Get-There-Itis

Most of us have likely experienced the flying version of get-there-itis. My return home from AirVenture this year had all the contributing ingredients at play. After hustling around the grounds to catch all the sights on a hot, muggy day, and then dodging lightning and rain during the ultimately aborted afternoon airshow, I pre-flighted for my long flight home to Bridgeport, Conn. (BDR), at 1830 local. I filed for 13,000 feet to catch favorable tailwinds at altitude, set up the oxygen and settled in for an uneventful four-hour flight in my Beech Travelair. Nearing my destination, NY Tracon did their part to keep me occupied by changing my direct routing to one of the circuitous STARs for BDR. The amendment required me to program the six waypoints in my older GPS. And of course, just after Id completed this task, ATC changed its mind again and assigned the other procedure.

Key Takeaways:

• A fatigued pilot, flying late at night with a closed tower, initially succumbed to "get-there-itis" by accepting a visual approach despite unreliable automated weather reports.
• Visibility unexpectedly deteriorated during descent, forcing the pilot into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), but training allowed for a safe missed approach and subsequent ILS landing.
• The experience reinforced the importance of the pilot in command (PIC) acting decisively, leading to a new safety protocol: always requesting an instrument procedure when the destination tower is closed and VFR landing conditions are not absolutely certain.

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