They rolled the trucks for me tonight

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mtuomi

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Landing at Bakersfield, CA with 90% of electrics off and a failed AI in the dark (flapless and lightless landing). They sent the trucks out (did not declare) and got escorted to parking. Fun.
I just paid a few hundred to get this problem fixed. My (ex) mechanic is getting a very nasty phone call tomorrow.
 
asicer said:
And no moon tonight. :eek::eek2:
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Yeah, it got pretty dark. Flying "partial panel" (I was VFR but there was no real horizon) with handheld radio and a flashlight was fun - real fun. I think I'll empty the bar here at Bakersfield Marriott tonight.

I'm glad I a) bought a handheld radio a few weeks ago, b) I make sure my flashlight has fresh batteries and c) I have an LED landing light. The landing light still worked even when radio and flaps were already gone.
 
Glad to hear you made it.

Regarding the trucks - ATC can, and will, declare for you. I've had it happen to me twice now.
 
Glad to read that you landed safely. And yes, an adult beverage is well deserved. I'll bet your (now to be ex) mechanic is going to get an earful. In the interim, maybe not a bad idea to have an EFB solution (Foreflight) with synthetic vision to use in a pinch?
 
Cpt_Kirk said:
Glad to hear you made it.

Regarding the trucks - ATC can, and will, declare for you. I've had it happen to me twice now.
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They said they had put up an "Alert 1" for me - I assume it is ATC lingo for "should be fine but go check it out anyway". They did ask for SOBs and fuel remaining.
 
rtk11 said:
Glad to read that you landed safely. And yes, an adult beverage is well deserved. I'll bet your (now to be ex) mechanic is going to get an earful. In the interim, maybe not a bad idea to have an EFB solution (Foreflight) with synthetic vision to use in a pinch?
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I need to research the synthetic vision options. What I will definitely get is a portable battery pack. Not fun trying to estimate battery usage on tablet vs flight time remaining, when there's no way to charge the device on board.
 
mtuomi said:
They said they had put up an "Alert 1" for me - I assume it is ATC lingo for "should be fine but go check it out anyway". They did ask for SOBs and fuel remaining.
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You're on the right track. If I'm not mistaken, there are 3 alert levels increasing in intensity from 1.

That's exactly what they asked me, in addition to "my intentions."
 
thanks for the insight for/on, the LED light,low power situation . good job .be well
 
mtuomi said:
They said they had put up an "Alert 1" for me - I assume it is ATC lingo for "should be fine but go check it out anyway". They did ask for SOBs and fuel remaining.
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When they ask sob and fuel they have declared for you. Btdt, got tee shirt. It's not a bad thing.
 
Not sure I would have flown last night even with a full panel. Lots of showery weather, some of it quite heavy, and no moon. You flew that VFR, too?
 
In case this happens to others, is there any reason _not_ to declare?
 
If you were a lesser man flying a lesser plane with a 'chute, would you have pulled?
 
Alert 1 - we can handle it with own resources, low risk. Flap failures, minor gear/hydraulic issues, indicator lights not agreeing, etc.

Alert 2 - We may need backup and additional resources to handle it, mid risk. Gear up landings.

Alert 3 - Yeah we are gonna need everyone for this thing, high risk. IIRC only one at DIA and that was this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Airlines_Flight_1404

At least that's how it was explained to me at DIA.
 
Glad to hear you made it down safely and everything worked out for you!
 
mtuomi said:
Landing at Bakersfield, CA with 90% of electrics off and a failed AI in the dark (flapless and lightless landing). They sent the trucks out (did not declare) and got escorted to parking. Fun.
I just paid a few hundred to get this problem fixed. My (ex) mechanic is getting a very nasty phone call tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Why would you chew on your mechanic? Those things happen, that's why you should thoroughly know the emergency procedures of your POH. What's the deal w/ electrics? What exactly failed, if you know. Was it something your mechanic worked on/repaired? If so yeah I'd be PO'd too. Is your AI vacuum? Be curious to know what you find out if you'll be so kind to share. Good job, you're safe!
 
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mscard88 said:
Why would you chew on your mechanic? Those things happen, that's why you should thoroughly know the emergency procedures of your POH. What's the deal w/ electrics? What exactly failed, if you know. Is your AI vacuum? Be curious to know what you find out if you'll be so kind to share. Good job, you're safe!
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For me, it all depends on what failed. You can't target the blame without that information. And yes, good job!

-Skip
 
mtuomi said:
Landing at Bakersfield, CA with 90% of electrics off and a failed AI in the dark (flapless and lightless landing). They sent the trucks out (did not declare) and got escorted to parking. Fun.
I just paid a few hundred to get this problem fixed. My (ex) mechanic is getting a very nasty phone call tomorrow.
Click to expand...

What exactly was it that was "just fixed." Alternator? Loose connections? ???
 
At my airport we use the Alert 1-3 system as well. Here is how we define it:

Alert 1 - Aircraft with minor difficulties. Aircraft will probably be able to land without incident or assistance.
Alert 2 - Aircraft with major difficulties. Aircraft will likely need assistance when it arrives. (Basically an accident is on its way.)
Alert 3 - Accident.

Alert 1 we gear up, get in the trucks, and just pull out of the station.
Alert 2 we stage on the taxiways adjacent the runway in use.
Alert 3 we respond to the accident.

Its all about being able to reduce response time if we have a heads up of a situation coming. FAA standards dictate we are able to respond to the midpoint of the farthest runway within 3 minutes of the initial alarm. With no advance warning, that is sometimes difficult depending on the airport layout. Alert 1 shaves about 1 minute off of the response time needed. Alert 2 puts us just seconds from the emergency aircraft once it arrives.

Honestly I wish more pilots were forthcoming about declaring an emergency. We are here to help you. There is no charge for our services, worst case you may have to write a little letter to the FAA just explaining the situation, and only if they feel the need for you to.
 
I'd be interested to know what failed and how the AP screwed the pooch.

This is also why I have always had a headlight with a red filter in the glove box of my plane.


0-1001-petzl-tactikka-2-plus-headlamp-black-white-red.jpg

http://tacticalgear.com/petzl-tacti...4edhdACFRAHhgodCC0Bww#/23961/653,13910/1?dl=b
 
luvflyin said:
What exactly was it that was "just fixed." Alternator? Loose connections? ???
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Connection to the master switch. Looks like it failed again, will know more soon when I get another mech to take a look.
 
mscard88 said:
Why would you chew on your mechanic? Those things happen, that's why you should thoroughly know the emergency procedures of your POH. What's the deal w/ electrics? What exactly failed, if you know. Was it something your mechanic worked on/repaired? If so yeah I'd be PO'd too. Is your AI vacuum? Be curious to know what you find out if you'll be so kind to share. Good job, you're safe!
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AI is vacuum, it broke down and thats unrelated, just made the flight more interesting.
The problem very likely is in the connections to the master switch. My (ex) mechanic broke it once, then "fixed" it, and now it's broke again.
 
Glad it all worked out okay. Yikes!
 
MAKG1 said:
Not sure I would have flown last night even with a full panel. Lots of showery weather, some of it quite heavy, and no moon. You flew that VFR, too?
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VFR, yes.
Weather was actually very nice in the evening. Smooth air and the clouds were out over the Sierras. Ceiling was 5-6ish k all the way down.
 
mtuomi said:
Connection to the master switch. Looks like it failed again, will know more soon when I get another mech to take a look.
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It's good you're getting a fresh set of eyes on the problem, but from what you said I wouldn't be tossing the old mechanic under the bus just yet.
 
James331 said:
I'd be interested to know what failed and how the AP screwed the pooch.

This is also why I have always had a headlight with a red filter in the glove box of my plane.
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Good idea! Even better: wear the headlight when flying after dark. Saves the hassle of fishing it out, and it helps to illuminate the cockpit without (much) affecting your dark adaptation.

OP: glad you got down safely and everything worked out. Keep us posted about the electrical gremlin.
 
Not sure I'd go that far, my glove box has a moleskin journal of mx due, a pen, trauma shears, and a headlamp, doesn't take but a second to fish something out, and loosing light isn't a seconds count emergency.
 
midwestpa24 said:
At my airport we use the Alert 1-3 system as well. Here is how we define it:

Alert 1 - Aircraft with minor difficulties. Aircraft will probably be able to land without incident or assistance.
Alert 2 - Aircraft with major difficulties. Aircraft will likely need assistance when it arrives. (Basically an accident is on its way.)
Alert 3 - Accident.

Alert 1 we gear up, get in the trucks, and just pull out of the station.
Alert 2 we stage on the taxiways adjacent the runway in use.
Alert 3 we respond to the accident.

Its all about being able to reduce response time if we have a heads up of a situation coming. FAA standards dictate we are able to respond to the midpoint of the farthest runway within 3 minutes of the initial alarm. With no advance warning, that is sometimes difficult depending on the airport layout. Alert 1 shaves about 1 minute off of the response time needed. Alert 2 puts us just seconds from the emergency aircraft once it arrives.
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At DIA we had an alert 1 probably 1-2 times a day on average. 4 ARFF stations and 6 runways so pretty good coverage. They would stage at the taxiway and escort the aircraft off the runway and often back to their parking spot. Most of the time they put them on the 16k foot long runway for issues, especially landing without flaps with density altitude.
 
Great job FTDA and not doing anything stupid. Not a big emergency but there are pilots out there who would try to troubleshoot things, fix things, get disoriented and maybe put themselves on the news.
Thanks for giving us pilots a good name.

(I would love to see a news segment: "A pilot had a major electrical failure, dealt with it appropriately and landed safely, no cause for panic" :D )
 
I always have my headlight in the pocket next to me, and if taking off at night I'll typically wear it right from the beginning. But I'm slightly paranoid and also have a back-up headlight in the other pocket!
 
overdrive148 said:
At DIA Most of the time they put them on the 16k foot long runway for issues, especially landing without flaps with density altitude.
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Where is DIA? Doesn't pop up on airnav. Curious where a 16K runway is.
 
I hope you took time to thank the responders. I make sure to greet them all individually, if possible, and thank them for coming out and also for their dedication to their job. If it is raining or snowing I have been known to send pizza to the station.

I will also call the tower and thank them, if applicable.

And good job for getting back on the ground safely.
 
I was thinking DEN w/ a runway that long. Maybe DIA was the old Denver airport now that I think about it. Thanks.
 
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