SMA OPERATING AS NORDO FORMATION ACFT INTO A CLASS D FACILITY SUFFERED ENG THROTTLE FAILURE AND HAD TO TAKE EMER ACTION TO CTL ACFT SPD AND MAKE A SAFE ARR.

2003-08 · NASA ASRS report 591365

Date: 2003-08 · Aircraft: Bellanca Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: approach

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-track-heading-all-types

Synopsis

SMA OPERATING AS NORDO FORMATION ACFT INTO A CLASS D FACILITY SUFFERED ENG THROTTLE FAILURE AND HAD TO TAKE EMER ACTION TO CTL ACFT SPD AND MAKE A SAFE ARR.

Narrative

I WAS THE LEAD ACFT IN A FLT OF 2 RETURNING TO A CLASS D TWR CTLED ARPT. SECOND ACFT DID NOT HAVE A RADIO. I RPTED 5 MI OUT AS A FLT OF 2 FOR LNDG. WE WERE CLRED TO ENTER CLASS D AIRSPACE AND TOLD TO RPT A 2 MI FINAL. THERE WERE 2 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN; A MIL HELI ON R DOWNWIND AND A MIL TRANSPORT ON L DOWNWIND. TWR CALLED OUT OUR POS TO BOTH ACFT AND INSTRUCTED THEM TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND. AT 4.5 MI; I OFFERED TO ALLOW THE HELI TFC TO LAND IN FRONT OF MY FLT BUT WAS TOLD IT WOULD NOT BE A PROB AND TO CONTINUE. I RPTED A 2 MI FINAL AND WAS CLRED TO LAND BUT TOLD THAT FLT WAS NOT IN SIGHT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TWR RPTED THAT LEAD ACFT WAS IN SIGHT BUT NOT THE WING MAN. AT THAT POINT I BEGAN LOOKING FOR SECOND ACFT AND CONSIDERED BREAKING OFF APCH TO LOOK FOR HIM; BUT BECAUSE OF APCHING SUNSET; I HESITATED TO MAKE REQUEST. AT THAT TIME; TWR RPTED THAT SECOND ACFT WAS IN SIGHT; HOWEVER; HE WAS WELL BEHIND ME AND MANEUVERING THROUGH THE FINAL APCH COURSE. TWR ASKED IF I KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND I REPLIED THAT I DID NOT BUT THAT HE MAY BE EXPERIENCING SOME TYPE OF PROB. AT THAT TIME; BOTH MIL ACFT AND TWR WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MANEUVERING OF THE SECOND ACFT. TWR INSTRUCTED BOTH TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION AND CONTINUE ON DOWNWIND UNTIL HE COULD DETERMINE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I CONTINUED AND LANDED AS CLRED AND SECOND ACFT LANDED JUST AS I WAS CLRING THE RWY. I THEN CALLED FOR TAXI TO PARKING AS A FLT. I APOLOGIZED TO TWR FOR THE CONFUSION AND SAID THAT I WOULD FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED AND TELEPHONE ASAP. AS IT HAPPENS; SECOND ACFT EXPERIENCED AN ENG MALFUNCTION THAT LIMITED HIS ABILITY TO REDUCE PWR AND SLOW FOR LNDG. HIS MANEUVERING WAS S-TURNS IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE DISTANCE AND ENSURE THAT THE REQUIRED FASTER THAN NORMAL TOUCHDOWN DID NOT RESULT IN A GND COLLISION OF OUR ACFT. I HAVE FLOWN MANY HRS IN FORMATION WITH THE SECOND ACFT PIC; WHICH IS WHY I BELIEVED HE WAS EXPERIENCING A MECHANICAL PROB WHEN HE WAS NOT IN THE PROPER POS FOR LNDG. IN HINDSIGHT; I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE OF OUR FORMATION FLT EXPERIENCE WE BECAME COMPLACENT REGARDING OUR PREBRIEF FOR ACTIONS IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER. THAT; COUPLED WITH HIS LACK OF A RADIO; RESULTED IN CONFUSION AND GREAT CONCERN ON THE PART OF THE TWR CTLR AND THE OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN. ALSO; BECAUSE OF APCHING DARKNESS; AND THE LACK OF LIGHTS ON MY ACFT; I PUT MYSELF IN POS THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK FOR HIM HAD HE BEEN FORCED TO MAKE AN OFF-FIELD LNDG WHILE ENRTE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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