AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2023 - 102

RUDDER & WRENCH
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more in line with the winds, but ended
up having to execute a second go-around
because I lost sight of the runway environment
at approximately 100 feet agl. I
again executed the go-around and went
straight into the thunderstorm, which
had overtaken the midfield portion of
the runway and was about to overtake
the approach end in a matter of seconds.
I had never seen a storm move that fast
in my entire career.
I immediately transitioned to instruments
and made a 30-degree left turn to
exit the thunderstorm, all while being
shaken and bounced around like I've never
experienced before. Three of the passengers
in the back area were in a panic, crying
and being extremely loud, while a fourth
tried to calm them down so as not to distract
me. I eventually departed IMC and
was out of the thunderstorm, heading
south and calling ATC to ask for vectors
to the airport that I had flown over roughly
20 miles south of town.
Shortly after landing and during the
taxi into the FBO my adrenaline rush
started to subside. It was at that time that
I began to notice a foul odor in the airplane.
I turned around to find that one
passenger had vomited, which led the
others to start sympathetically vomiting.
The odor overtook me, and I started
to heave and gag as I shut down the
engines, darting for the door to get out of
the airplane. Once out I helped my passengers
out, I suggested that they call for
a ride to ferry them back to Little Rock.
What started out as a hot airplane
turned into a compounded physiological
emergency situation, inadvertent
flight into IMC, and severe turbulence
in IMC, all at low altitudes. I immediately
called the chief pilot to inform him
of what happened and to inquire as to
why the AC system wasn't working. His
response to me was mind blowing.
" I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you about
the aft blower switch, " he said. I told him
I wasn't aware of any aft blower switch.
He followed up with " But it was on the
checklist and you should have caught it. "
I quickly reminded him that less than
AOPA Legal Services Plan
421 Aviation Way,
Frederick, MD 21701
two weeks previous he instructed me to
memorize the checklist, develop my flow,
and not spend 10 minutes on the ramp
102
AOPA PILOT / September 2023
with the customers in the airplane, with
engines running fat fingering through a
checklist. I reminded him of his words to
" memorize the checklist and throw that
thing in the back seat, " which, against
my better judgment is exactly what I
did. The one item in the after-engine
start flow that was different in this aircraft
than the other late model King Air
I was accustomed to flying was the aft
blower switch. If that switch was not
turned on prior to the air-conditioning
system being turned on, then a capacitor
The combination
of compounding
circumstances could have
led to a fatal outcome. I
attribute the successful
outcome to the stickand-rudder
training and
experience I developed as
an U.S. Air Force
T-6 instructor.
in the wing root would trip, causing the
AC system to not work. I was not aware
of this order of operations at the time.
The combination of compounding
circumstances could have led to a
fatal outcome. I attribute the successful
outcome to the stick-and-rudder
training and experience I developed as
an U.S. Air Force T-6 instructor. There
is no substitute for basic hand flying,
stick-and-rudder experience combined
with a well-developed instrument cross
check. That day I met the true limits of
my capabilities and vowed to never let a
situation like that happen again. There is
no substitution for checklist discipline,
and letting an employer or a customer
tell you otherwise can lead to disastrous
consequences.
Chris Powers is an ATP
and the owner of a Van's RV-10.
http://www.aopa.org/pps
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2023

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