Yesterday morning me and my wife flew down to Key West for an afternoon of fun and sun. We layed on the beach, ate some seafood, wandered around then headed over to Mallory Square for the sunset party. After enjoying the show we got back on the Bone Island trolley and headed back to the airport. Now dark I preflighted the 172 and got myself set up in the cockpit. Everything where I wanted it, spare batteries, pens, maps, both handheld and panel mounted Gps ready to go.
The chain of events begins to break down.
Contact KW ground state intentions and ask for VFR flight following for the night time return. Ground informs me to request flight following from Navy tower after departure and to taxi, position and take off.
I take off get handed to Navy Tower who informs me I'm cleared through the Navy airspace and to contact KW depature to obtain flight following. Over to KW departure again ask for following who inturn tells me to contact MIA Cntr to request flight following.
All the while I'm begining to realize just how DARK IT IS over the ocean at night with no moon. 10 min later I'm approaching Marathon.
MIA Cntr decides they do have time to give me flight following and gives me a squak code. I enter in the transponder. He acknowledges radar contact and tells me to resume own nav.
I look up outside for what I think was the SECOND TIME
since departing and just in time to realize (only because my landing light and strobes illuminated it) I'm inside one of those widely scattereds at 3500 I bust out the other side see marathon up ahead.
A few minutes later I begin my turn North to Everglades city.
GPS is telling me something I don't want to hear. 72.5 nm to go fighting some kind of wind. I look up away from the panel again. NOTHING AT ALL TO SEE. No lights, no ground no stars, no moon thanks to a scattered layer up above, at least that what the briefier called it, and on the ground thats what it looked like. I cannot stress enough just HOW DARK it was outside the window. I'll also say that I have flown at night on a number of occasions and I enjoy it alot. Over land that is. With some moon. When I can at least see a few lights here and there.
Well there I am flying in what may be legally VFR but there is NO WAY that that is VFR. Completely unable to ascertain anything outside the cockpit I go back to the panel. In my mind I hear my instructors voice. "Maintain your scan, don't fixate, that the VSI lags behind, your artificial horizon is your primary judge of whats going on, don't fixate. etc"
An uneasy feeling begins to take over. I am not yet inst rated (but working on getting my CC PIC 50 hr requirement) I am getting uncomfortable. My wife asks me if I'm ok. I say no. I look back over my shoulder at Marathon. Again my instructors voice in my head "Never leave an airport behind, 180 degree turn at standard rate, don't fixate, keep up your scan" "Well hon we're heading back to Marathon. I am not ok with this flight" My own personal rule I told myself I wouldn't break. If safe completion of a flight is in doubt DON"T DO IT. And with that I excuted my turn. Called up MIA Cntr told them to cancel my following. He asked me if I had a problem, I said nope, just gonna return to marathon for the night. Landed uneventfully at Marathon got a hotel at a very expensive, weekend, in season, in the keys
rate.
Called up and left a message at the FBO that I wouldn't be returning and I'd come back in the morning. In my head I wrote my own NTSB CFIT report. Pilot Error, inexpeirenced for conditions, lack of visual references, spacial disorientation and maybe, generally unhelpful controllers a contibuting factor.
Where I went wrong: Not realizing just how dark it gets out there and not leaving KW earlier.
Where I went right: Leaving myself a way out. Before we decieded to stay for the sunset party I had a contigincy plan in my head and CC's in my pocket knowing that if it was too dark I'd get a hotel. Sticking with what I know is right. In doubt turn around.
As I continue my journey on the way to CFI and beyond I know that when I have my students every one of them, when doing their required night time will be accompanying me out over the ocean on those dark nights to see just how dark it gets and too see that while it may LEGALLY VFR there is nothing VFR about it.
So with that my saga ends and I don't become a post on JC about another JFK Jr type incident.
The chain of events begins to break down.
Contact KW ground state intentions and ask for VFR flight following for the night time return. Ground informs me to request flight following from Navy tower after departure and to taxi, position and take off.
I take off get handed to Navy Tower who informs me I'm cleared through the Navy airspace and to contact KW depature to obtain flight following. Over to KW departure again ask for following who inturn tells me to contact MIA Cntr to request flight following.
All the while I'm begining to realize just how DARK IT IS over the ocean at night with no moon. 10 min later I'm approaching Marathon.
MIA Cntr decides they do have time to give me flight following and gives me a squak code. I enter in the transponder. He acknowledges radar contact and tells me to resume own nav.
I look up outside for what I think was the SECOND TIME
A few minutes later I begin my turn North to Everglades city.
GPS is telling me something I don't want to hear. 72.5 nm to go fighting some kind of wind. I look up away from the panel again. NOTHING AT ALL TO SEE. No lights, no ground no stars, no moon thanks to a scattered layer up above, at least that what the briefier called it, and on the ground thats what it looked like. I cannot stress enough just HOW DARK it was outside the window. I'll also say that I have flown at night on a number of occasions and I enjoy it alot. Over land that is. With some moon. When I can at least see a few lights here and there.
Well there I am flying in what may be legally VFR but there is NO WAY that that is VFR. Completely unable to ascertain anything outside the cockpit I go back to the panel. In my mind I hear my instructors voice. "Maintain your scan, don't fixate, that the VSI lags behind, your artificial horizon is your primary judge of whats going on, don't fixate. etc"
An uneasy feeling begins to take over. I am not yet inst rated (but working on getting my CC PIC 50 hr requirement) I am getting uncomfortable. My wife asks me if I'm ok. I say no. I look back over my shoulder at Marathon. Again my instructors voice in my head "Never leave an airport behind, 180 degree turn at standard rate, don't fixate, keep up your scan" "Well hon we're heading back to Marathon. I am not ok with this flight" My own personal rule I told myself I wouldn't break. If safe completion of a flight is in doubt DON"T DO IT. And with that I excuted my turn. Called up MIA Cntr told them to cancel my following. He asked me if I had a problem, I said nope, just gonna return to marathon for the night. Landed uneventfully at Marathon got a hotel at a very expensive, weekend, in season, in the keys
Called up and left a message at the FBO that I wouldn't be returning and I'd come back in the morning. In my head I wrote my own NTSB CFIT report. Pilot Error, inexpeirenced for conditions, lack of visual references, spacial disorientation and maybe, generally unhelpful controllers a contibuting factor.
Where I went wrong: Not realizing just how dark it gets out there and not leaving KW earlier.
Where I went right: Leaving myself a way out. Before we decieded to stay for the sunset party I had a contigincy plan in my head and CC's in my pocket knowing that if it was too dark I'd get a hotel. Sticking with what I know is right. In doubt turn around.
As I continue my journey on the way to CFI and beyond I know that when I have my students every one of them, when doing their required night time will be accompanying me out over the ocean on those dark nights to see just how dark it gets and too see that while it may LEGALLY VFR there is nothing VFR about it.
So with that my saga ends and I don't become a post on JC about another JFK Jr type incident.
