The Lear 35 medical-transport flight on which I was the captain had just departed Tampa International (KTPA) for Portland, ME (KPWM) carrying an elderly patient and his wife. It was a busy departure as we were already looking for deviations around the typical Florida summertime thunderstorms. The “pop”—accompanied by the sound of rushing air—came just as we passed through 12,500 feet.
As pressurization problems go, it could have been far worse, especially if we had already reached the Lear’s lofty cruising altitude. Still, this particular scenario created plenty of opportunities to practice our threat and error management (TEM) techniques.
