Your most difficult approach.

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
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Location
Montgomery County PA
Display Name
Adam Zucker
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KLOM
Tell us about the most difficult approach you have ever flown and why it was so difficult. It could be because you were wet behind the ears with your IR or an insturment failed or because of the terrain or complexity of the approach.
 
My most difficult approach, hmmm. I would have to say it was the first time I asked Karen out, she was behind a desk in the library and as I approached... Oh wait!! do you mean in a plane and landing??? ;) ;) ;)
 
Adam:

Night approach to a Landing Zone on at pitch black night to a strobe light. Middle of very high trees and almost straight down to get in and pick up some guys being fired at (and returning fire) back when I was young and invunerable <g>.

It wasn't until we landed that we realized we would have to pull the bird almost straight up to get out and we were a bit heavy for that. Oh well, glad it wasn't my Huey!! I was co-pilot and had compelte confidence in the AC. Wasn't til he got stumblin drunk back at the O Club that night that I full appreciated what he had been thinkin.

Best,

Dave
 
Ok here is the real one.

It was a GPS approach that I had flow two or three times before. I knew what I was doing and was comfortable using the GPS, a KLN89B. The altitude I was at was 2500 and the clouds were 2100 OVC, the MDA for the approach was 1480 MSL and below the cloud deck vis was P6SM. So it seemed like a pretty easy approach where shortly after FAF I would descend down at 750FPS and break out to see the runway ahead of me far before getting to MDA. It seemed like a low risk approach with little chance to have to go missed.

I had completed all checks, including a RAIM check, all the instruments were set and I had briefed the approach at 2NM away from FAF I had intercepted the final approach course and approach handed me off to the CTAF. I hit the toggle button and made an announcement that I was inbound and on the approach. At 1.8NM the GPS went dead. Dead as in all the display features disappeared, then an error was displayed. "Position unverified, loss of position data" or something to the affect.

I start to quickly power cycle the GPS and then try and get it to do anything. I held my course, I was hand flying the plane and was not using the AP as I had disconnected it about 10 minutes earlier. I fiddled a bit more and realized I had no idea what was going on with the GPS. Knowing I was quickly approaching the FAF I switched back to approach. I told them my GPS has failed, I had no idea exactly where I was and requested vectors for a missed approach and also to come around on the VOR approach.

Approach told me where I was (lucky I was where I thought I was too) they could let me descend to 2200MSL. Remember the cloud deck would be 100 feet below me, but I took it just to see what was going on with the hope that it might be a little broken and I could get lower visually. At 2200MSL I was actually right at the bases and could see the runway every couple of seconds, I requested lower and stated I had the runway in sight, approach let me down and then I canceled IFR once I had everything in sight and was cloud clearance legal.

Lesson learned: Always have a back up to the GPS, know where you are with a second nav system and be ready to use it.

What was supposed to be a simple approach turned into one of my tougher ones.
 
Actually my most difficult approach is what caused me to start my IR.

Ironically it was going up to see you, Adam, at Wings earlier this year.:redface:

Let's just say it included MVMC and mountains at night fall in Virginia.
 
Mine would have to be one of the airports I chose for a XC during my IR training. It was RHP. I looked at the plate and read the numbers. But, it never really sunk in until he had me take off the hood and see the final approach. Dang, I was high up! And, there were already hills sticking up to each side of me. That was quite an experience.

Every other approach I'd done had been very tame by comparison.

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0712/09527R8.PDF
 
VOR/GPS into 2G4 in 2006. Forecast was OVC040. Was reporting OVC001 when I was almost there. Had ice on the wings, and severe turbulence. I hit MDA, and said screw it, I know I have another 2 miles to the airport, but with the turbulence rocking me into 40 degrees of bank, I went to my alternate. KLOM.
 
ILS 12, KBZN. We're in the hold at MANNI, 13,000. The Commuter below us at 10K reported clear ice at 10K. Approach cleared us to 10 when they cleared the commuter. We said, "uh-uh, we'd stay at 12,000 and when cleared, let US worry how to get down".

We got cleared on the outbound limb of the racetrack; power to idle, gear down (surface was 34 degrees), major slip, Emerged inbound to manni at 7500, added a MESS of power to arrest that 2500 vertical fpm descent, all at 110 kts. Initial setup on the intercept was a bit tough, but NO WAY were we going back up.

It worked. Here's the picture on landing.....
 

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Landing at KEVV in a C177B initially sequenced as #3 for the ILS RWY22 then being vectored to ILS RWY 4 after established on the final course for 22 and becoming #6 for the approach on 4 as a cold front crosses the field, ragged ceiling ~300'. I call the threshold lights just as the tower asks if I have the runway, apparently expecting me to go missed. This all after 3.5 hrs in the clag. Mary was not happy.
 
March, Ames for the PoA glide-a-thon. Late at night, on top in cruise but fairly dark and still pretty much on the gauges all the way. Ames was supposed to have 1000-foot ceilings but someone forgot a 0 and the AWOS reported 100 feet overcast. I got the ATIS for DSM just in case, they were reporting 9000 overcast. Thinking maybe the AWOS was lying, I shot the ILS anyway. Glideslope went nuts halfway down, so I got stuck with localizer mins. The AWOS turned out to be right after all, and we went missed. In the 10-15 minutes between going missed and being cleared for the ILS at DSM, the ATIS went from Golf to Juliet, and I heard the "attention all aircraft" line 3 times. The weather went from OVC090 P6SM to OVC003 1 1/2SM. To add to the fun, it got VERY bumpy when I descended back into the clag, and I didn't know if the glideslope issue was due to something funky at Ames or if it was the airplane. Stress city! At least I had enough gas to go all the way home if needed, and weather there was good enough for a non-precision approach. But, I ended up not needing that option.

So, down the ILS I went, fighting the bumps the whole way, broke out at 300 feet, made one of my worst landings ever, and finally exhaled. I was sweating despite the October chill. Phew!
 
Probably mins into 18 ILS at KNEW. The approach comes in over the lake, which is precisely the same color as the sky. If you break out, you can't tell until the approach lights appear. Trust the instruments and double-check the altimeter setting.
 
My first time in actual durring IFR training. I got into the clouds and asked myself why my instructor allowed me to do it. Heavy turbulence and IMC all the way. By the time I got back to CDW I was dead tired and my body was tilted to the right to compensate for the leans. Time to fly the approach to minimuns. I was glad to be home and greatful for the sobering experience!
 
I guess my most difficult IMC approach would be last fall after a trip to Faribault, MN with Matt Michael to do some glider flying. Jesse and Lance met us there. Getting briefed for return trip forecast MVFR with approahcing darkness. i filed and off we went. By the time we got to Ames, it was 400 OVC with mid visibilities, and of course dark. Matt was flying and doing a fine job. I can't recall if he had his Private - Airplane though. He was staying fairly well ahead of the 182RG considering. I knew that he would soon be falling behind though as we came in on the approach. He had flight simmed the ILS to ames a zillion times and I think we had flown it before too. As we came around I did what I could to keep us in a good position on the approach and allow him as much flying as possible. So it was fun managing his "behind the airplane" level, monitoring the approach, and waiting for the approach lights to show up. We broke out right at 400 AGL and he made a nice landing with a 10 knot tailwind.

But the most challenging approach that I can remember making was this fall in the glider, coming into a constrained pasture over trees and power lines, slipping hard to get down and stopped by the end. of course I had plenty of room but it was fun and exciting! When Matt came down to get me he couldnt believe it, had driven past that pasture many times and always considere it too hilly. I showed him!

http://picasaweb.google.com/cherokee373Y/Landouts/photo#5108553526185926178
 
Into Telluride, last March. GPS9 Approach. Gusty variable winds, blowing snow, bumpy as all get-out. Dropped out of the clouds well out from the field, but the gray, flat light made it hard to pick up the field. It's just one more rocky patch in a mountain full of them. Plus, bumping up and down, and big snowflakes blowing every which way didn't help visibility. I remember the plane just floating down the runway, being swirled by the winds, and I got a little impatient and pulled power. It was a firm landing, but at least it was on centerline.

The takeoff was even more exciting. Remember the footage of the Doolittle Raid, when the bombers drop off the bow, out of view, then stagger back into the air. A little like that.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Into Telluride, last March. GPS9 Approach. Gusty variable winds, blowing snow, bumpy as all get-out. Dropped out of the clouds well out from the field, but the gray, flat light made it hard to pick up the field. It's just one more rocky patch in a mountain full of them. Plus, bumping up and down, and big snowflakes blowing every which way didn't help visibility. I remember the plane just floating down the runway, being swirled by the winds, and I got a little impatient and pulled power. It was a firm landing, but at least it was on centerline.

The takeoff was even more exciting. Remember the footage of the Doolittle Raid, when the bombers drop off the bow, out of view, then stagger back into the air. A little like that.
Click to expand...

Was that on your Field Morry trip?
 
Affirmative. I would never have tackled that one, in those conditions, without a 25-30,000 hr pilot next to me.

Now of course, with almost 400hrs, I can handle anything.

;)
 
KASE every time that I went in with the Learjet 45. That plane just didn't want to come down with the descent gradients. Plus, all the what-if's that are in your mind throughout the takeoff and landing, just made it a pain in the butt difficult approach. Luckily, this company doesnt go in there.
 
Earthroamer said:
KASE every time that I went in with the Learjet 45. That plane just didn't want to come down with the descent gradients. Plus, all the what-if's that are in your mind throughout the takeoff and landing, just made it a pain in the butt difficult approach. Luckily, this company doesnt go in there.
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The youtube videos of planes landing there always look like a lot of 'fun'

Are you still flying charters?
 
I have 28 approaches to ASE in my logbook. Gets my attention EVERY time!

And Kent, the problem with Telluride was not you. Look carefully at this picture...it ain't FLAT! I DRAG the Seneca into there....
 

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From what I've seen, it looks like short final with the runway environment in sight is the easy part.
 
smigaldi said:
The youtube videos of planes landing there always look like a lot of 'fun'

Are you still flying charters?
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Sort of. I am flying a plane that is on a charter certificate but the owner doesnt let anyone in the aircraft that he doesnt know. :) So kind of sort of is the answer. :) At the owners request, he doesnt want us going into ASE.
 
Earthroamer said:
Sort of. I am flying a plane that is on a charter certificate but the owner doesnt let anyone in the aircraft that he doesnt know. :) So kind of sort of is the answer. :) At the owners request, he doesnt want us going into ASE.
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Love the Avatar, Brent!
 
Earthroamer said:
Sort of. I am flying a plane that is on a charter certificate but the owner doesnt let anyone in the aircraft that he doesnt know. :) So kind of sort of is the answer. :) At the owners request, he doesnt want us going into ASE.
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Need an FO? :D
 
My first solo approach in the Trinidad. Simple ILS approach into RID with radar vectors. Everything's coupled and ready to go.......except I forgot to switch from gps to nav. :redface: Got rattled when the airplane didn't do what it was supposed to do, so kicked off auto to hand fly, but of course still had a mess since I wasn't on nav....and the brain had farted by then. Went to go missed but I broke out, so I landed. Sat there for a long time till I finally figured out what went wrong.

So maybe not most difficult, but definitely my most stupid!

Kaye
 
bbchien said:
Love the Avatar, Brent!
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"Animal" was my nickname in college in the Fraternity. I have no idea why. :) And dont ask my wife this year at Gastons. She was my best friend (not girl friend) in college. She can tell some stories.
 
Skipping over the one where the engine quit due to an iced up fuel vent right after the procedure turn in a cloud/snowstorm, the one I remember as the worst in terms of my performance was an ILS at Rochester on an AirLifeline flight.

The wx was fairly low but not at mins and there was lots of wind. I came screaming in on VTF with something like a 40 Kt tailwind. I think the approach controller was even further behind the airplane than I was because he left me on a 90 degree intercept to a point on the final about 2/10ths of a mile from the FAF. Needless to say, I overshot, in fact I overshot a second time before finally getting on the LOC. I never really got centered up on the glideslope and was at least 200 ft high all the way down and I was probably at least 10-15 Kts fast as well. Fortunately the runway is long and the ceiling was high enough that I saw the runway environment in plenty of time to land safely. But given how badly things were going I really should have aborted.
 
Are we diverging to Screwed Up Approaches on this thread? Yikes! That could be interesting. Maybe a learning experience too!
 
No, no, no - I meant like; 'then I forgot to set the inbound course at the faf, and went wandering off 20 degrees from my intended track' or 'for some reason I just kept flying on past the m.a.p. and ended up who knows where til I realized...' or 'the glideslope never came in as the dme counted down -doh! I'd set the vor on the field not the ils!'
 
bbchien said:
I have 28 approaches to ASE in my logbook. Gets my attention EVERY time!

And Kent, the problem with Telluride was not you. Look carefully at this picture...it ain't FLAT! I DRAG the Seneca into there....
Click to expand...

Yes, that dip in the runway is a lot deeper than it looks, isn't it?! It's a problem when, say, you take off at gross, manage to rotate at the bottom of the dip, but can't climb and maintain airspeed enough so the runway looks like it's coming back up to meet you.....

(BTW - I'm Andrew, but I try to maintain a low profile on the Internet :))
 
flyersfan31 said:
Yes, that dip in the runway is a lot deeper than it looks, isn't it?! It's a problem when, say, you take off at gross, manage to rotate at the bottom of the dip, but can't climb and maintain airspeed enough so the runway looks like it's coming back up to meet you.....
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That's why they provide that nice, big drop off for you at the end. All the better to regain some airspeed. :)
 
And that is exactly what I did! Took a while to climb out of the canyon too. In all, a wild ride. Not the sort of thing I deal with routinely in Pennsylvania.
 
My most difficult approach:

About 3 weeks ago, I went to the airport when the ceilings were 200 ft, but tops were only at about 1500ft, so I knew it would be easy. I don't have my instrument rating, but I figured it was ok, since it was only about 1300 ft of clouds.

I took off, got on top with no problem, but then I realized I had forgotten my approach plates for all of the runways. "Meh, I have a GPS!" I said to myself.

While crossing the FAF, my GPS failed on me, about the same time my carburetor iced over. Luckily, I was higher than I should have been at that point anyways, so the glide from the airplane took me right to the numbers and I executed a flawless landing.

That was about 3 minutes of excruciating terror followed by a few hours of relief.

Lesson Learned: Next time, I'll make sure that when I fly in the clouds without my IR and no instructor, I'll turn the carb heat on.









edit: oh, and :D
 
OK,OK, I'll tell it!

It was a dark and stormy night, and I was IMC and had lost all electical and nav capability...so, I turned 'er into the wind and started a slow letdown. The forcast wind was pretty stiff, so I knew my groundspeed would be pretty slow at impact, so if i could just keep the rate of descent slow, like 200 fpm, I should be ok if i could arrive at some flat piece of ground, and I was in the midwest, so....

Sl-o-owly, I descended, and as I approached what I thought would be ground level , I was still in thick fog, so I braced, but then felt a relatively soft "thump", and I was on the ground. On the brakes, and I stopped.

I looked around in the dark, and could not see any further than my wingtips, and I was completely drained, so I stayed in the cockpit and slept.

Upon waking the next morning, the fog had lifted, and I could see I had landed inside of a silo.:hairraise:
 
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