Brief or Grief

Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs) define an area of relatively high risk in instrument flying. The airplane is required to be maneuvered (sometimes extensively) close to the ground while executing course reversals, altitude and airspeed changes, and aircraft configuration changes. Margins between our aircraft and obstructions are reduced drastically in the approach environment. Approach procedures demand a high degree of situational awareness during a high workload and fast-paced phase of flight. There's a lot to think about and to manage, and no two IAPs are alike.

Airline crews have been conducting approach briefings for many years. Approach briefings are becoming common practice in light aircraft as well, as they should. Instrument approaches are no less risky or demanding for small airplanes than they are for jets. In fact, we quite often have lower approach minimums than the bigger, faster guys. The same degree of situational awareness is required, and often GA aircraft aren't equipped with the same level of cockpit automation and avionics as jets, nor do we always have two pilots. This means we need to be even more on our toes than crews of better-equipped jets. If you're not in the habit of conducting a briefing before every approach, here are a few guidelines to create an effective approach briefing.

The objective here is to familiarize yourself with the entire approach procedure long before you get to it. I usually look over anticipated approach plates during my preflight planning on the ground, then I conduct a formal approach briefing when "in range" of my destination, which I define as fifty miles from the airport. For trips less than fifty miles, I'll often brief the approach before takeoff so I'm not rushed in the air and so I don't allow myself to become task saturated during critical phases of flight. Instrument approaches can be very complex, and safe pilots approach them with a well developed plan for how the approach will be flown. Because all approaches are unique, a thorough study of the chart is critical.

Airline crews conduct approach briefings aloud between each other. I recommend conducting your own approach briefings aloud, even if you're the only pilot in the cockpit. Talk to yourself. If you have passengers onboard, let them know beforehand that you'll be going over the approach chart out loud and they don't need to listen. Use a crew isolation button if one is available on your intercom system. It's been proven that when we verbalize things as opposed to thinking them silently, they stick in our minds better. Pretend there's another pilot present if you need to and conduct your briefing.

Always start your approach briefings by positively identifying the approach chart. Chart identification seems excruciatingly obvious, but accidentally pulling the wrong chart can be a simple but deadly mistake. Verify you've selected the proper chart by reviewing the approach title and airport. This is also a good time to verify that you've got the required equipment on board and that it is operating properly. Remember, the equipment the approach requires is listed in the title itself (GPS can be substituted for certain items, such as DME and often ADF). Check the valid date range on the side of the approach chart and verify the chart is current. Any NOTAMs for the approach should've been received during your preflight briefing and marked on the chart.

After you've determined you've got the correct chart in front of you, begin working through the chart from top to bottom. Approach charts (both NACO and Jeppesen) are designed to be reviewed this way to provide the most critical information in logical order. Review the navaid/ground station frequencies, the final approach course, and the runway (if applicable) and elevation information. Work your way down to the notes/remarks section and approach lighting information, then review the communications frequencies.

Now move down to the plan view section. This is a top-down depiction of the approach procedure. First review the minimum safe altitude (MSA) for your sector and study any terrain or obstructions of concern along the approach segments. Determine which initial approach fix (IAF) you'll need to use if not receiving radar vectors, and review the lateral navigation requirements of the approach. Talk through the various approach segments' courses and intercepts, and review the procedure turn if one will be required. It's also good to mention at what points during the approach checklists will be conducted or configuration changes will be made as well as what automation mode will be used if flying with an autopilot.

Next, review the profile section. This section depicts the vertical profile of the procedure and provides altitude guidance. Identify minimum altitudes for all approach segments, and review any step-down fixes. Check the final approach angle to determine whether or not a deviation from a standard 3-degree descent will be necessary. This helps keep you ahead of the game and prepared for the unique considerations of each approach. Review the missed approach point (MAP) and determine how it will be identified (altitude, DME, time, GPS waypoint, etc.).

Arguably the most important step of the briefing comes next: A review of the approach minima. Check the minimums for your aircraft category and also note the required visibility and height above touchdown (or height above airport elevation for circling approaches). Disregard the numbers in parentheses as these are for military use only.

Finally, review the missed approach procedure (graphical and textual descriptions) and determine what type of hold entry will be necessary upon arrival at the missed approach holding fix. If you'll be using time to identify the missed approach point, review this information if its available on the chart. It's also helpful to look at the mini airport diagram and note where the final approach segment intersects the airport (especially if the approach is not straight-in).

When you're finished and satisfied with your review of the approach procedure, say "Approach briefing complete." Remember, in flying what you don't know CAN hurt you. Make sure you've got a thorough understanding of all chart symbology. If you're a bit rusty on chart elements, I highly recommend completing the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's (ASF) online course, "IFR Insights: Charts".

Managing risk during the approach phase is demanding. It subjects us to a complex and high workload task at the end of a flight when our abilities are often deteriorated by fatigue. Having a tactically-sound plan for executing an approach is critical, and conducting a thorough approach briefing is an important step in making an approach go smoothly and safely.

PIREPs

Ever get home from a flight and check ADDS or DUATS to see if your PIREP was entered correctly, only to find it's not there at all? This has happened to most pilots at least once. It's a bit frustrating because Flight Service Specialists and the FAA are always encouraging us to submit PIREPs as often as possible, not to mention it's required by regulation to report unforecast weather conditions. As pilots, we value PIREPs because they help us put together an accurate picture of the weather conditions that are actually existing. That's why it's a bummer when we go to the trouble of giving reports and then have them get lost in the shuffle.

I once got my butt kicked in mountain wave turbulence while flying in IMC over the Ouchita Mountains in Arkansas. There was no AIRMET or forecast for the turbulence before, during, or after my flight. I made a PIREP to the controller and described the turbulence as "continuous moderate chop." There may've been an occasional "severe" bump or two in there. The controller acknowledged my transmission, I landed and checked ADDS, and my PIREP was nowhere to be found. At least I did my part. I guess the controller didn't do his.

I was browsing through ASRS reports yesterday. That's something I do every so often just to see what kinds of issues pilots are reporting. One pilot made a report about his PIREP not being filed and suggested that the FAA consider implementing an online interface that would allow pilots to enter their own PIREPs once on the ground. You know, that's not a bad idea.

The only problem would be the time delay, but filing a delayed report is better than having your report never make it into the system at all. I could see how an online PIREP system like this could be easily created in DUATS. Seems cheap and feasible.

The best solution, though, would be for controllers (and Flight Service Specialists, although I have a hunch controllers are worse about this because they tend to have higher workloads) to reliably and consistently enter PIREPs into the system every time.

If they want us to give them, they need to let us know they're valued and appreciated. I bet there will be an online PIREP submission system up and running within the next five years. Let's see if I'm right...

NWA 188

Last Wednesday a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 overflew its intended destination airport by at least 150 miles before reversing course and proceeding inbound to land. The A320 was operating as Northwest Flight 188 with service from San Diego to Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP). What the heck happened?

We're not sure yet. After landing the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police at which time they admitted they were in a heated conversation about airline policy which caused a loss of situational awareness on the flight deck. If that's true, the conversation must've been pretty darn heated because it takes a colossal episode of inattention to fly beyond the TOD (top of descent) point, then continue flying for another 250-300 miles while missing repeated calls from air traffic control. I don't fly A320s, but every modern airline jet that I know of will automatically alert the crew in some way, even if minimally, when the TOD is reached without a descent being initiated. That means the crew of Flight 188 had to ignore messages from both their aircraft and ATC for hundreds of miles.

Were both pilots asleep? Maybe. The pilots denied this during interviews, but it doesn't sound impossible to me. The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) will be reviewed and we'll find out what really happened to cause such an extraordinary foul up.

People wonder, were the passengers at risk? Of course! No matter what the case was on the flight deck, sleeping pilots, arguing pilots, whatever, there was no one in command of that aircraft for hundreds of miles. That has all sorts of implications on flight safety. The pilots could've missed a developing mechanical problem as they were obviously not actively monitoring the aircraft's systems, a low fuel situation could've developed, the aircraft could've wandered even further off course, or any number of other dangerous situations could've developed.

Any pilot incompetent enough to allow something like this to happen is probably stupid enough to lie about it too. Luckily, the CVR will reveal the truth. More regulations are certain to be born at the conclusion of this investigation about cockpit crew conduct during cruise flight. When a couple of clowns screw up, it creates a mess and new restrictions for the rest of us, including the good guys.

"I Knew I Could Do It."

I had the honor and privilege of meeting Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger this evening in Kansas City. Captain Sullenberger came into town to promote his new book and talk a little about the events of January 15, 2009, the day that changed his life forever.

As Sully described the events of the famous Hudson ditching, he said something that struck me. The interviewer reviewed the difficult situation Sully was faced with while descending toward the Hudson and asked Sully what went through his mind that day, and Sully said, "I knew I could do it."

He did do it. Exactly as it needed to be done.

For pilots, visualizing the circumstances we wish to create is important. "Armchair flying" has been around for years -- the process of sitting in a chair, closing your eyes, and visualizing yourself in an airplane going through the motions of an upcoming mission. The Blue Angels Navy flight demonstration team performs this exercise as a group before every show. The pilots sit in a circle, close their eyes, and hold an imaginary stick and throttle as the leader talks through the routine.

By visualizing where we want to go or what we want to do, we're paving the road in our brains that our outside experience will soon follow. Captain Sullenberger knew what he needed to do, and he knew he could do it. His Airbus 320 followed the path to a successful outcome that his mind had already laid out.

When faced with an in-flight emergency, know that you can do it too. Visualize the circumstances you must create in order to survive, then carry out what needs to be done to bring those circumstances about. Panic comes from thinking you might not be able to survive, and unfortunately, pilots who doubt their ability to pull through an in-flight emergency often don't make it.

Superior airmanship means staying calm, being confident, thinking positively, and remaining in charge of even the most difficult situation. Sully did these things, and so can you.

Line Up and Wait

Have you heard? There's a change in ATC phraseology coming...

"Taxi into position and hold" clearances will soon be a thing of the past. The United States is changing "position and hold" phraseology to match International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The long-used ICAO phraseology, "line up and wait" will soon be adopted by The States. "Line up and wait" has been used for years in the United Kingdom and other countries. The new phraseology has the same meaning as "position and hold" clearances.

While I'm on the subject, let me throw a few "line up and wait" safety reminders your way.

In 1991, a US Airways B737 collided with a Skywest Airlines Metroliner on Runway 24 Left at Los Angeles International Airport. It was night, and the 737 was cleared to land on Runway 24 Left when ATC cleared the Skywest Metroliner to "position and hold" on the same runway. ATC forgot to issue takeoff clearance to the Metroliner, and the 737 collided in-flight with the Metroliner killing thirty-four people.

After this tragic accident pilots have been encouraged to exercise vigilance during "position and hold" operations and to query ATC after holding in position for sixty seconds with no updates. Never sit with your back turned to an active approach corridor for more than a minute without speaking up. ATC may've forgotten about you. Do your best to monitor the frequency and create a mental picture of where each aircraft is around you. One of the reasons we're all on the same frequency is so we can benefit from the "party line" and listen to where other aircraft are and what they're doing. I've also heard guidance about positioning your aircraft at a forty-five degree angle to the runway centerline to enable you to check final behind you while waiting for takeoff clearance. That seems hit-or-miss to me for a few reasons: It might not be feasible for larger aircraft, valuable runway distance will be used during the mis-alignment and subsequent re-alignment before takeoff, and the re-alignment process prior to the application of takeoff power requires a slight delay on the runway (which reduces the effectiveness of "position and hold" operations in the first place). But, at least you'll have the reassurance of being able to check for yourself to see if there's traffic behind you. And at night on a runway equipped with centerline lighting, line up slightly offset from the centerline to make your aircraft lights easier to distinguish from the centerline lights to traffic on final.

Remember, sitting with your back turned to final on an active runway is a vulnerable position to be in. Don't be afraid to query ATC if you start to feel uneasy. And don't be caught off guard the first time you're told to "line up and wait." The new phraseology is coming soon!

Stick to the Plan

Train like you fly. Fly like you train. That's a phrase I've always liked. When I was in training, it motivated me. It helped me understand that all the hours and effort I was putting into my flight training were for a good cause, and that the things I was learning might someday save my life.

One day, that was confirmed. The work I had done throughout my training career did save me. I was single pilot, IFR in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) when my airplane suffered an alternator failure. Instrument pilots know the complete loss of electrical power (after alternator failure and battery depletion) is a serious emergency when flying in IMC. The airplane I was flying was an older Piper Cherokee with passive warning annunciator lights. A faint amber glow of the letters "ALT" on the panel is all the warning of an alternator malfunction the pilot gets, so you'd better pay attention. Alternator malfunctions must be detected early because once the alternator stops producing electrical power, your minutes of battery power start ticking down immediately. And you'd better not count on more than thirty minutes of juice; that's not a lot of time to get to an instrument approach and land, so every minute is precious.

My flight instructor had taught me to always keep a proactive instrument scan of the entire panel, not just the flight instruments but the engine gauges, ammeter, and annunciator panel as well. When failures or abnormal indications are detected early, they're usually easier to deal with. Had I not been maintaining an aggressive instrument scan, I may not have detected the alternator failure until the battery was depleted, or nearly so. That would have left me with no way to navigate, communicate, or find my way to an approach procedure and get down out of the clouds. Pilots greatly depend on electrical power while trudging through the murky gray.

My early detection of the "ALT" annunciator light enabled me to divert to a nearby instrument approach (which was shot to minimums) and land safely without incident. Most pilots are familiar with the "accident chain" theory, meaning almost all aviation accidents are the result of a chain of factors which link up to create an accident. My accident chain had started that day, but I broke the chain by flying like I trained, detecting the alternator failure early, staying calm and completing the appropriate checklist, and diverting to a nearby airport. The chain was broken before it ever got close to an accident. By staying calm and putting to use the skills I had learned in my training, I avoided what could've become a serious emergency.

Human factors research has indicated that pilots do a better job of dealing with inflight problems when they use the skills they learned during training. In other words, pilots manage emergencies better when they stick to their plan. As I've mentioned in previous posts, improvising is a bad idea in an airplane. When actors improvise during a take and their choices bomb, the director yells "Cut" and the actors try it again differently from the top. Pilots don't get a second take, and instead of a director yelling "Cut" after a bad choice pilots end up dead. Don't improvise. Stick to the plan. Improvisation is experimental... It may or may not work. That's certainly not something you'd want to engage in when your very life is depending on the outcome of the experiment. Remember: Train like you fly. Fly like you train.

Some pilots have a tendency to throw all the skills they acquired during emergency training to the wind when things get nasty. Ironically, that's when they need those skills the very most. Accident studies have shown that last second changes usually create problems, such as a last second decision to go around after touching down three quarters of the way down a runway with high trees off the departure end. What would've been a survivable runway overrun turns into a fatal inflight collision with trees.

Remember, pilots do best when we stick to our plans. You worked hard during your training to acquire life-saving skills, so use them when you need them! There's no better time to put to use your emergency procedures training than during an emergency.

Good News

Runway incursions are down this year. Great job to everyone who has contributed to the effort to reduce runway incursions. Keep it up! It seems that the FAA's runway safety initiative is helping, and pilots at all levels across the country have received free training resources and education on preventing runway incursions. Runway safety continues to be a hot spot and focus area for the FAA, and there is still room for improvement.

Approximately sixty percent of 2009's runway incursions have been caused by pilot deviations (PD). Of those pilot deviations, a staggering eighty three percent involved general aviation (GA) airplanes. That means five out of six runway incursions are caused by GA pilots. Ouch! We can do better than that! Let's brush up on a few runway safety recommendations.

• Eliminate "heads-down" time during surface operations. Keep your head up and eyes out during taxi. Never complete checklists or other pre-departure (or pre-shutdown) tasks while the aircraft is moving. Here are a few do's and don'ts for taxiing. Do: Keep your eyes and attention outside the aircraft, periodically cross-check your heading indicator to verify you're taxiing in the correct direction and that you are where you think you are. Don't: Program a GPS or configure avionics, run checklists, copy a pre-departure IFR clearance, study an aeronautical chart.
• Always refer to a current airport diagram while taxiing. Study the airport diagram during your preflight planning, and highlight your anticipated taxi route. Pay special attention to any designated airport "hot spots" depicted on airport diagrams, and obtain NOTAMs before departure to check for taxiway closures. Any closures should be marked on your airport diagram.
• Always write down taxi instructions, especially if they are complex or if the airport is unfamiliar. As is clearly stated on every airport diagram, read back all runway holding instructions. I'd take that a step further and advise a read back of all taxi instructions, including runway holding instructions. If you think you may've heard your taxi instructions incorrectly, or if you don't understand the instructions, ask ATC.
• Always use sterile cockpit procedures during surface operations. Only pertinent information should be discussed. This will help eliminate cockpit distractions and keep you from inadvertently wandering onto an active runway!
• Make sure you have a thorough understanding of all airport signage and surface markings. Carry a "cheat sheet" airport sign and marking legend if you must.
• Use external aircraft lights to signal your intentions to other pilots, whether day or night. Remember these guidelines: beacon on anytime the engine is running, strobes on anytime you're occupying an active runway (crossing, holding, taking off or landing), landing lights and all other external lights on when initiating takeoff roll or landing.
• Always look both ways before entering any runway. ATC makes mistakes too! I take this a step further and look both ways before entering a taxiway intersection as well. I announce, "Clear left, clear right." This helps increase my situational awareness and keeps me engaged and vigilant.
• If you're even slightly uncertain of your position on the airport, STOP. Ask ATC for assistance. If you find yourself on a runway, clear the runway immediately, stop, and ask ATC for assistance. Don't hesitate to request progressive taxi instructions if necessary.

Something the airlines have been doing for a few years now (some longer) since the Comair crash in Lexington is performing a mandatory cross-check of the heading indicator prior to initiating the takeoff roll to verify the aircraft is lined up on the correct runway. I've adopted this procedure and recommend it to all pilots. After I line up and immediately before I apply takeoff power I verify proper heading and say, "Runway XX confirmed." This is an excellent way of verifying you've got the correct runway ahead of you and that ATC has cleared it of traffic and it is of sufficient length as planned. Do the same thing when approaching a runway on final. Verify your heading matches the intended runway and say, "Runway XX confirmed."

Following these recommendations will ensure you don't become a statistic! Again, great job, everyone, on the runway safety improvement. We've still got more work to do, so let's keep it up and remember... Stay alert, stay alive.