AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018 - 102

NEWS & NOTES
ASI NEWS

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

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Along for the ride
New accident case study explores vacuum failure in IMC
BY MACHTELD SMITH

A VACUUM PUMP FAILURE on a sunny day
is no big deal, but in instrument meteorological conditions-and especially without
backup instrumentation-it's a serious
emergency. Not being adequately prepared
can test our proficiency and hamper our
ability to grasp the gravity of the problem
when it's most needed.
The May 3, 2016, flight was on an
instrument flight plan en route from South
Carolina to Connecticut. It concluded a
long weekend getaway for the Beechcraft
Bonanza pilot and his two friends. Shortly
after 3 p.m.-about two hours into the
flight-the pilot, flying above an overcast
south of Long Island, contacted New York
Tracon with a troubling report: His aircraft had lost its only vacuum pump, and
without a backup system, he was now
forced to fly partial panel. Although the
pilot realized the importance of staying in
visual meteorological conditions, he did
not effectively inform air traffic control
of the dire situation. When the controller asked the nature of the emergency and
whether the pilot needed assistance, the
pilot responded, "We're, ah, partial panel
sir. We're fine. We're VFR over the top
right now, and we're...just want to make

102 | AOPA PILOT February 2018

sure that we don't have a whole bunch of,
uh, time in the clouds, partial panel to get
down below the clouds."
With widespread instrument conditions
blanketing the destination and alternate
airports, the situation was deteriorating rapidly-the minutes and seconds just ticking
away-to that final point when the aircraft
became uncontrollable.
How could this accident have been prevented? The AOPA Air Safety Institute's
Accident Case Study: Single Point Failure
reviews the flight and the pilot's decisionmaking process, including actions the pilot
should have taken before he was forced to
deal with an impossible dilemma in instrument meteorological conditions.
As pilots, we want to enjoy every flight,
improve our skills, and share the fun of
flight with others. But we should also take
a moment and think of how we can be better
prepared for each flight before we hop into
the cockpit. Please share the video with others so they too can learn from the mistakes
that were made on this flight (www.airsafety
institute.org/ACS/singlepointfailure).
MACHTELD SMITH is an aviation technical

writer for the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

NEW FROM ASI
SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS OF
POPULAR C150/152 SERIES
The Cessna 150/152 series remains
one of history's most successful twoseat airplane designs. More than 30
years after the last 152 left the factory,
more than 12,000 remain registered
in the United States. While many of
the 150s that preceded the 152s were
originally marketed for personal use
under the model name Commuter,
the models' simplicity, durability,
handling qualities, and low operating
costs have also made them popular
as training aircraft. They are fun and
affordable to fly and have a proven
track record of reliability, but, like
all airplanes, certain aspects of their
operation require particular care and
caution. ASI's recently released Safety
Highlights: Cessna 150/152 report
examines how the 150/152 accident
records differ by patterns of use
(personal versus instructional) and
how they compare to those of other
models of similar power and size
(www.airsafetyinstitute.org/
C150-152safetyhighlights).

NEW ASI SPRING SEMINAR
Collision Course: Avoiding Airborne
Traffic explores risk-management
strategies to avoid other aircraft in
flight. Invite fellow pilots and plan
to attend the seminar at a location
near you (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/
seminars).
Seminar made possible by the
generous support of Joyce Gardella
in memory of Paul Gardella.

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/C150-152safetyhighlights http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/C150-152safetyhighlights http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ACS/singlepointfailure http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ACS/singlepointfailure

AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018

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