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Old 03-01-2008, 09:07 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Default What do you do if Captain goes below minimums?

This is a common interview question. In preparation for an interview coming up, I'd like to get a consensus for the 'right' way to answer this.

I think the callout, "minimums. missed approach." is appropriate. What if the Captain were to continue beyond that?

I think the missed approach needs to be initiated. How is that best done?

Thank you in advance for your advice.
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Old 03-01-2008, 09:15 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kdub View Post
This is a common interview question. In preparation for an interview coming up, I'd like to get a consensus for the 'right' way to answer this.

I think the callout, "minimums. missed approach." is appropriate. What if the Captain were to continue beyond that?

I think the missed approach needs to be initiated. How is that best done?

Thank you in advance for your advice.
In all my years of flying, I've never had this happen. The way I see it you either:

1. Call missed to the tower and if they issue instructions for a go around, you have essentially canceled the landing clearance.

2. Do nothing because it's more dangerous to wrestle with the controls that close to the ground then handle it afterwards.

Also, was there a reason for going below mins? Out of gas, passenger dying, fire that can't be extinguished, etc.
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Old 03-01-2008, 10:02 AM   #3 (permalink)
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In all my years of flying, I've never had this happen. The way I see it you either:

1. Call missed to the tower and if they issue instructions for a go around, you have essentially canceled the landing clearance.

2. Do nothing because it's more dangerous to wrestle with the controls that close to the ground then handle it afterwards.

Also, was there a reason for going below mins? Out of gas, passenger dying, fire that can't be extinguished, etc.
I've never had it happen either, and can't picture it happening outside of an incapacitated Captain situation. I agree that wrestling controls needs to be avoided at all costs. I have heard one check airman say that after calling "minimums, runway not in sight, missed approach", that the SIC should call "setting climb power" and beyond that, "I've got the airplane" should the PIC continue to not respond. The check airman's opinion was based on my need to assume that the Captain IS incapacitated. What do you guys think?
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:08 AM   #4 (permalink)
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well i would be very ticked off if i was flying with a captain that did this.....and unfortunatley i know some people at regionals which i will not name who have had captains do this before....a friend told me he had a captain call the tower field in sight field wasnt really in sight so he called tower and called missed to correct the captain....didnt ask him what the capt said once they were on the ground....
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:49 AM   #5 (permalink)
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It depends on the situation. I recently read an "I was there" report from a Navy C-9 crew that got surprised by a weather system that developed very differently from the forecast on a flight to Guam. Long story short, they ran low on fuel, ran out of options, and flew below minimums to land the airplane.

So, yeah, if the options are bust the minimums or splash, I'll back my Captain all the way to the deck and all the way to the review board.
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Old 03-01-2008, 12:13 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice View Post
.....was there a reason for going below mins? Out of gas, passenger dying, fire that can't be extinguished, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankCobretti View Post
...So, yeah, if the options are bust the minimums or splash, I'll back my Captain all the way to the deck and all the way to the review board.
I'll buy the above; however, I think the interview question is less addressing an emergent situation, but one more of there being nothing wrong except a Captain that is not responding to the prompt to initiate the missed.
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Old 03-01-2008, 12:22 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Whip out the crash axe and use it to educate my captain on the importance of minimum weather requirements.
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Old 03-01-2008, 06:13 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Sweet ! I'll buy that too.

Anybody ever gotten this question in an interview?? How was it answered?
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:37 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Sweet ! I'll buy that too.

Anybody ever gotten this question in an interview?? How was it answered?
I was asked this in my XJT interview. I told him I'd announce the go around on tower frequency. That way you commit the captain to going ahead with the go around. I would argue that this would be the best answer, but then again what do I know. I wouldn't say in the interview that I would just sit there and not do anything about it, even though I agree that doing nothing is relatively better than trying to overpower your CA for the flight controls.

Just my $0.02
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Old 03-04-2008, 11:34 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Make sure the autopilot is on, and you are stabilized, and punch him in the throat, and assume control.
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