mrivc211
Well-Known Member
I ventured off tonight on a cross country with my student. Well on the way back ATC alerted us the SNA had gone below VFR mins. No problem I thought, we'll just take the ILS.
So we check the ATIS and find out the Vis is 1 mile and 600 OVR. No problemo, minimums are 255ft. So we circle, and circle, and get vectored, finally, by the time socal is ready to clear us for the approach, the Vis has dropped down to 1/4 mile and a ceiling of 100 OVR. I give it a shot and see how it is. Well, the thing is we also had a low level wind shear alert in effect. All the jets were reporting 50 knot tail winds on final down to 1000AGL then a head wind of 15 knots! YIKES!
Here we go! so I was cleared for the approach and begin my descent, we're getting rocked pretty good right about now descending thru 2000'. As I pass the OM I switch to tower and report inbound. Coming down and down and down, it's VERY hard to keep the needles centered. I'm starting to get nervous about this.
Well, now I'm below 1000' and approach the ground very quickly. My heart starts pumping! I can see the fog layer at about 1000ft AGL going all the way down to the ground as I approach the airport, OK, no more looking outside! So here it goes, 500, 400, 300, approaching minimums, 255! The needles are at full deflection right as I reach minimums, and I almost nearly lost it! I paniced but managed to keep it together.
For some reason I stalled and couldn't go missed. I paused maybe what seemed like forever and it might have been 5 or 6 seconds. Then I saw nothing but the approach lights flashing beneath me, I was in SERIOUS danger! I knew I was less than 200 FT from the ground doing 110 knots. I immedietly applied full power, with full deflection and went missed leaving my heart down at 255 ft.
When I got to minimums, I had full deflection, was off centerline big time, and was more than likely below mins because I frooze for those few seconds, not to mention I had spatial disorientation with a 25 degree bank to the right and I wasn't able to correct because of the sensations I was having. All too common rookie mistakes. (Beleive me, everyone gets these things at all stages and levels of experience).
So I went missed, cancelled IFR and went to an airport called FUllerton 7 miles away. Landed there in VFR conditions, and had a large pizza with my student. An hour later, having called a few people to try and pick us up, my student starts to try and get me to fly back. He says that by the time someone drives down to pick us up, we could be back at SNA doing the paper work. I then turn to him and say, "it's not about time, ITS ABOUT SAFETY!" There will no paperwork if we end up splattered across the 405 Freeway. I begin to block him out of my decision making process and get the updated ATIS. This time the ATIS is reporting 1 mile VIS with 100 Broken. Thats a little better than 1/4 Vis and 100 OVR. So I decide to give it a shot but this time I'm going no lower than 300'.
So I get in and we quickly depart Fullerton airport which is now closed. My instructions to him during this approach were simple, don't talk unless something abnormal is happening. Please monitor my instruments, call out 1000ft, 500ft then every 50ft after that. Look outside and look for approach lights.
So we now down on the ILS again, he calls 500, then 400, then 350, then 300......I look up and see we're still at 350 ft I quickly and loudly say we're at 350 STILL! Here comes 300 and were getting the approach lights in sight!
I swear to god I was pissing in my pants at this point. I dont know why, because I've done approaches down to mins before but something about this one just freaked me out. The FOG was just SOOOOOO thick. RVR was 5500ft. So as I see approach lights in sight, I descend down to 100ft above TDZE, yup! Doing it just like the regs, I get there, and there pops the edge lights and threshold. I still can't see the ground, its BLACK! Only FOG, it was almost like we were in slow motion doing the approach. I felt comfortable at this point making an attempt to land. We greased it in and the fog was still very thick.
Just another chapter in the experience book you can add. These are times that you can't BUY anywhere. I don't recommend doing them purposely or on your own. Definetely take a experienced person with you your first time.
All this for a measly $35/hour! Gotta love it! Yah know, it makes you realize how under paid airline pilots are being able to do that with 200+ people sitting in the back! Think about that!
So we check the ATIS and find out the Vis is 1 mile and 600 OVR. No problemo, minimums are 255ft. So we circle, and circle, and get vectored, finally, by the time socal is ready to clear us for the approach, the Vis has dropped down to 1/4 mile and a ceiling of 100 OVR. I give it a shot and see how it is. Well, the thing is we also had a low level wind shear alert in effect. All the jets were reporting 50 knot tail winds on final down to 1000AGL then a head wind of 15 knots! YIKES!
Here we go! so I was cleared for the approach and begin my descent, we're getting rocked pretty good right about now descending thru 2000'. As I pass the OM I switch to tower and report inbound. Coming down and down and down, it's VERY hard to keep the needles centered. I'm starting to get nervous about this.
Well, now I'm below 1000' and approach the ground very quickly. My heart starts pumping! I can see the fog layer at about 1000ft AGL going all the way down to the ground as I approach the airport, OK, no more looking outside! So here it goes, 500, 400, 300, approaching minimums, 255! The needles are at full deflection right as I reach minimums, and I almost nearly lost it! I paniced but managed to keep it together.
For some reason I stalled and couldn't go missed. I paused maybe what seemed like forever and it might have been 5 or 6 seconds. Then I saw nothing but the approach lights flashing beneath me, I was in SERIOUS danger! I knew I was less than 200 FT from the ground doing 110 knots. I immedietly applied full power, with full deflection and went missed leaving my heart down at 255 ft.
When I got to minimums, I had full deflection, was off centerline big time, and was more than likely below mins because I frooze for those few seconds, not to mention I had spatial disorientation with a 25 degree bank to the right and I wasn't able to correct because of the sensations I was having. All too common rookie mistakes. (Beleive me, everyone gets these things at all stages and levels of experience).
So I went missed, cancelled IFR and went to an airport called FUllerton 7 miles away. Landed there in VFR conditions, and had a large pizza with my student. An hour later, having called a few people to try and pick us up, my student starts to try and get me to fly back. He says that by the time someone drives down to pick us up, we could be back at SNA doing the paper work. I then turn to him and say, "it's not about time, ITS ABOUT SAFETY!" There will no paperwork if we end up splattered across the 405 Freeway. I begin to block him out of my decision making process and get the updated ATIS. This time the ATIS is reporting 1 mile VIS with 100 Broken. Thats a little better than 1/4 Vis and 100 OVR. So I decide to give it a shot but this time I'm going no lower than 300'.
So I get in and we quickly depart Fullerton airport which is now closed. My instructions to him during this approach were simple, don't talk unless something abnormal is happening. Please monitor my instruments, call out 1000ft, 500ft then every 50ft after that. Look outside and look for approach lights.
So we now down on the ILS again, he calls 500, then 400, then 350, then 300......I look up and see we're still at 350 ft I quickly and loudly say we're at 350 STILL! Here comes 300 and were getting the approach lights in sight!
I swear to god I was pissing in my pants at this point. I dont know why, because I've done approaches down to mins before but something about this one just freaked me out. The FOG was just SOOOOOO thick. RVR was 5500ft. So as I see approach lights in sight, I descend down to 100ft above TDZE, yup! Doing it just like the regs, I get there, and there pops the edge lights and threshold. I still can't see the ground, its BLACK! Only FOG, it was almost like we were in slow motion doing the approach. I felt comfortable at this point making an attempt to land. We greased it in and the fog was still very thick.
Just another chapter in the experience book you can add. These are times that you can't BUY anywhere. I don't recommend doing them purposely or on your own. Definetely take a experienced person with you your first time.
All this for a measly $35/hour! Gotta love it! Yah know, it makes you realize how under paid airline pilots are being able to do that with 200+ people sitting in the back! Think about that!