When Rabbit Wont Run

The inoperative table doesn’t cover every possible system failure. Plus, you also need to consider facility outages and equipment failures at your alternate.

stevel

Friday, October 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Aviation infrastructure failures are inherent to instrument flight and are anticipated within IFR regulations and procedures.
Such failures can significantly impact approach availability and minimums, often requiring pilots to use higher visibility/ceiling requirements or switch to alternative approach types.
Pilots must proactively integrate contingency planning for equipment outages into their pre-flight preparation, meticulously reviewing approach plates for alternate minimums and failure impacts.
Regular practice under simulated failure conditions, such as flying approaches to higher minimums or practicing circle-to-land maneuvers, is essential to build competence and confidence for real-world scenarios.

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Trust is an intrinsic part of instrument flight. We trust ATC to keep other aircraft from running into us, we trust other pilots to know what they’re doing and we trust the instruments themselves. In the bargain, we also expect our onboard equipment—trust is too strong a word—to work and have a similar, positive outlook on electronic navigation resources: GPS, ILS, VOR, etc. But these systems, whether air- or ground-borne, can and do fail. In fact, expecting failure of various components comprising the aviation infrastructure is baked into many of its procedures.