Interesting handling...or maybe just my imagination

[Kaye]

I found this morning's events interesting as to how ATC handled me with the compass leak. At the time, I didn't know what was causing the leak, and since we had the strong storms yesterday, my initial thought was water, which was also baffling and some concern. After I got to cruise and determined the leak wasn't going away, it wasn't water, maybe compass fluid maybe not, but I couldn't hold a towel there for the rest of the flight (not that I would), I called up ATC and calmly told them I needed to return to JYO as I had fluid dripping on my avionics and I needed to check it out. No emergency was implied.

I didn't pick up on it at first, but soon realized I was given priority treatment back to JYO. When calling me, ATC always repeated my call sign, and they never gave me frequency changes (i'd already gone thru 2), which would have been normal. They gave me direct and kept me at altitude as there was IFR traffic that departed right after me and were below. But once I got my descent and with the screaming tailwind, I ended up over JYO at 4500'. Got to do a spiral down to pattern altitude.......not something you get to do very often in the ADIZ.

 

[Steve]

Controllers can sense a lot over the radio just in the voice. Sounds like you handled it as well as they did. White kerosene can ignite if it gets hot enough.

I had a compass leak in my old Cardinal in the middle of the night over south Georgia. Good thing it was VFR and I could see the city lights to go by.

 

[gismo]

Controllers can sense a lot over the radio just in the voice. Sounds like you handled it as well as they did.

And ATC can silently declare an emergency for you which may have happened in this case. I don't know what if any criteria have to be met for that, perhaps it doesn't take anything more than one controller that's "concerned".

White kerosene can ignite if it gets hot enough.

Personally I wouldn't worry about that. Liquid kerosene is pretty hard to ignite. YRMV

 

[poadeleted20]

Here's the book answer for the controller's actions:

10-1-1. EMERGENCY DETERMINATIONS
a. An emergency can be either a Distress or an Urgency condition as defined in the "Pilot/Controller Glossary."
b. A pilot who encounters a Distress condition should declare an emergency by beginning the initial communication with the word "Mayday," preferably repeated three times. For an Urgency condition, the word "Pan-Pan" should be used in the same manner.

c. If the words "Mayday" or "Pan-Pan" are not used and you are in doubt that a situation constitutes an emergency or potential emergency, handle it as though it were an emergency.​

 

[KennyFlys]

Awesome actions on the part of the controller. I'm glad their out there to consider the potential when uncertain. Kaye, I'm glad ya got back without incident.

 

[ScottM]

FYI if it was the compass leaking the fluid would have felt kinda slippery like a lite oil. I assume you already know what water feels like.

Good job just letting them know and getting back ont eh ground to figure it.

BTW what was it?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

And ATC can silently declare an emergency for you which may have happened in this case. I don't know what if any criteria have to be met for that, perhaps it doesn't take anything more than one controller that's "concerned".

I've never declared an emergency myself, but I'm quite sure ATC has done so for me, more than once. (It's quite obvious when they ask for souls on board...) Even if neither side is declaring, when something unusual happens (even if you just say you're returning to the field), they usually give you priority.

A few occasions when I've felt I was getting such special treatment:

* Night, IFR over PA, door popped open on Mike's Cherokee and we couldn't get it closed again. New York Center gave me vectors to final at IPT (and did a GREAT job helping out.)

* Two separate occasions where I had engine hiccups near MSN.

 

[Ted]

Good job to ATC! I agree, it sounds like they probably detected that, although you did not declare an emergency, the situation was non-standard and justified special handling.

Best to take a seemingly simple failure and treat it with higher priority than to just assume it's nothing and find out otherwise!

 

[flyersfan31]

I had an incident once, did not declare an emergency, but ATC got me down from 15k to 1k and directly to an airport lickety-split, and moved other traffic to do it. I think it fell under the "just in case" 10.1.1.c. cited by Ron. I certainly felt like I had their full attention and support.

 

[Pi1otguy]

After composing myself, I once informed ATC of my failed vacuum while in IMC and received the unexpected priority handling in the form of an early descent to VMC within another airports d-space. It's rare for SoCal to vector a/c into other's airspace under normal circumstances.

For the most part I'm convinced ATC will attempt to help you out within the limits of their powers and workload.