AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014 - 94

P&E

94 | 

NEVER AGAIN

directional gyro, and tried to reengage my
brain. At this low altitude the fuel totalizer was clicking away the numbers on my
remaining fuel.
There was no visual exit from this
cloud-enshrouded trap. At the extreme
end of the valley, I throttled up to 100-percent power, built up airspeed, and climbed
into the overcast, this time on instruments,
praying that none of the gyro bearings had
failed and that the mountains were not
climbing faster than I was.
Finally level at 20,000 feet, on a
northerly heading in solid cloud, I began
receiving the air base's radio beacon. Still
shaking from the experience of the past few
minutes, I wasn't having much luck getting
my brain up to speed. About the time the
ADF needle began to swing, a providential hole suddenly appeared through those
thousands of feet of murk. At the bottom
of this hole appeared those beautiful runways of Williams AFB. Throttling back,
dive brakes out, and almost vertical, I shot
down through that hole like a rabbit.

The field had gone, unpredictably, to
visual minimums. A gaggle of F-80s, all
flown by aviation cadets, was daisy chaining around the traffic pattern, flitting in
and out of wisps of low-hanging scud, jockeying for a landing position. I was finally
cleared for the 360-degree overhead
approach, and was soon on the runway as
the wheels rumbled on the asphalt.
At the hardstand with the shutdown
checklist completed, and with my knees
still like water, I climbed down the ladder and wobbled over to debriefing. As it
turned out, a lot of the guys had aborted
because of the onset of unforeseen marginal weather.
Worried that this could get me pushed
out of advanced training, I never shared
the experience. In afterthought, however,
I believe I know the single thing that finally
led to my abrupt and total loss of control.
Being a bit left of course, much lower than
WEB

intended, and in highly restricted visibility, I believe I inadvertently entered the
Catalina Mountains at a very low altitude
and eventually started flying up the slope
of a mountainside without realizing it. By
the time I looked at my instruments it was
too late.
Over later years and thousands of hours
of flying, I never again dabbled with scud
running, having learned the hard way that
you've got to deal with existing flight conditions realistically, and not as you hope
they'll be. Unfortunately I was consumed
with the thought, I think I can make it. As
for scud running; the operating phrase is
"never again."
AOPA
LLOYD HERMAN of Sarasota, Florida, retired

from the Air Force in 1968. He has flown
more than 3,000 hours as pilot in command and approximately 4,000 as
a military navigator.

www.aopa.org/pilot/never_again

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014
