Hey - Nick Screwed up again!

[SkyHog]

First the story - lotta fun!

I decided to take my plane down to Las Cruces today, but after the extra hour of work last night, I didn't feel safe until I slept until about 3:30pm. Because I had to go to work tonight, I didn't want to push it and make a stupid decision about flying to get back to work.

So instead, I flew to Socorro - just long enough to be cross country. I planned it so that I would get half of it day time and half of it night time. It was a great flight - a bit turbulent, but man this day made me really enjoy ownership!

Coming back was pitch black and everything was great. I love flying at night! Its so peaceful and fun (and IMHO, as I've stated before, slightly safer). Got flight following and was crisp and clear with my communications. ATC was friendly. God, what a gorgeous night.

I then landed and did a few stop and goes to get night current (in case I ever need to use it). After taxiing back to the hangar, I decided to try out the p-lead test that we posted about last night and this morning. Finished up the checklist (or so I thought) and pushed the plane back into the hangar.

I was really careful of a possible live prop (as I always am, but today I was much more so than normal). As I was finishing everything up, I couldn't find my airplane keys.

I looked inside the cockpit to see if I left them in there and my heart sunk. They were in the ignition and they were set to "both."

I can already see what went wrong. I deviated from my checklist (memory and written) to do the P-Lead ground test, and must have skipped that step because I had already touched the keys.

At least I still have a head and all of my limbs.

Now that is a lesson learned.

 

[Richard]

I bet you won't do that again! I've done it too, once.

This sounds like you should file an ASRS report. Why, because it reaffirms the importance of standardization. Even after running the post flight checklist this still occurred because you had introduced something new into the shut down procedure.

 

[SkyHog]

I bet you won't do that again! I've done it too, once.

This sounds like you should file an ASRS report. Why, because it reaffirms the importance of standardization. Even after running the post flight checklist this still occurred because you had introduced something new into the shut down procedure.

ugh - I think you're right. That's 2 in 1 month. This is not a good month for me.

 

[Michael]

Nick, Thats a whole lotta learnin in one month! Glad your having fun with your new plane! be careful

 

[Richard]

ugh - I think you're right. That's 2 in 1 month. This is not a good month for me.

Look at it this way--you're flying more often which means you're learning faster. If you really, truly feel you are messing up, go book some time with a CFI. Of course, that's always a good thing.

BTW: in one month I filed 6 ASRS reports. 2 nearmisses, 1 possible rwy incursion, 1 night VFR total elec failure, 1 complaining about a maniac twr controller, 1 failure to notify FF about planned lo lvl maneuvering in mtn terrain which caused me to drop off their screen and lose comms. The folks at Moffett Field love it when pilots file.

We learn by doing and filing helps others learn. Get on the ASRS CALLBACK mailing list, you'll learn alot from those reports.

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/

 

[gismo]

Try adding a post shutdown flow just before leaving the cockpit. Run your hands and eyes across the whole panel and other controls looking for anything out of place. This is in addition to, not a substitute for your normal shutdown procedures.

Try adding a post shutdown flow just before leaving the cockpit. Run your hands and eyes across the whole panel and other controls looking for anything out of place. This is in addition to, not a substitute for your normal shutdown procedures. Occasionally I catch things like flaps still down, trim not zeroed, and yes once in a while a mag switch on. This also ususaly save me from having to climb back in to retrieve the keys.

 

[Bill]

Try adding a post shutdown flow just before leaving the cockpit. Run your hands and eyes across the whole panel and other controls looking for anything out of place. This is in addition to, not a substitute for your normal shutdown procedures.

This is a tough one. My checklist did not have a mag check in it, so I added it where I wanted it using fine line Sharpie. I also talk out loud when shutting down:

• "Avionics master off"
• "Mag check"
• "Mixture to idle cutoff"
• "Ignition off, key out", and I then hang the keyring on the altimiter Kollsman knob. "Key out" is a good thing to say and remember, you can't get the key out unless the ignition is off. (At least for our Cessna, the Archer III has mag switches, no key)
• "Master off"

When I go to lock the airplane door, on the Cessna I always do one last look at the ignition and master switches. On the Piper, with its overhead eyebrow switches, I run my finger down the switch bank, every one should be off.

Also, on my pre-flight checklists, on the in-cockpit checks before the walk around, one of the steps is to verify ignition (mags) off.

 

[MSmith]

"Ignition off, key out", and I then hang the keyring on the altimiter Kollsman knob. "Key out" is a good thing to say and remember, you can't get the key out unless the ignition is off. (At least for our Cessna, the Archer III has mag switches, no key)

I usually hang my keys on the Carb Heat lever in a Piper.

I managed to get a Cherokee 180 started using the baggage door key once. I couldn't figure out why the key kept falling out. I did it while taxiing to the fuel tank, so I went and got a mechanic who couldn't recreate the situation using the RIGHT key.

 

[Ghery]

• "Ignition off, key out", and I then hang the keyring on the altimiter Kollsman knob. "Key out" is a good thing to say and remember, you can't get the key out unless the ignition is off. (At least for our Cessna, the Archer III has mag switches, no key)

I got in the habit of tossing the keys on the glare shield after shutdown as that puts them where the line boy can see them when he comes to gas up the plane and knows that they aren't in the ignition switch. A step my CFI taught me a number of years ago.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

I got in the habit of tossing the keys on the glare shield after shutdown as that puts them where the line boy can see them when he comes to gas up the plane and knows that they aren't in the ignition switch. A step my CFI taught me a number of years ago.

For the pump island service at my FBO, the line guys won't start the refueling process until you show them the keys - either on the glareshield or in your hand. Good safety check. I won't touch a prop unless I'm 110% sure the master and mags are off, and this frequently means trips back to the cockpit to verify.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

I got in the habit of tossing the keys on the glare shield after shutdown as that puts them where the line boy can see them when he comes to gas up the plane and knows that they aren't in the ignition switch. A step my CFI taught me a number of years ago.

I stopped doing that right after they slid down the defrost vent in the Mooney....

 

[Richard]

I stopped doing that right after they slid down the defrost vent in the Mooney....

Happens on more than Mooneys. I watched a CFI toss the keys up there and they didn't stop until they hit the vent and then, ploop, down they go. The look on his face was priceless.

One time I had to fish for the keys under the Piper flap handle. Boy, if you ever need to lay in a new supply of pens & pencils that's the place to look.

 

[Bill]

I got in the habit of tossing the keys on the glare shield after shutdown as that puts them where the line boy can see them when he comes to gas up the plane and knows that they aren't in the ignition switch. A step my CFI taught me a number of years ago.

I used to do that too, until a CFI showed me the defroster slots on the top of the shield. He once tossed a set of keys up there, only to have them drop down into the panel....on an XC.....far far from home. Very VERY expensive lesson.

I'll hang them on the Kollsman knob, thanks!

 

[gismo]

I got in the habit of tossing the keys on the glare shield after shutdown as that puts them where the line boy can see them when he comes to gas up the plane and knows that they aren't in the ignition switch. A step my CFI taught me a number of years ago.

If I do that in my plane, they'd probably end up at the bottom of the defroster vent. Besides for me the key is the master and the mags are on separate switches so the keys on the glareshield would be a false indication of mag security.