 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Small aircraft on IFR flight plan encounters WX, has sick passengers, WX deviation, becomes disoriented.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 185264 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199107 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : w147 |
| State Reference | WI |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Route In Use | enroute : on vectors enroute airway : zmp |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 20 flight time total : 287 flight time type : 287 |
| ASRS Report | 185264 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude other anomaly other other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified cockpit |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance other |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
About 6.4 hours into a 6.8 hour IFR flight. Just north of sue NDB on the door county peninsula of wi, I encountered some rain showers and mild turbulence. My wife and daughter both became air sick. The rain and turbulence were scattered and I began to fly around them. With all the confusion in the cockpit, I found I no longer knew my position. The number 2 navigation radio had quit working about 1 hour into the flight so I tuned into escabana up. At this time I realized I had lost considerable altitude and was no longer on course, but was in VFR conditions. My heading was around 90 or 100 degrees and I knew it should have been more like 30 or 35 degrees. I then tuned to the menomonie VOR and also received an off flag. Conditions were VFR and I was at the lake michigan with no land in sight so I stayed on the heading I was on and kept sight of land while trying to sort things out. Before I was able to ascertain my position minneapolis center called and asked what I was doing. At this time I told them I was lost. They gave me a heading and told me to climb. When radar contact was reestablished center vectored me to my destination. Once I was back in touch with center and on vectors things settled down in the cockpit. Rechking everything I found that instead of 109.6 for menomonie I had tuned in 109.65. When corrected, everything fell back into place sue NDB and menomonie VOR gave me position along my route to my destination. Contributing factor: the day before the flight my day had started at 6 O'clock am and ended at 1 O'clock am. I left with only 4 hours sleep. Everything went as planned even the approach into dbq. I think fatigue and the confusion in the cockpit were the 2 biggest factors. Because when things started going wrong they seemed to only compound, my mind would just go blank and I couldn't perform the most basic skills I had been taught. Radar service had been terminated. I didn't think center knew my position and I knew I didn't. Fear of flying out over open water was also a factor. I found some sense of security with land in sight.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SMA ON IFR FLT PLAN ENCOUNTERS WX, HAS SICK PAXS, WX DEV, BECOMES DISORIENTED.
Narrative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
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.