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 author recounts a "six degrees of separation" experience when an ATC emergency he witnessed later turned out to involve his friend, pilot Tom Torti.
Tom Torti declared an emergency in his Cessna Citation M2 after experiencing two loud bangs at FL 340, subsequently landing safely at KMCO.
Post-flight inspection revealed the cause was a bird, initially thought to have struck the right side, which had actually been ingested by the left engine causing a compressor stall.
The article emphasizes the prudence of declaring an emergency based on symptoms, even without a clear diagnosis, to ensure flight safety.

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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.