Just a short summary of the german article: This was a flight of two F18s, one as the leader, the second one as “wingman”. Since the weather did not allow visual contact between the two the second plane was supposed to follow the leading one using his on-board radar. However he soon lost radar contact and asked the ATC controller for directions, who told him to climb to 10,000ft and gave him the frequency of the next sector (Dübendorf). He hit the granite before getting the call in. But he was never vectored into anything.
I know nothing about military operations, but in civil operations, when flying below MSA the pilot is resposible for his terrain clearance. ATC can not be responsible for that because they know nothing about available climb gradients, turn radii, navigation equipment and so on. When operating in an environment like a valley one must thoroughly plan and brief the route to follow. Commercial operators are required to work out an “escape procedure” in those cases which will allow a safe climbout in case of communications failure, loss of navigation capability or an engine failure. In such a situation (loss of visual contact and uncertainty about my position) I would not care the least about any altitude passed to me by ATC (the 10,000ft may have been the maximum of this Meiringen control zone sector, therefore he tried to pass him on to Dübendorf) but climb to the briefed MSA instead. But again, this is our training and SOP, the militaries might do it differently.
Peter wrote:
What is the ICAO code?
LSMM
The FA18 Hornet has a climb rate of—-Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)——-.Now, this was an experienced pilot, who obviously lost situational awareness. Regardless of the equipment he had at his disposal, the pre flight brief, the rules of engagement if you will, he knew that he was in mountainous area. Hence the request of ATC assistance, evidently, a request too late. I would like to think that the old maxim of Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, would have had me firewalling, and pointing the nose up, as soon as it became clear I had lost SA. Then a call to ATC to get everything out of my way as I shot up vertically. Maybe that is too simplistic, but it may have saved a life, and an expensive piece of kit.
The original report has been updated a bit. What it says is that the Meiringen controller (presumably tower, they use the term ‘Flugverkehrsleiter’), upon request, cleared the pilot to 10k ft and handed him over to ATC Dübendorf. There is NO mention of any radar vectoring.
LSMM not in Jepps, not even in any supplements I can see.
Skyvector is your friend: https://skyvector.com/airport/LSMM/Meiringen-Airport
If this started as a formation flight, (as stated), the pilot would be concentrating on position with respect to the lead aircraft. If he lost that, he may start with no knowledge of his heading nor position. Hence reliance on help from ATC, as he starts to scan inside the cockpit.
Maoraigh wrote:
If he lost that, he may start with no knowledge of his heading nor position. Hence reliance on help from ATC, as he starts to scan inside the cockpit.
But this is where I am told that after loss of situational awareness and/or unsure of position in IMC, the militaries will usually do a “zoom climb” to a safe altitude. As I would do as well. Not talk to some ATC guy who you have not been in contact with before and who may know nothing about you. Aviate – navigate – communicate should be the same for everyone.
OK, but where do you get this safe altitude from? I think asking the tower where you just took off is your best bet in that case. If you hadn’t briefed that case beforehand.
