Who flies during emergency?

av8tr1

av8tr1

"Never tell me the odds!"
I'd like to propose an idea.

Crew suffers a serious emergency. Requires investigation on scene (IE one pilot has to pull the POH and search). Who would be best to have hands on controls and who would be best to keep the wings level?

I'd postulate that the less experienced crew member should keep the wings level (whichever pilot that might be CA/FO) and the more experienced crew member should be doing the investigation. Once committed to an off airport landing then the most experienced pilot should be leveling the wings.

My thinking is the more experienced pilot should know more about the systems than the less experienced pilot (the stuff that isn't taught in ground or sim).

Thoughts?
 
At SJI and probably most 121 carriers the prevailing CRM philosophy is that the FO flies while the captain manages the situation such as running the QRH (not POH) and coordinating with mx/dispatch, etc. The captain usually has the most experience overall and likely on that specific airframe. Either way, it's a team effort and someone should always be flying regardless of what is going on while the other troubleshoots.
 
Interesting I was having a conversation recently with a couple of 121 (regional) pilots and they said the opposite. Makes a lot more sense the way you guys describe.
 
av8tr1 said:
Interesting I was having a conversation recently with a couple of 121 (regional) pilots and they said the opposite. Makes a lot more sense the way you guys describe.
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I think that's a regional thing. During my initial checkride at my regional, one of the reasons the captain upgrade I was with failed his part of the ride (among many others) is because he tried to do everything during an emergency while I just sat there twiddling my thumbs. As a captain myself now, it's so much easier to just let the FO take control while I manage the situation. It's much easier to lose SA of what's going on if you're trying to fly and run the communications through a middle man (FO). It's not spelled out in our books so it's up to the captain here.
 
bike21 said:
At SJI and probably most 121 carriers the prevailing CRM philosophy is that the FO flies while the captain manages the situation such as running the QRH (not POH) and coordinating with mx/dispatch, etc. The captain usually has the most experience overall and likely on that specific airframe. Either way, it's a team effort and someone should always be flying regardless of what is going on while the other troubleshoots.
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Yup.

You'd be amazed how little I didn't flying during my type ride.

"If any crazy (expletive happens), I'll give you the jet, I'll run he ECAM. If you're scared, go land, if you're not, we'll circle and talk about it. Don't come back to LGA unless you think we're about to die"
 
TrustMeI'maPilot said:
I think that's a regional thing. During my initial checkride at my regional, one of the reasons the captain upgrade I was with failed his part of the ride (among many others) is because he tried to do everything during an emergency while I just sat there twiddling my thumbs. As a captain myself now, it's so much easier to just let the FO take control while I manage the situation. It's much easier to lose SA of what's going on if you're trying to fly and run the communications through a middle man (FO). It's not spelled out in our books so it's up to the captain here.
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At my place it's suggested that the FO fly and the CA manage, but not required.

In my case it was my leg already and it went that way.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
On my fleet type, the answer is "it depends".

For most situations, we have the FO fly and the CA runs the QRH and manage the situation.

That being said, there are a few specific times where the CA is the one flying during the emergency, simply due to the way the airplane responds to whatever is broken. A good example of this would be a loss of electrical power forcing the RAT to deploy. Initially in that situation, the only flight instruments available are on the CAs MFD screen, thus CA flies and the FO runs the QRH.

Derg said:
You'd be amazed how little I didn't flying during my type ride.
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I think I did the takeoff and less than half the initial climb of my type ride. Otherwise, the FO was flying.
 
Also, if it is a control jam - hit the pitch or roll disconnect and then transfer controls to the pilot with control. I'm a 135 guy, so all our sim sessions have the applicant flying and PM running the check list while flying the VOR 4R circle to 31R at JFK approach. Cross KTAIT at 1,500' then descend to 640, circle east, start timer, head to the smoke stack...
 
ctab5060X said:
That being said, there are a few specific times where the CA is the one flying during the emergency, simply due to the way the airplane responds to whatever is broken. A good example of this would be a loss of electrical power forcing the RAT to deploy. Initially in that situation, the only flight instruments available are on the CAs MFD screen, thus CA flies and the FO runs the QRH.
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There are situations laid out in our CRM/TEM section- examples include flight control problem, and so on - situations in which the Captain is expected to fly, but really the idea would be to do so merely to create time. I'm also hesitant to swap over controls until the situation is stabilized, we are away from the granite and other airplanes, and so forth.

The philosophy around here, distilled down is: Whoever is flying should continue to do so until immediate actions are completed, and time is created. Then, usually, the first officer is going to fly while the Captain manages and directs the course of events.
 
BobDDuck said:
Which adds a layer of confusion in operations where the captain and fo switch off PF/PM roles by flight and not just who flies which leg.
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It really depends on the situation. If it’s a engine failure at V1 or right after TO the PF is going to continue flying until the situation is under control. There’s no point in changing controls and wasting time that could be used to run the emergency checklist. If the captain is the PF at some point he’ll hand the controls over once everything is under control and coordinate with everyone. After that’s done he/she will probably take the controls back and bring it back to the airport.
 
phill1174 said:
It really depends on the situation. If it’s a engine failure at V1 or right after TO the PF is going to continue flying until the situation is under control. There’s no point in changing controls and wasting time that could be used to run the emergency checklist. If the captain is the PF at some point he’ll hand the controls over once everything is under control and coordinate with everyone. After that’s done he/she will probably take the controls back and bring it back to the airport.
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Actually, no.... at least in theory. In a true PF/PM environment the PF will lead and handle the emergency, regardless of whether the captain or the FO is acting as PF on that leg. Obviously, the captain is going to have discretion as he is, at the end of the day, the HMFIC, but in theory, the FO would be doing the coordinating and talking to everybody as needed.
 
I would just love to see a checklist assign duties to the "HMFIC" officially.

Something along the lines of:
1. Affected Throttle - CUT-OFF (PF, PM)
2. Landing Airfield - Select (HMFIC)
 
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