One ATC Sector of Separation

Reflecting on a friend’s emergency situation in flight, thanks to some bird ingestion.

Les Abend

Friday, May 24, 2024 at 08:45 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

A bird ingestion created an irregular airflow throughout the left engine, causing erratic surges. [iStock]

Key Takeaways:

The article illustrates the "six degrees of separation" theory within the aviation community through several coincidental encounters, including the author's experience of busy ATC due to an emergency declared by a friend.
A pilot friend, Tom Torti, declared an emergency after his Citation M2 experienced two loud bangs at cruising altitude, prompting him to divert to a service center.
Despite an initial observation of a bird strike on the right side during departure, post-flight inspection revealed bird remnants in the *left* engine, which had caused a compressor stall.
The narrative emphasizes the prudence of declaring an emergency as a crucial safety measure, even when the exact nature of an in-flight problem is initially unclear.

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Most of us are familiar with the idiom “six degrees of separation.”

The theory, based on a 1929 short story, supposes that we are all connected by a chain of five other people. Essentially, it’s the small world philosophy. Airplanes make the world even smaller. Such was the case on a day that my flying coincided with a friend that lives miles away. In addition, it was the same day in January that an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 lost a door plug in the fuselage, providing a harrowing experience for both passengers and crew.