Rick Durden’s very nice 2008 essay (“Declaring The Emergency,” published in our January 2009 issue and available on our web site) encourages pilots not to be shy about declaring an emergency. Very recently, a pilot in my area was flying his piston twin at 12,000 msl in IMC, under IFR, on a Saturday, when the manifold pressure in the turbocharged right engine went to ambient.
He feathered the prop, and realized that the field at which he normally has the aircraft serviced was in easy reach. He declared an emergency and diverted to that field. Two of his mechanics were flying IMC/IFR in the area, heard the transmissions, recognized his number and voice, and diverted to the same field.
