Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cuae2.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!cuae2!djmolny From: djmolny@cuae2.UUCP (DJ Molny) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Declaring an emergency... the ramifications? Message-ID: <1660@cuae2.UUCP> Date: Fri, 15-Nov-85 15:19:10 EST Article-I.D.: cuae2.1660 Posted: Fri Nov 15 15:19:10 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 16-Nov-85 09:12:43 EST References: <769@bgsuvax.UUCP> <32838@lanl.ARPA> <182@ihnp3.UUCP> <184@ihnp3.UUCP> <359@ssc-vax.UUCP> <3164@hplabsb.UUCP> Reply-To: djmolny@cuae2.UUCP (-DJ Molny) Distribution: net Organization: AT&T - /app/eng, Lisle, IL Lines: 80 Summary: Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: Declaring an emergency... the ramifications? Summary: Expires: References: <769@bgsuvax.UUCP> <32838@lanl.ARPA> <182@ihnp3.UUCP> <184@ihnp3.UUCP> <359@ssc-vax.UUCP> <3164@hplabsb.UUCP> Sender: Reply-To: djmolny@cuae2.UUCP (-DJ Molny) Followup-To: Distribution: net Organization: AT&T - /app/eng, Lisle, IL Keywords: > Which brings me to a question I've had for a long time... what are the > legal ramifications of declaring an emergency? I realize that it should be > more important to consider its benefits during difficulty, but, as I can > attest, one has a considerable reluctance to use that word/condition. If > you declare an emergency, will this start the FAA sniffing for reg > violations? Are there masses of forms to fill out? Do they impound the > plane for an investigation? If they decide you didn't really have an > *emergency* is there some sort of action? Two weeks ago, I was conducting an IFR in visual conditions, when the alternator needle started jumping between 0 and +30, and the alternator warning lamp came on itermittently. Fort Wayne (Indiana) was handling that leg of the flight, so I explained the problem and requested vectors to Fort Wayne, about 30 miles away. (No emergency yet, but I wanted a shop to look at it.) I spotted the field from about nine miles out, and approach handed me off to the tower, who cleared me to land. About a minute later, the alternator needle went to zero and stayed there. Well, enough is enough. Piper Arrows need electric power to drop the gear and run the radios, and I didn't know if the battery had been discharged or damaged during the wild alternator activity. "Mayday, mayday, N1089Q alternator failure, request priority to the field, and I may lose radio communications." (Approx. 5 seconds of silence ensued.) "89Q, roger, cleared to land any and all runways. The equipment is on the way." Equipment? Well, I didn't really want the crash trucks, but I figured it was standard procedure. I shut off everything but one nav/comm, and dropped the gear. The gear came down okay (albeit slowly), and the approach and landing were otherwise uneventful. One of the crash trucks followed me to the maintenance hangar while the others returned to their base. The fireman who greeted me when I emerged was very friendly, and just took a few notes about the incident. (He wanted the aircraft's N number and model, my name, home base, the owner's name, and the general nature of the problem.) End of red tape. When the alternator quit, the engine was running great, there was nothing wrong with the airframe, the weather was VMC, and there was no imminent danger to life and limb. So why did I declare an emergency? Because I was approaching a large, busy airport with an unreliable source of electrical power, and therefore unreliable communications. I wanted to be sure there would be no traffic in my way, and no need for further conversation with the controller. The maintenance shop discovered that the over-voltage relay was tripping at normal voltages, forcing the voltage regulator to shut down the alternator. Once the battery took over, the voltage was low enough to reset the relay, the alternator kicked back in, and the relay tripped again. This see-saw went on until the relay stayed open. The bottom line: Both the controller and the crash crew were very professional and supportive. There was no second-guessing, no demands for explanations, no paperwork, and no letters from the FAA. I'm sure the FAA doesn't want to discourage pilots from declaring an emergency, and I can't imagine the feds giving you a hard unless you declared an emergency for no discernable reason. When your ability to fly safely compromised, always Always ALWAYS declare an emergency. Better safe than sorry. -- Regards, DJ Molny ihnp4!cuae2!djmolny