Now What

[Terry]

Hi All:

I have just had a terrible week where everything went wrong and it got me to thinking.

I was flying on my FS2004 the other night into Salina, Kansas on VOR/DME 17.

I had the conditions set to minimums. I was tired and it was late and I was unable to find the airport.

Normally you would go missed but I went to bed.

Soooooooooo, what do you do if you are flying into the airport and you have an alternator go out and you lose electrical power.

I know you should fly to your next check point but what if you are lined up and just flew over the VOR and it is minimums?

Stay lined up and hope you see the runway? You can't just pull up and go somewhere else, can you?

If you are at minimums and you have an emergency do you fly to your alternate?

Tonight, I will try again to find Salina.

Thanks;

Terry
______________________________________________________

Ask me about microwaving cats.

 

[Terry]

Hi All:

I have just had a terrible week where everything went wrong and it got me to thinking.

I was flying on my FS2004 the other night into Salina, Kansas on VOR/DME 17.

I had the conditions set to minimums. I was tired and it was late and I was unable to find the airport.

Normally you would go missed but I went to bed.

Soooooooooo, what do you do if you are flying into the airport and you have an alternator go out and you lose electrical power.


I know you should fly to your next check point but what if you are lined up and just flew over the VOR and it is minimums?

Stay lined up and hope you see the runway? You can't just pull up and go somewhere else, can you?

If you are at minimums and you have an emergency do you fly to your alternate?

Tonight, I will try again to find Salina.

Thanks;

Terry
______________________________________________________

Ask me about microwaving cats.

The other thing I am curious about is that the VOR RWY 17 has no procedure turn?

Can I make one on the chart for me? So that way I can turn into the 183 radial?

Terry

 

[SkykingC310]

I had this situation come up on an actual IFR flight. Lost the alternator at night in IMC. Weather was at minimums. Luckily I broke out at the last moment and landed. If I had not, then I would have gone missed and proceeded to my alternate, just as filed. ATC will expect me to fly my flight plan as filed until I've landed. In this situation, if ever I got into VMC, then I would remain VFR and land at the nearest airport. As far as the VOR RWY 17 approach, the holding pattern depicted on the FAC acts as a procedure turn on this particular approach. If flying the ARC, then reversing your course is not necessary, but if the approach is being initialized at the VOR, then a course reversal is necessary. From the VOR, fly outbound heading 333 at 3000 for one minute then right turn to intercept R-003 inbound at 2900. Crossing the VOR inbound, you may descend to 1840 until 3-DME, at which point you may descend to the appropriate MDA. Note: 1840 is the MDA if DME is INOP.

 

[bkreager]

Adam got to it seconds before me

 

[Terry]

I had this situation come up on an actual IFR flight. Lost the alternator at night in IMC. Weather was at minimums. Luckily I broke out at the last moment and landed. If I had not, then I would have gone missed and proceeded to my alternate, just as filed. ATC will expect me to fly my flight plan as filed until I've landed. In this situation, if ever I got into VMC, then I would remain VFR and land at the nearest airport. As far as the VOR RWY 17 approach, the holding pattern depicted on the FAC acts as a procedure turn on this particular approach. If flying the ARC, then reversing your course is not necessary, but if the approach is being initialized at the VOR, then a course reversal is necessary. From the VOR, fly outbound heading 333 at 3000 for one minute then right turn to intercept R-003 inbound at 2900. Crossing the VOR inbound, you may descend to 1840 until 3-DME, at which point you may descend to the appropriate MDA. Note: 1840 is the MDA if DME is INOP.

Where do you get the outbound at 333*?

Terry

 

[SkykingC310]

You get a heading of 333 by turning 30 degrees left of the FAC going outbound from the VOR. I am describing a teardrop entry. Let me know if that's understandable.

 

[poadeleted20]

If you're on approach to an airport and lose your alternator, you have just experienced an unairworthy electrical condition. 14 CFR 91.7(b) says that in this situation, you discontinue the flight, i.e., land at the airport right in front of you. Lest one worry about what one's flight plan calls for, 14 CFR 91.3(b) says that in an inflight emergency situation requiring immediate action (such as this), you may deviate as necessary from any rule in Part 91 to deal with the emergency. So there would be no doubt in my flying mind about what I'd do -- continue the approach land at Salina. The only question would be what to do with my remaining half hour or so of battery power if I miss, i.e., how to get on the ground somewhere else before the lights go out.

Now, OTOH, if you lose all electrical power, not just the alternator, you're really in deep trouble. Absent a good handheld unit, your choices are pretty much limited to DR-ing the approach and descending to the runway regardless of MDA, or climbing and diverting to the nearest known VMC to land. Neither is a good choice, and determination of the better option involves a lot more variables than are discussed here, including what you think the weather really is at Salina, how close the nearest VMC is and whether you can find it in the dark, how close to the MAP you are (i.e., how much time you have left to drift off course), etc., etc.