IIMC Recovery: In the Air Up to this point, we’ve looked at ways to reduce the number of IIMC encounters. While these measures should reduce IIMC incidents, real-world weather is just too unpredictable to eliminate them completely. If we want to reduce IIMC accidents to zero, pilots must plan and train to survive the encounter.
Staying Calm
Your initial reaction to losing visual reference is key to your survival of an IIMC encounter. Most student pilots learn the 4 Cs for reacting to an emergency at some point in their training: Climb, Communicate, Confess, and Comply. Bruce Webb, director of aviation educational and com-
munity outreach for Airbus Helicopters, suggests that we should change those Cs to “composure, composure, com-
If you lack ANY of these—proper visibility, visual
reference to the horizon, OR the ability to control the aircraft visually—you are in IMC.
posure, and composure.” As in most emergency situations, not panicking and keeping a clear head is most important. It’s also important to be aware of what happens to pilots
physiologically during emergencies. Fine motor skills are temporarily lost, and tunnel vision sets in. A person under extreme stress will also tend to mirror physical actions from one side of the body to the other (bilateral symmetry). You may not want your right hand pulling back on the cyclic as you pull up on the collective with your left hand. Tis is why pilots need to have a plan in place for encoun-
tering IIMC: so when the initial loss of motor skills occurs and tunnel vision takes over, they have a process to keep them alive until their composure returns.
Maintaining Control
Conventional advice to pilots in IIMC is to transition to instruments. Ten stabilize attitude, heading, power, airspeed, and trim, followed by initiating a controlled climb to a safe altitude.
Tis plan works for many aircraft, but not all. Operators of minimally equipped aircraft (for example, no attitude indicator) must customize their IIMC plan to fit their unique situation. Te key factor here is that every pilot has a plan for encountering IIMC, has practiced that plan, and is ready to commit to that plan during those first critical moments.
Getting Back on the Ground Now that we are under control and maintaining a safe distance
72 ROTOR MARCH 2021
from the ground, what’s next? Depending on the type of aircraft, installed equipment,
and pilot proficiency, our choices vary. Do we climb to a VFR altitude above the minimum safe altitude and ask for vectors to an approach? Do we turn around and try to fly out of the bad weather? Do we use our knowledge of the surrounding terrain and attempt a slow descent? Depending on location and aircraft equipment, all of these could be valid choices. One thing is certain: the pilot needs to form his or her unique recovery plan before leaving the ground. Regardless of the specific plan, the pilot should use all
resources available. Once your aircraft is under control, declare an emergency. It helps air traffic control (ATC) clear the airspace around you, gives you another resource for assistance, and even helps protect your certificate (contrary to some pilots’ fears, the FAA will support your efforts to keep out of the accident database). Of course, ATC wants to help, but they can do more harm
than good for a pilot who hasn’t yet regained control of his or her helicopter. Until you’ve established aircraft control, resist making radio calls, entering squawk codes, or changing frequencies. Spatial disorientation, loss of control, and a fatal accident are almost a certain outcome when a pilot fails to prioritize aircraft control above all other actions. When talking to ATC, pilots need to know when to say “Stand by” or “Unable.”
Train for IIMC Avoidance and Recovery When visibility begins to deteriorate, a pilot must be able to recognize those signs and make the appropriate decision to land or commit to instruments before spatial disorientation sets in, all while under extreme stress. Tis is critical to surviving an IIMC encounter and requires very specific skills. How can you practice those skills? Frequent, effective,
realistic training in reacting to IIMC is the final and essential part of the IIMC solution. IIMC training isn’t the same thing as instrument training.
Bryan Smith, safety program manager for the Airborne Public Safety Association, reminds us that it isn’t during the vectors and instrument approach phase that most people are killing themselves. Of the 22 IIMC accidents that occurred between October 2010 and October 2020, exactly ZERO occurred after the pilot had properly transitioned to instruments. Controlling an aircraft by reference to instruments and
executing an instrument approach is a key component of IIMC training. However, training in recognizing IIMC conditions and transitioning promptly and appropriately to instrument flight is just as, if not more, important. Scenario-based training, use of flight simulators and
aviation training devices (ATD), as well as recent advance- ments in view-limiting device technology have greatly
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92