Nothing emphasises the importance of flight planning like that knotted feeling in your gut when you have failed to do it. This pilot got that feeling when a cascade of minor circumstances overwhelmed a superficial plan.
I was asked by an owner if I would ferry an aeroplane from an aerodrome back to the one where they lived.
I checked the weather and saw it was going to be a bit wet and windy in the late afternoon but I should be back before then.
When I arrived to pick up the aeroplane, it wasn’t ready. It wasn’t even outside the hangar where it was meant to be. I finally found it outside a hangar on the other side of the airfield.
It hadn’t been refuelled. Then the self-service bowser wouldn’t accept the fuel card. I was told that someone must have hit the emergency stop button and it needed to be reset. A technician was supposed to drive out from town to fix it but, an hour later, they hadn’t arrived and I was becoming concerned about the forecast weather.
However, it wasn’t a long trip and there was enough fuel onboard without impinging on the reserve.
After take-off, I checked the aircraft’s performance and it seemed a bit slower than others of the type I had flown. It was a bit older and the panel layout was slightly different. No glass screen here.
When I checked locations on the route against the WAC chart, I realised the aircraft was a lot slower than expected. After doing the sums, I worked out the headwind was about 30 to 35 knots! So this trip was going to take longer than the timing on my hastily scribbled flight plan.
Now it was getting dark because the weather front was moving in faster than expected. Never mind, I thought, I’ll be there before last light.
There was some light rain but I was past the halfway point so couldn’t turn back.
I reached a known 10 mile inbound reporting point and the rain was getting quite heavy. The sun was low and only just visible.
At the five-mile reporting point, I can’t see the airfield – it’s in a dip and the sun has disappeared.
Circling the airfield, I don’t have enough visibility to line up on the runway. I went down to circuit height and still couldn’t see it.
As it became even darker, I flicked on the navigation lights, strobes and instrument lights. But there were no instrument lights! What’s going on?
Never mind because I always carry a torch in my flight bag. But it isn’t there! I remember using it in my car and I guess it’s still there.
I remember thinking to myself, ‘Just keep calm and fly the aeroplane’.
I called the owner and he said the light dimmers were always switched off. After he told me where to find them, I turned them on. Now I could see the instruments, knew I was straight and level, and confirmed my position and heading. But the aerodrome doesn’t have lights and I’m not a night VFR-rated pilot!
“Circling the airfield, I don’t have enough visibility to line up on the runway.
I knew there was another airfield not too far away which had lights. Unfortunately, there was no PAL and the runway lights had to be requested beforehand.
The aircraft didn’t have a GPS but I had a portable unit in my flight bag to help me find the other airfield. I knew roughly where it was and that it had big hangars.
I found it but nobody was doing training in the miserable weather so all the lights were off and I couldn’t see the runway.
I have now been in the air for significantly longer than I planned. And I can’t just keep going in circles and hoping.
There is yet another airfield in the vicinity so I dialled the airfield code into the portable GPS – and the battery goes flat! So much for rushing and forward planning.
Keep calm, fly the aeroplane – but it was decision time. I was reluctant to call Centre because I was not an NVFR pilot and shouldn’t be there!
But I asked for assistance to divert to an airfield with lights and they were terrific. They gave me an ident code and confirmed that I was where I thought I was. They talked to me all the way and seemed more concerned about my situation than I was.
Eventually, I saw the lights of the town – they looked magic. I was guided by the friendly voices of ATC to a safe landing. Actually, the aircraft landed like a seaplane, with the runway exceedingly wet and water going everywhere, but it was one of my best landings.
Lessons learnt
- Don’t rush a flight plan, carry maps, check the weather, plan for a worst case scenario, be aware bad weather can arrive earlier than forecast.
- Check the aeroplane – and flight bag contents – before take-off.
- If there are delays, remember the time for last light, find a motel.
- Check the panel layout before take-off. Know where all the switches for lights are.
- Always carry a torch.
- Make sure batteries of EFBs are fully charged – and always carry maps anyway.
- Don’t be afraid to call for help. ATC is there to help if you get into a sticky position. You might get counselled but it’s better than the alternative.
- Don’t panic. Fly the aeroplane – that’s what you were trained for.
Have you had a close call?
8 in 10 pilots say they learn best from other pilots and your narrow escape can be a valuable lesson. We invite you to share your experience to help us improve aviation safety, whatever your role. You may be eligible for a free gift just for submitting your story.
Find out more and share your close call.
Disclaimer
Close calls are contributed by readers like you. They are someone’s account of a real-life experience. We publish close calls so others can learn positive lessons from their stories, and to stimulate discussion. We do our best to verify the information but cannot guarantee it is free of mistakes or errors.
