ATC Handling of Low-Fuel American Flight

http://www.kvue.com/sharedcontent/Vi...2817&catId=104

This was on my local news last night. I gotta wonder if the approach
controller told the local controller that there was an emergency
declared, it didn't appear on the video but my have been edited out.

Bottom line, the AA pilot owned the airport, he should have made a bee
line for 17 center and landed the plane. They were lucky that whatever
fuel issue they had didn't cause a disaster in the extra minutes flying
a pattern to the opposite runway.

I've had one emergency in my flying career and the tower we declared
with was great. Everyone got shooed out of the airspace or landed and
we owned the airport.. cleared to land any runway. They equipment was
waiting for us (which fortunately we didn't need) and other than giving
name/phone numbers that's the last we heard of it.

If you (any of you) have a serious doubt to the safe outcome of the
flight, don't be afraid to declare the emergency and do whatever it
takes to get yourself and your passengers safely on the ground.

Robert


Sam Spade wrote:
http://www.kvue.com/sharedcontent/Vi...2817&catId=104

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 05:41:03 -0800, Sam Spade wrote
(in article ):


http://www.kvue.com/sharedcontent/Vi...dId=122817&cat

Id=104

It appears somebody forgot what pilot in command means.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On 2/23/2007 9:01 AM, Robert Chambers wrote the following:
I gotta wonder if the approach
controller told the local controller that there was an emergency
declared, it didn't appear on the video but my have been edited out.


and what was AA squawking? A 7700 should have made sure everyone knew.

Mitty wrote:

On 2/23/2007 9:01 AM, Robert Chambers wrote the following:

I gotta wonder if the approach controller told the local controller
that there was an emergency declared, it didn't appear on the video
but my have been edited out.


and what was AA squawking? A 7700 should have made sure everyone knew.

That would have gotten their attention, too.

Doesn't matter what he was squawking.. he was on a discrete squawk
anyway so they knew who he was. He declared an emergency, that's all it
takes to get anything you need to meet your situation.

Mitty wrote:
On 2/23/2007 9:01 AM, Robert Chambers wrote the following:

I gotta wonder if the approach controller told the local controller
that there was an emergency declared, it didn't appear on the video
but my have been edited out.


and what was AA squawking? A 7700 should have made sure everyone knew.

Yeah, that is what struck me about the video, the approach controller didn't
mention "emergency" in the phone call to tower controller. It that indeed
happened, I wouldn't put much blame on ATC, except the approach controller.
I'm thinking that runway assignment and suitable vectors would have been in
use befor AA crew ever talked to tower freq.

I first expected the video to show yet another "ahhhh approach we got us
here this little ol' situation and we're just wondering how ol' 17 center is
lookin..." that some pilots seem determined to use when they have an
emerigency. I understand the psychological need to keep a lid on things,
and understand denial as well as the next guy, but many pilots need to
better understand that declaring an emergency should come more easily than
they often assume.

--

Scott

"Mitty" wrote in message
...

and what was AA squawking? A 7700 should have made sure everyone knew.


No more so than declaring it via the radio.

"Robert Chambers" wrote in message
. ..

Doesn't matter what he was squawking.. he was on a discrete squawk anyway
so they knew who he was. He declared an emergency, that's all it takes to
get anything you need to meet your situation.


Well, that's all it SHOULD have taken.

Steven P. McNicoll writes:

No more so than declaring it via the radio.

Actually, a radio declaration would make it more obvious, as only ATC sees
squawk codes, whereas everyone in the area hears radio transmissions.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.