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Another Alpine crash - near LOWZ, SR22 D-EPRB

Ok point taken on the track, it would be good if you can elaborate the scenario further on a G1000.from the MAP in the case you find yourself north of the track..

EBST

That is actually the key learning of this accident (independent from what actually happened…):

When flying an IFR approach in marginal weather, we always need to have a plan for a “late missed approach”. Especially with those mountain valley approaches with very high DA, it can happen that we find ourselves in a situation where we have to go around low above the runway – without having done anything dramatic wrong before. And in may also happen in these situations, that the conditions on the downwind side of the ray become IMC really quickly – even if our approach has been completely legal up to that point.

Germany

The G1000 in the SR22 has a “GoAround button” on the throttle which automatically does a couple of important things when flying an AP-coupled ifr approach, like pitching up and activating the GoAround gps points for the AP to follow, so that the pilot only needs to manage flaps and power. The problem I faced sometimes with my ex SR22 on a late GoAround, is that the AP switches back to “heading mode” (typically set on rway) because the gps track is too far away, so the pilot has to remember to manually “force” the AP to actually follow the “gps mode” (in extreme cases has to turn the plane in heading mode first). This can be very confusing if not properly trained AND current, given the stressful phase of flight.

Last Edited by mancival at 22 Dec 14:21
United Kingdom

There are some runways (Aspen for example) where if you continue below the MAPt you are committed. The procedure with glass cockpits is normally:

Pickle (press the TO/GA button)
Pitch
Power
Flaps as per AFM
positive rate gear up
autopilot to a lateral and vertical mode if needed – some will default to pitch/roll, others will go to GPS/pitch.
Autopilot on at safe altitude

But from the looks of that plate, if you were forced to go around below the minima, you need a significant right turn to recapture the track otherwise you are literally flying blind. And you really need to know your avionics and autopilot to ensure that in the right turn you reintercept the track so I would fly it in HDG with NAV armed.

I would also be set up with my map showing relative terrain. So I could at least see where I am vis-a-vis terrain during the no-man’s land in the missed.

Overall however, I think to proceed past the MAPt, you should be very sure you are landing.

Last Edited by JasonC at 22 Dec 15:21
EGTK Oxford

172driver wrote:

Using LOWS as substitute doesn’t work IMHO, as the wx can vary dramatically from one Alpine valley to the next.

In general you can’t rely on it but in weather conditions like these days over the Alps the weather is practically the same in whole area, so if LOWS is not OK, LOWZ won’t be either. Looking at any weather resource (even non-aviation) would reveal that overcast was lower than approach minima. Checking meteogram before the flight would be sufficient to realize it was no go.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

I am not sure how much it is sensible to fly on AP near terrain/mountain VFR or IFR for that matter, if you have to GA it has to be early and hand flying therwise just comit to landing: when you have trees and hills ahead of the runway, you can’t just GA mid-runway even on a visual approach, you just have to bite the bullet and land blind or do a GA but way earlier…

Last Edited by Ibra at 22 Dec 17:06
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:


I am not sure how much it is sensible to fly on AP near terrain/mountain VFR or IFR for that matter, if you have to GA it has to be early and hand flying therwise just comit to landing: when you have trees and hills ahead of the runway, you can’t just GA mid-runway even on a visual approach, you just have to bite the bullet and land blind or do a GA but way earlier…

Single pilot IFR in IMC, I would get that a/p on as early as possible. How can hand flying possibly be better in that case?

EGTK Oxford

I fly a similar aircraft. It has terrain avoidance and the G1000 must have gone wild with TERRAIN TERRAIN and PULL UP audio and visual messages. The conflicting terrain is also shown on the PFD in a way that it can’t be missed..

Very sad accident.

In a situation like this, SVS, Terrain Warning etc… is reduced to „toy category“. Nice to checkmark on the option list during purchase or to play with when everything is going easy.

But, not so much when you are in IMC next to mountains and have no clear picture (literally) what‘s going on. Then things happen in a matter of seconds, and your brain will not even process all the different warning signals (auals/visuals).

Especially not if you do not have the proper response to it ingrained in your muscle memory from thousands of training instances.

There are tests: we shut down and lose most sensory capacity (aural, first and foremost) when stressed. This also explains all the gear up landings with the loud gear warning horn blaring for minutes.

always learning
LO__, Austria

Knowing the SR22 Autopilot, I’d make VERY WELL sure the G1000 PlayStation is set up correctly and fly that approach completely coupled, giving me capacity to monitor it, cross check sources/terrain display.

But these wx conditions wouldn’t get me near any mountain IFR procedure in any SEP, single pilot, with „consumer level“ avionics at all.

I say that after years of annual dedicated INN training in the SIM and many times flying there in really shitty wx with the lowest authorized minima, in multi crew airline ops.

always learning
LO__, Austria
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