bigblockz8
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2011
- Messages
- 429
- Display Name
Display name:
Gore
Airport: My home base is Freeway Airport, in Mitchellville,MD. The airport is literally as close to the FRZ as you can get without TSA approval in a GA aircraft. If you do too long of a base, you hit powerlines before you enter the FRZ. The runway is 2400ft x 40ft with a built in, no charge variable wind of about 10kts, gusting to 30 somedays.Rwys are 18/36. At the end of 18 are 50-100ft trees, 200-1000ft from the rwy. At the end of 36 (10ft from the end) is an eight lane highway, US Route 50. To the west are 150ft powerlines.
Weather: Was unusual for late May in the DC area as rain showers were present to the west, moving east at about 12kts.temp was 75F. Scattered showers with a few thunderstorms about 15nm away moving NE. Visibility was at 5 miles, overcast at 2000.Winds were at 24, gusting to 45. I don't remember the exact direction, but the windsocks looked like a Jet Ranger spooling up...
Time: Preflight/Briefing-1204Z, 8:04am local T/O-1223Z,8:23 local
Airplane: Cessna 172, equip code U
Story:
For my 16th birthday I scheduled myself another lesson. I had about 8hrs (8.1 when I recheck my logbook) the day of the lesson. On the way to the field I noted that the wind would shake the car here and there. I expected a ground lesson. Upon arriving and finding out that YES we are going to fly I was too dumb and excited to second guess a professional's judgement. If he says we can go, WE CAN GO!
My new CFI isn't like the few I had before, he gives me more freedom (not always a good thing.) He filed the flight plan and got a squawk code (this is in the SFRA) as I started the plane and taxied us out to do run-up. The skies were suddenly dark and rain began to fall as we completed before take off checks. Takeoff was normal except for my stomach feeling uneasy, but I paid that no mind. On the way out to the practice area (DEALE) we noted fast storms moving in. My CFI remarked that I might get some actual IMC time in today and that we would go with the plan, diverting if needed. About 8 minutes out we were getting cornered by t-storms, I have never felt so sick flying before. I have read enough NTSB reports to know where this is going to go...
About 10 minutes into flight, he remarked how well I was flying this time ( I kept our 1000ft msl altitude exactly.) About a minute after that comment he told me to make a clearing turn, as we were going to check (visually) the weather behind us. The weather at DEALE was beginning to become stormy and we were 6nm out. We became surrounded and then came the wind! Full left, full right, full rudder! Still changing headings! He watched me get us back to normal and critiqued my fancywork. As we began a turn to clear the area so that we could linger a bit, thats when the airplane shook as if all hell had broken loose. (It felt like the recent earthquake for those of you in VA,WV,DC,MD especially.) We watched the rpm drop by about 300, the airplane was firmly in the CFI's hands and level. We watched and watched and luckily it went back to cruise! No engine out, for now. After that we decided to fly about 200ft higher (highest we go before clearing that portion of airspace) for the extra time for when the engine failed. The controls were once again mine. My CFI told me to head back and pick out fields along the way, if the engine failed I get emergency training and maybe will land it myself. We hit heavy rain about as soon as we turned around and visibility was about a mile. We ended up skimming the bottoms of clouds, luckily the wind was calm. On the flight before this I did a similar mistake flying in 40kt winds, we went 130kts at 2300rpm in a 70's 172! I had fell for it again!
We made it back safely and I handed over the controls to the CFI to land. We essentially had one shot at this landing as we are a potential glider and can't go around. He put her down a bit like I (a student) would have but we were on the ground. Total time "earned" that day was .5hrs... His debriefing was about how he felt that we couldn't do pattern work (the weather at W00 was clear now btw) because of the engine sputter.
Lessons:
I feel lucky that the small little things didn't add up into an AOPA real pilot story, NTSB report, or life insurance check for either of our families. I am glad in a way that this occurred because I thought "oh those pilots made silly mistakes" or that my CFI (and I) wouldn't do that! I read NTSB reports and look for trends and I read just about every aviation magazine there is (in the US at least) and think that it can't happen to me, especially in TRAINING! I found out that I was wrong and I finally get how even without pressure to go, or being a newbie, if you don't break the chain, you better have won the lottery! It is helpful in a way to be a student pilot and then finally see what wen wrong and how,yes, you did not intervene!
P.S. The airplane was actually due for a 100hr in 6hrs and TBO in a couple hundred. The mechanics did the 100hr after our flight. Apparently the cause was carb icing, exactly what I asked my CFI about once airborne. I asked if we should use CH the entire flight, he said "Neh, shouldn't need it. We'll keep an eye out though."
Weather: Was unusual for late May in the DC area as rain showers were present to the west, moving east at about 12kts.temp was 75F. Scattered showers with a few thunderstorms about 15nm away moving NE. Visibility was at 5 miles, overcast at 2000.Winds were at 24, gusting to 45. I don't remember the exact direction, but the windsocks looked like a Jet Ranger spooling up...
Time: Preflight/Briefing-1204Z, 8:04am local T/O-1223Z,8:23 local
Airplane: Cessna 172, equip code U
Story:
For my 16th birthday I scheduled myself another lesson. I had about 8hrs (8.1 when I recheck my logbook) the day of the lesson. On the way to the field I noted that the wind would shake the car here and there. I expected a ground lesson. Upon arriving and finding out that YES we are going to fly I was too dumb and excited to second guess a professional's judgement. If he says we can go, WE CAN GO!
My new CFI isn't like the few I had before, he gives me more freedom (not always a good thing.) He filed the flight plan and got a squawk code (this is in the SFRA) as I started the plane and taxied us out to do run-up. The skies were suddenly dark and rain began to fall as we completed before take off checks. Takeoff was normal except for my stomach feeling uneasy, but I paid that no mind. On the way out to the practice area (DEALE) we noted fast storms moving in. My CFI remarked that I might get some actual IMC time in today and that we would go with the plan, diverting if needed. About 8 minutes out we were getting cornered by t-storms, I have never felt so sick flying before. I have read enough NTSB reports to know where this is going to go...About 10 minutes into flight, he remarked how well I was flying this time ( I kept our 1000ft msl altitude exactly.) About a minute after that comment he told me to make a clearing turn, as we were going to check (visually) the weather behind us. The weather at DEALE was beginning to become stormy and we were 6nm out. We became surrounded and then came the wind! Full left, full right, full rudder! Still changing headings! He watched me get us back to normal and critiqued my fancywork. As we began a turn to clear the area so that we could linger a bit, thats when the airplane shook as if all hell had broken loose. (It felt like the recent earthquake for those of you in VA,WV,DC,MD especially.) We watched the rpm drop by about 300, the airplane was firmly in the CFI's hands and level. We watched and watched and luckily it went back to cruise! No engine out, for now. After that we decided to fly about 200ft higher (highest we go before clearing that portion of airspace) for the extra time for when the engine failed. The controls were once again mine. My CFI told me to head back and pick out fields along the way, if the engine failed I get emergency training and maybe will land it myself. We hit heavy rain about as soon as we turned around and visibility was about a mile. We ended up skimming the bottoms of clouds, luckily the wind was calm. On the flight before this I did a similar mistake flying in 40kt winds, we went 130kts at 2300rpm in a 70's 172! I had fell for it again!
We made it back safely and I handed over the controls to the CFI to land. We essentially had one shot at this landing as we are a potential glider and can't go around. He put her down a bit like I (a student) would have but we were on the ground. Total time "earned" that day was .5hrs... His debriefing was about how he felt that we couldn't do pattern work (the weather at W00 was clear now btw) because of the engine sputter.
Lessons:
- If you're uncomfortable, speak up. I could have very well been the 16yr old who died before he could solo. My CFI could have died as well as people on the ground.
- You don't have to fly...Hardest one to learn
- CFI's aren't perfect, neither are XX,XXXhr ATP's with more hours airborne than you've been alive. I won't be afraid to point out a part of the accident chain when I see it again!
- I realized that I am just as much at fault for not saying anything or questioning my uneasiness. I felt sick as soon as it began to rain and when I saw yellow,orange, red, purple, and black in the same screen, our little airplane just a few miles ahead.
- Wait it out! 23 minutes later the weather was blue sky! If I would have preflighted (in the case of the weather clearing up) and then said we shouldn't go, let's talk about emergencies or landings, I would have flown and gotten training in landings (my next lesson)!
- All of the safety courses you take, books you read, NTSB reports read, safety videos watched, theory drilled into you is worthless unless you actually use it
I feel lucky that the small little things didn't add up into an AOPA real pilot story, NTSB report, or life insurance check for either of our families. I am glad in a way that this occurred because I thought "oh those pilots made silly mistakes" or that my CFI (and I) wouldn't do that! I read NTSB reports and look for trends and I read just about every aviation magazine there is (in the US at least) and think that it can't happen to me, especially in TRAINING! I found out that I was wrong and I finally get how even without pressure to go, or being a newbie, if you don't break the chain, you better have won the lottery! It is helpful in a way to be a student pilot and then finally see what wen wrong and how,yes, you did not intervene!
P.S. The airplane was actually due for a 100hr in 6hrs and TBO in a couple hundred. The mechanics did the 100hr after our flight. Apparently the cause was carb icing, exactly what I asked my CFI about once airborne. I asked if we should use CH the entire flight, he said "Neh, shouldn't need it. We'll keep an eye out though."
