Current Confidence

When confronted with an inoperative autopilot, a pilot is grateful for recurrent training on his instrument rating.

Ben Younger

Thursday, March 02, 2023 at 04:51 PM ET

Verified

The author flies above the marine layer in Southern California in his Beechcraft Bonanza. [Courtesy: Ben Younger]

Key Takeaways:

During a flight in challenging SoCal instrument conditions, the aircraft experienced a critical autopilot malfunction (failed ruddervator servo clutch) that prevented it from controlling climb or descent.
Despite the equipment failure, the pilot, relying on recent recurrent instrument training, confidently hand-flew the aircraft through challenging instrument approaches.
The return approach to Santa Monica was made more difficult by actual ceilings being significantly lower than reported by ATIS, but the pilot successfully landed, underscoring the vital importance of pilot proficiency and training for unforeseen circumstances.

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I’ve had a great eight months of flying in SoCal since I came to Los Angeles last January. The marine layer that creeps on shore most nights makes for interesting departures. This is a place to keep yourself instrument current. I’ve gotten used to inputting the approach procedure to the opposite runway I am departing from in case things go south during the initial climb. Part 91 flying places few limitations on takeoff minimums, but regardless, I still won’t go when it’s LIFR [low instrument flight rules]. Give me a 500-foot-or-better ceiling, and I’ll take my chances.

One interesting flight back in May involved a quick trip down to Palomar to pick up my friend Martijn, who was visiting from Costa Rica. It was not a great beginning as I hit the starter button on the ramp in Santa Monica (KSMO). Nada. Not enough juice. The battery had drained to 11.3V after having updated all of the electronic charts on my multiple navigators and Garmin glass. High-class problem, but still a problem.