Declaring an emergency

[1964-M20E]

Well I was departing Orlando today, KORL and just after lift off climbing up to 1000' I notices that my voltage was 11.5V.  Tower has just handed me over to approach and I hadn't even called approach.  So I switched back to tower and told them I needed to return due to low voltage.  Tower asked if I wanted to declare an emergency, being on an IFR plan and not really thinking about it I said yes. (my first emergency declaration I'm no longer a virgin)  I returned to the airport with no problems.   Mrs. 1964m20e was calm all as well.  Taxing back to the FBO I noticed all the red blinky lights and fire trucks waiting on the ramp for me ,  Did I do that?  They had only mobilized out of the station sitting on the FBO ramp ready to assist if needed.  The fire chief and airport operations supervisor came over to talk with me to make sure everything was OK and a couple of pieces of paper later they were gone.  I thought I was a celebrity for a moment.

Turned out to only be the alternator field wire had broken.  One trip to the local aircraft supply store and a crimp-on butt splice and I was on my way with only an hour delay and I still landed before dark.  We had a strong headwind averaged about 120kTS GS and about an hour of rain in the Apalachicola / Tyndall area.

 

[aviatoreb]

29 minutes ago, 1964-M20E said:

...   Mrs. 1964m20e ...

 

That's really cute.

[Mooney in Oz]

52 minutes ago, 1964-M20E said:

Well I was departing Orlando today, KORL and just after lift off climbing up to 1000' I notices that my voltage was 11.5V

Well done in noticing the low voltage. I’ll add that to my own after take off scan.

Others may say they would not have declared an emergency, it doesn’t matter. There is no right or wrong. You called it as you saw it and at the end, the service wasn’t needed with the added result of a successful outcome. 

[Yetti]

Good outcome.  good use of pilot tricks in the pilot bag of tricks

[kortopates]

Awesome job! I think a great many pilots don't notice that until the radios or avionics go quiet. I fell victim to that my first time as well right after getting my instrument rating. Like you it was right after departure but on an IMC night. Luckily for me the lights went out just a couple hundred feet short of going IMC. I declared to all those that could hear me in the cockpit -  cause I was diverting and making a descending 180 and started squawking 7600 - which I am sure was also silent - but I went through the motions of my training. Within a couple minutes I had my portable radio on and telling tower I was returning to the field with a loss of electrical power. Next I had to get the gear down - I was worried not knowing how long it would take but it went quickly. All turned out well but what a tough way to learn to scan those instruments! It was a good lesson for life for me.  

[EricJ]

+1 on kudos for coming out of that successfully!

Some voice annunciators, like the AV-17, have a low voltage warning.   The field wire on my alternator broke as well, and the annunciator said "Low Voltage" probably immediately when it happened.   I think a JPI will alarm on low voltage as well.   

[midlifeflyer]

8 hours ago, Mooney in Oz said:

Others may say they would not have declared an emergency

Others believe in the "mountain of paperwork" myth.

[Tim Jodice]

1 hour ago, midlifeflyer said:

Others believe in the "mountain of paperwork" myth.

I had a gyro failure in IMC and declared an emergency everything went well. I was met by airport operations the asked me basic questions like who I was, who owned the airplane. That was it, no call from the FAA.

[HIghpockets]

I once had an indication low voltage and made a precautionary landing. I was VMC on an IFR flight plan. They rolled the trucks anyway. There was no issue. Next time I would not hesitate to declare an emergency.

[Yetti]

And what is the take away.   Everyone needs to on their next annual.   Remove and replace connectors on their alternator wires.   Check and verify the big B+ wire is secure.   Properly route and support all alternator wires.    Mine were done last year.   They were properly supported because I did that when I got the plane.    The reason the connectors fail is because mechanics just hang wires and don't know how to make proper bundles.

[jlunseth]

Great job declaring the emergency and not panicking.

My JPI 930 is on the pilot's side. It starts blinking at me the second the buss voltage isn't holding as do any of the engine parameters. Hard to miss it. Don't look at me, it was my avionics guy who suggested it, but it has saved my bacon more than once. Just a thought for anyone's panel redo.

 

[midlifeflyer]

1 hour ago, Tim Jodice said:

I had a gyro failure in IMC and declared an emergency everything went well. I was met by airport operations the asked me basic questions like who I was, who owned the airplane. That was it, no call from the FAA.

Your story is typical as are those in which there is a brief FAA follow-up by telephone. At the opposite end, I have a story about a pilot who did not declare an IFR emergency.  The paperwork in that one involved dealing with  an FAA enforcement action. The FAA ultimately accepted it was an emergency and that the pilot acted properly, but that wasn't until the "plea bargaining" stage I describe in the IFR Magazine article recently posted on AvWeb. Plenty of paperwork, as well as time, money, aggravation, and career worry in that one. 

[1964-M20E]

12 hours ago, Mooney in Oz said:

Well done in noticing the low voltage. I’ll add that to my own after take off scan.

Others may say they would not have declared an emergency, it doesn’t matter. There is no right or wrong. You called it as you saw it and at the end, the service wasn’t needed with the added result of a successful outcome. 

Thanks to the Avidyne IFD 550 which gave me the first indication by going into a power save mode dimming the display and flashing the low voltage warning.  Had this happened 30 minutes later I most likely would have been in IMC conditions but not necessarily solid IMC.

[PT20J]

I once had a control issue, declared an emergency, landed uneventfully at Merrill Field in Anchorage,  shut down clear of the runway, requested to walk out on the active runway to pick up the piece that fell out of the wing on touchdown (it was a cleco someone had left in the wing of a C-152 Aerobat that fell out a lightening hole and got caught in the right aileron when I did a hammerhead turn), collected it and taxied to parking, and I never heard a word about it. 

In Alaska, it’s considered good manners to collect any parts that fall off your airplane. I once had to dodge someone’s tail wheel assembly on landing 

Skip

[jlunseth]

19 minutes ago, PT20J said:

In Alaska, it’s considered good manners to collect any parts that fall off your airplane. I once had to dodge someone’s tail wheel assembly on landing 

Skip

Or the moose, and then the eagles at pattern altitude. 

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, 1964-M20E said:

Thanks to the Avidyne IFD 550 which gave me the first indication by going into a power save mode dimming the display and flashing the low voltage warning.  Had this happened 30 minutes later I most likely would have been in IMC conditions but not necessarily solid IMC.

Mine did that when my alternator failed, but it waited several minutes after the AV-17 warned me, so the thresholds must be slightly different.

Regarding declaring an emergency and potential follow-up consequences, I had an injector clog on takeoff just as the far end of the runway was passing under the nose.   In a four-cylinder airplane it's a significant event.   Without hardly even thinking I keyed the mic and said I had power loss, I didn't use the word "emergency" or anything like it, just "1TS has power loss".   The controller immediately said I had the whole airport at my disposal and offered a 180 turn to the parallel runway.   By that point I'd figured out I was actually climbing at about 100fpm, although everything was shaking like crazy.   I made a very gentle pattern and short approach, and when I shut down at my hangar an airport employee met me with a clipboard and some paperwork to fill out, which I did.   A week or two later I got a call from somebody at the FSDO asking what happened, and he seemed more interested in who had done any service or repairs to the airplane than the actual event.   There was no follow-up to me or my IA, so that was the end of it.

[Nick Pilotte]

I had a similar experience in flight training, my run up was good, but when I was cleared for takeoff I flipped all the lights on and took to the runway.  As I was spooling up on roll out, I could hear the strobes popping in my headset.  I aborted and advised tower who asked if it was an emergency, and I declined since I was still on the ground.  Advised I had an electrical issue and needed to shed some loads, the told me to just taxi to the end of the runway  where my hangar was and they said they would not use the runway until I was clear and do whatever I needed to do. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Nick Pilotte

[Mooneydriver805]

I’m sorry, but it’s improper internet etiquette to title a post “declaring an emergency” without:

A) A link to your YouTube video of you not actually having an emergency.

B ) Dramatic music playing while you’re not having an emergency.

C) Commentary after the fact lasting much longer than your “emergency”explaining why you’re such a great pilot and how only your superior piloting skills saved you and your passengers from your (non) emergency.

Just joking. You did a great job. No harm in declaring an emergency if there’s every any doubt. I wouldn’t do it for no reason but it’s good practice for the Fire Department and they’re usually happy that you’re safe and will sometimes chat your ear off about airplanes.

[DonMuncy]

It is my understanding that the big boys only get involved if you declare an emergency, AND they have to divert or delay someone else to handle you. This is also my experience, as I have declared twice and the only one I received a call about was the one where they had to hold up some IFR departures because of me.

[carusoam]

Great pireps everyone!

Thanks for sharing them all.

Best regards,

-a-

[midlifeflyer]

On 1/3/2021 at 4:45 PM, DonMuncy said:

It is my understanding that the big boys only get involved if you declare an emergency, AND they have to divert or delay someone else to handle you. This is also my experience, as I have declared twice and the only one I received a call about was the one where they had to hold up some IFR departures because of me.

It depends. I have declared twice and the only one with any follow-up was the one in which they didn't have to divert or delay anyone else. 

[whiskytango]

The last time I declared (oil pressure went to zero) I got a letter from the local FSDO asking for a copy of the logbook entry for any repairs that resulted from the emergency.  I sent them the engine major overhaul logbook entry and never heard back from them.

[BlueDun]

On 1/3/2021 at 12:47 PM, jlunseth said:

Or the moose, and then the eagles at pattern altitude. 

Particularly worrisome are the moose at pattern altitude.

[aviatoreb]

2 hours ago, BlueDun said:

Particularly worrisome are the moose at pattern altitude.

Its quite clear what happened, isn't it?  Giant eagles attacks moose, and then flies away with the hapless moose clasped in talons.

[tmo]

14 hours ago, BlueDun said:

Particularly worrisome are the moose at pattern altitude.

As long as it doesn't bite...