I Learned About Flying From That: Engine Failure With an "Eye in the Sky"

I Learned About Flying From That: Engine Failure With an “Eye in the Sky”

Keith Connes

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 03:16 AM ET

Verified

Illustrated by Barry Ross

Key Takeaways:

An aviation journalist's assignment with a traffic reporter quickly turned into an emergency when their aircraft's engine failed mid-flight due to completely empty fuel tanks, necessitating an emergency landing.
The incident was a result of the pilot's rushed, unprofessional conduct, including a negligent pre-flight fuel check and her admitted decision to fly with known faulty fuel gauges, directly violating aviation regulations.
Despite being an experienced pilot, the journalist expressed deep embarrassment for allowing the pilot's authority and haste to override his own common sense and training, a lapse that led to severe consequences for the pilot (certificate suspension, job loss).

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This engine failure did not occur in my airplane, and I wasn’t the pilot. Nevertheless, I was personally and embarrassingly involved in the process that led to the incident.

It all started when I, as an aviation journalist, embarked on a series titled “Careers in Aviation” and arranged to write about a day in the life of an air traffic reporter — you know, one of those eye-in-the-sky folks who describe how traffic is moving, or, in the case of the Los Angeles area, not moving.