ExpressJet Emergency in CYYZ
 

I was in Toronto today dropping off some pax and we had to switch runways at the last second for landing because they had declared an emergency. We got switched to tower too late to know what the deal was but seemed to be uneventful. Any info?

Hope everyone's safe.

We were in front of them. They didn't declare, but it sounded like ATC declared for them. They made it sound like an air/ground switch failure...no TRs, no spoilers, etc. When we were clearing customs, they were just parking at the gate, so guessing everything turned out ok.

Wait,

Why would they not declare an emergency if they had a fault in that system?

Just saying..

ATC had to declare it for them....

Why is everyone so afraid of declaring emergencies?

There is a known problem with the air ground sensors and it occasionally happens. Sometimes the gear comes up after TO and you get a message or you cant retract the gear and you get a message. It really isnt an emergency in the sense that you need priority or are in anyway different for doing an air return. The canadians always jump at the chance to make something a beurocratic mess so i can see why the controller declared it for them.

Regardless of any "known" issues. If there is a chance that your breaking, TRs, and spoilers may not work. Its an emergency. Granted you are more than likely not going to crash, you don't need any air priority but you are going to want CFR standing by. So why not declare as a precaution.

Maybe because there are unusual or abnormal procedures which don't qualify as an emergency.

I don't know the aircraft, but if all they lost were spoilers and TRs (which, if I remember my regs correctly, are not credited for stopping performance), I would not have declared unless ATC assigned me to a 3000 foot runway. But, hey, I am a daredevil. :rolleyes:

I found an old QRH and looked it up. You may loose spoilers, TRs, Ground Idle also may not be selectable which could be a bit of a problem. Steering, one set of brakes below a certain speed, anti-icing valves in flight.

As pilots, we are all judged in the Monday morning quarterbacking sessions following a non-standard event. Why not exempt yourself from adhering to FARs, policies, and procedures by declaring an emergency. Most pilots I know just don't want to do the paperwork. I prefer the paperwork over a carpet dance.

Its def. a good safety net.

...but so dramatic ;)

Gotcha. Ground Idle, steering, and brakes would make things a good bit more interesting.

Ironically NavCanada is privately run while here in the US, ATC is actually part of the government.