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When Plans Unravel

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Unexpected severe weather en route forced a pilot to make a complex diversion decision, significantly complicated by legacy equipment limitations that rendered most instrument approaches unusable.
  • The pilot successfully navigated to an alternate airport by flying an unfamiliar Localizer-Type Directional Aid (LDA) approach, which was the only compatible option given the circumstances and required careful procedural review.
  • After waiting for weather to improve, the pilot executed a challenging IFR departure from the alternate airport, requiring meticulous planning to meet specific obstacle clearance requirements from a tailwind runway.
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Diversions to an alternate, while achievable in an instant by selecting “Direct To” from the “Nearest” list, might not be so quick when facing weather and equipment limitations. Even a pre-planned, filed alternate doesn’t always work out due to unforeseen weather or outages. So finding a new destination on the fly requires some quick decision making. That’s exactly what happens during one leg of this tri-state trip. It’s one thing to divert for hazardous weather; it’s another to push your single-pilot workload right upto the limit when the options get tight.

Plan A, B, C

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