumulating. Woke in the morning to almost a foot of unforecast snow in May!

Got to work at the FBO, and they wanted me to dig out the C-172 I had used, warm it up and bring it in for an oil change. Metal, serious metal in the filter. What!!

These were the "NEW" C-172s with new engines that had lifters that were pitting and being inspected under an AD.
 
My criteria for flying night IMC in a piston single is ceilings of at least 2,500 AGL, no chance of embedded thunderstorms, and no chance of icing. The early fall and late spring often bring these conditions in the midwest.
 
Great call captain. It's never wrong to pull the plug when it doesn't feel right.
 
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