Autopilots

While in IFR cruise at 4000 feet, the pilot observed the flight director command bars move out of view as the airplane started a gradual descent. When the pilot corrected, the electric trim started to run nose down and the aircrafts descent rate increased. The pilot attempted to disconnect the autopilot and trim with the control switches and the red disconnect switch. None of this had any effect. With the turbulence and conditions, the pilot was unable to reach the autopilot and electric trim circuit breakers. After all other remedial procedures had failed, he shut off the avionics master switch at about 1000 feet and recovered the airplane at about 500 feet.

Key Takeaways:

• Autopilot malfunctions frequently result in uncommanded aircraft movements, including rapid descents, abrupt climbs, or runaway electric trim, posing immediate flight control challenges.
• Pilots often experienced failure of standard autopilot disconnect switches, necessitating emergency actions such as pulling circuit breakers or shutting off master avionics to regain control.
• Incidents ranged from sudden uncommanded descents to chronic altitude deviations requiring manual adjustments, and some failures introduced additional hazards like smoke in the cockpit or jammed flight controls.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.