By Adam Donaldson
A few weeks ago, Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland received an unexpected wakeup call in the form of a thunder-like sound which clapped through the suburban streets on an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon. Local pilots milling around the airport cloaked in a low lying overcast questioned each other attempting to determine the source of the loud bang. Word quickly spread that the source of the noise emanated from the deployment of a rocket propelled airframe parachute of a Cirrus SR22 single engine airplane which had just departed the airport into the murky conditions.
The preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later revealed that the pilot of this aircraft had become disoriented when the passenger door in his airplane “popped open” after taking off and entering the clouds. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, attempted to return to the airport and in the process stalled the airplane, almost inducing a potentially lethal low-altitude spin. While the pilot stated that he did engage the wing-leveler, an autopilot device which would level the wings to keep them from turning, he admitted that he immediately thereafter pulled the handle to engage the rocket-powered airframe parachute. Fortunately, the parachute saved his life without damaging anything on the ground except for a few tree limbs and some paint from a nearby box truck.
As soon as the Cirrus Designs Corporation parachute-equipped aircraft began showing up in significant numbers, the debate on whether an airframe parachute saves lives or causes pilots to prematurely abandon attempts to resolve a crisis through traditional means has been raging in aviation circles. The fact that this parachute saved the life of this pilot is undeniable. Whether or not he could have handled this situation without resorting to falling uncontrollably to earth and possibly harming someone on the ground remains to be seen. However, this entire situation should serve to remind each of us who fly for fun or for a living of the most basic of rules taught to us from the very beginning – aviate, navigate, communicate.
Each pilot has hopefully been taught this simple yet vital lesson at one point. No matter what the situation, continuing to control the airplane is the highest responsibility bestowed on the pilot-in-command. While it sounds simple in text, it obviously is more difficult in actual execution. But no matter, you must be prepared at anytime during your next flight to maintain control of the aircraft through any potential distraction. An open door, a sick passenger, the smell of smoke, a loud bang, a buzzing wasp, or any number of distractions can attempt to divert your attention from your main duty of controlling your airplane. When something like this occurs, please think of our colleague in the Cirrus, worrying about an open door instead of flying his airplane.
The best thing to do in any distracting situation is to simply stop and think. Take the few seconds that it will take to truly think your situation through. Aviate - think of how you can continue to maintain control of the airplane while handling the distraction. Navigate – think of where you are going to navigate to while managing the distraction. Communicate - describe your situation to ATC, who can provide additional assistance in many situations.
In the case of the open door, the answer is simply to forget about the open door and fly the airplane. Other than a wet, cold and loud cockpit environment, an open door is not a hazard for most airplane models. Fixing that problem while in the air is not worth risking life and limb. In the case of more significant hazards such as smoke or a loud bang, you may be forced to quickly troubleshoot a potential problem while maintaining control of the airplane. In this case, keep in mind that your main duty is to maintain control of the airplane. Engage the autopilot if the airplane is so equipped. Have a passenger help if someone is beside you. But above all else, do not discontinue your control of the airplane. Control is your only saving grace. Once you relinquish control, your fate is no longer in your hands.
One of the old adages of aviation states that a pilot should strive to fill the bag of experience before emptying the bag of luck. The Cirrus pilot used quite a bit of luck from his bag. Hopefully he is able to learn from this situation and later fill his bag of experience. The great thing about the aviation community is that we all relish the learning we can do from someone else’s misfortune. We absorb situations such as these so that we do not reach deeply into our bag of luck when met with a distraction in the cockpit. So the next time you are faced with a situation which can potentially divert your attention from your main duties of master and controller of your aircraft, remember your training. Aviate, navigate, communicate. This mantra truly never gets old.
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