Cirrus SR22 - Inside a Real Emergency Over Illinois - Electrical Failure

[@wardholbrook1478]

Well handled Captain Niko. As for comments, let me put on my CFI and ATP hats... As a veteran of a few emergencies over the years myself including an inflight electrical fire, I think you handled yourself very well - a sign of good initial and recurrent training. My only critiques would be that you told ATC that you had lost "Alt 1". I sure he was asking himself what is an "Alt 1"? (Most controllers are not pilots.) Being that descriptive may not have been the best choice of wording to ATC. I would think that the better choice would have been to say that you had lost your alternator. He did figure it out, but other than that (very) minor detail, I believe the communications side of the event was handled very well. The other critique would be that I didn't see you pull out and refer to the checklist. Even if (especially if) you've got it all memorized, it's always good technique and procedure to pull out the checklist just to make sure nothing was missed. Please don't mind my critiques, but all good pilots and crews do post flight debriefs and self critiques after each flight. If that was myself in your video, those would be the comments that I'd be telling myself. All in all, a very good job, I think you did yourself proud. Good on you!

[@NikosWings]

I agree with you, every time I watch I get upset with myself for saying Alt 1, but the controller figured it out. I did use my checklists on my MFD, basically preserve battery, land as soon as practical. Also, one of the reasons of posting the video is for everyone to offer feedback and a flight critique, so I appreciate the constructive comments as they make me a better pilot. Thanks for sharing!

[@wardholbrook1478]

@@NikosWings don't beat yourself up over this. It's all about gaining experience. Next time (and there will be a next time), you'll handle it with even more expertise and professionalism. I've been watching your videos for about a year or so and I've been impressed with your approach to flying. I've been an active pilot for 52 years. I've earned my living flying since 1977. Along the way, I've accumulated an ATP and over 15,000 hours and 5 jet type ratings as well as my CFI, CFI-Glider, II, MEI and Seaplane and Glider ratings. This past summer I was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award by the FAA for 50+ years of safe flying. I'm semi-retired now, but during my career I flew corporate jets world-wide for a couple of corporations and some very wealthy families. When I comes to safety, I have just one simple rule of thumb - could I put my children or grandchildren in an airplane with that pilot and simply walk away and not worry about their safety? It's a test that not all pilots could pass. I've know several ATPs that I wouldn't let any family members fly with. I've never flown with you, but after watching several of your videos, I would let my family fly with you and never give it a second thought. Again, good job.

[@NikosWings]

Wow, that’s a great compliment coming from you Sir! Hope to meet and fly with you one day!

[@wardholbrook1478]

Niko's Wings I look forward to it.

[@fastlanediaries6593]

I'm not a pilot...but when you'd said electrical problem and Alt 1 personally I knew what you meant. Remaining calm when it's you and only you as the decision maker is very hard and especially tricky not get tunnel vision. I found it stressful to watch. But had I been sat in the back your calmness would have been hugely reassuring. Well handled 👌

[@JRCarReviews]

12:00 emergency starts

[@idealbacon]

ty

[@RFrost-jp1gi]

Ty

[@noahmeiners799]

Thanks

[@stereogin0015]

100 liked :)

[@observingcitizen404]

Thanks

[@geezee1946]

Problems begins at 5:40. Aggravated at 10:20. Declaring emergency 11:20 Vector for nearest airport 12:20 Approved descent to 3000 13:47 Flaps still work 19:20 Smooth as butter 20:08

[@sirrudy1233]

Thanks!

[@JohnCena-kn9tv]

I gave your mom my butter lol

[@bryangreen4342]

A commercial pilot i know says: “pilots who ignore problems don’t live to fix them”. Well managed emergency.

[@reddale6004]

Should of called a pan pan when radio communication was compromised. To elaborate this would help in the event of radio loss and prevent rouge procedures and would allow ATC to escalate if conditions worsened crew could be alerted and planes deverted sooner

[@reddale6004]

Rouge procedure mean's a non responsive plane causing a intercept to find intentions since 9/11.

[@kdawson020279]

My friend who is a CFI and is a GA pilot in the US Virgin Islands always used to say "There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old bold pilots." Anyone can be dealt a bad hand, but I see too many pilots that are so intent on getting to their destination that they eliminate all possibility of making it to any destination.

[@the9263]

My brother who plays f22 simulator always says : " press space and shot"

[@malcolmarmstrong906]

That sounds like, good!, advise!.

[@lescleaver3113]

your calmness is what wins over, you took things one step at a time and did just like a pro. you communicated , analyzed and decided on the right option great job sir .

[@michael2782]

I was flying IFR over mountains in my Piper Arrow III when I lost all electrical power. The good news is I had a handi-talkie in my kit (always) that had a VOR receiver. I talked to approach on the fifteen minute mark to get updates (heading and altitude). I was cleared for a VOR approach to Long Beach and descended thru the clouds and saw the runway at my 12 o'clock. Before and after never fly without an independent communication / navigation device. Thanks for sharing your flight and the way you handled the event.

[@buatmain2270]

Im 100% agree

[@j.kevinhunt147]

Yes! (See my comment). An aircraft HT with spare charged battery, having both NAV and COM functions, should always be readily at one's disposal.

[@michael2782]

@@j.kevinhunt147 Your comments quite comprehensive. I retired as a Senior Fellow from Raytheon and my priorities were guidance and navigation on flying things that went boom. Given your 47 years in electronics I'm guessing we led pretty parallel lives (although I do hold commercial / IFR ticket). I actually always carried two of the handhelds - didn't weigh much and gave me huge piece of mind.

[@bryanslocks3481]

My dad lost his engine in a Cessna 182 and had to glide down and land on a highway. He survived.

[@bryanslocks3481]

Musictechnology yup, found it thanks for helping that was hard!

[@jakehart7617]

Bryan’s Locks I laughed way to hard at these comments lol. Glad he’s a skilled enough pilot to handle that situation though!

[@lylemills4569]

Good thing Boeing didn't design his plane. Gliding is a great safety feature in an emergency and used to be required in commercial aircraft design and uodates.

[@NikosWings]

Gliding to the scene of the accident is a great safety feature for sure

[@mfk12340]

@@lylemills4569 Boeings problem isn't in glide performance, rather they placed their engines too far forward and caused it to be very difficult to fly without the computer automatically adjusting some of the flight control surfaces. And instead of having multiple redundancies, they decided they only required one sensor to collect all of the data the system uses.

[@cryptojoe8087]

I have a private pilot check ride coming up in 2 days.. watching this really opened my eyes that an emergency can happen anytime! Calm confident and in control!! Glad everything worked out well!

[@NikosWings]

Good luck

[@phillipmckie4913]

As an experienced pilot and ATP holder. I believe that you handled the emergency well enough to have made a precautionary landing. I do recommend that along the way you could have checked the services at the airport you chose because land as soon as possible also means land where you can have fuel and emergency services. I also do not know if you had a checklist on your iPad but it is a good Idea to have paper back ups or at least have your iPad plugged in (yeah I know you had an electrical issue). You will not want to loose your only course of information at a time like this. Never memorize checklists no matter if you have flown the airplane a 1000 times. When I fly alone I brief myself as if I were flying with someone else. That is a sound practice because that way you reassure yourself of what you need to do and you set yourself up for all events to come. Good airmanship, good flying and keep the blues side up!

[@malcolmarmstrong906]

Keep the blue side up, even when it's down, but it's never down.. (Sorry Johno)_

[@isacjohnson8891]

@@malcolmarmstrong906 calm down lol it’s probably a typo. We all know what that meant.

[@isacjohnson8891]

@@malcolmarmstrong906 hahah it’s all good. Have a good day!

[@malcolmarmstrong906]

No_Just now..

[@BlueStratDude]

> have your iPad plugged in (yeah I know you had an electrical issue) Hopefully it stays charged. Worth having a spare USB battery pack, or too much clutter/risk/hassle?

[@justglenn1037]

I had nearly the same in-flight emergency, (crackling radio etc)... then all my electrical went dead. No radio or flaps. I didnt see any smoke but the smell of burned wires filled the cabin. I only had my pvt cert for 3 months, so I probably wasn't as cool and smooth as this guy. Since I had no radio, I couldnt call an emergency, nor could I communicate with my passenger about what he could expect. I landed on an uncontrolled runway going about 30 miles above norm for final but made it! I tried to look composed in front of my friend, but I truly was a mess inside. I learned a lot from this mishap and continue to learn as I fly.

[@MithilanchalMadhubani]

❤❤❤

[@sergiofuentes7103]

Holy cow! I’m at the edge of my seat. Kudos for keeping your cool. That’s a good example of fly now and be scared later

[@StefanDrury]

Firstly, great to have you safely on the ground mate, that was brilliantly handled and you were really calm through the whole event. And secondly, great job putting this video together and sharing it with the community here. I'm going to share this with my maintenance team so we can hopefully prevent something similar happening on the aircraft here. Once again thanks for making this video. Stay safe mate, stef.

[@NikosWings]

Hey thanks mate!

[@MATTDUNKLEY]

I agree with Stefan, however I would have used Pan instead of Mayday and upgraded accordingly

[@aboriani]

@Mark Davis You know there is a saying that goes by: In life, the more you live, the more you learn. In aviation, the more you learn the more you live"

[@johnnyice256]

@@NikosWings Was anyone negligent here, was there shoddy maintenance at some point with regard to the arcing issue and why it happened in the first place??

[@NikosWings]

Nobody will ever know for sure

[@cptbowen]

I lost all electrics on an international flight a few years back between Swaziland and South Africa. I was extremely grateful that my delta wing days made me always carry a backup radio and always have my flight plan printed out on my knee and not rely on the GPS etc. Well done on the calm handling of the situation

[@brouillacblues]

Always carried a handheld radio on my flights.

[@andrewrock6763]

As an Aviation student, I’m in love with this video. It is insane how well you were able to recover from what could have been a catastrophic emergency.

[@MontyDeane]

I am not a pilot in any way, shape or form. However I am fascinated by the whole thing. I have never taken any lessons but love my flight sim. I like the way you explain some of the things that are hard to understand. Keep up the basics for some of us newbies out here. I appreciate you. Peace!

[@Virtualmix]

Good job on calling an emergency and taking the problem seriously. This could have become a much bigger problem if you had continued your flight. Many pilots are very hesitant to call an emergency in flight. As a low time pilot myself, I hope I would have done the same you did. Great learning and reflection on how to handle though situations. Thanks for sharing.

[@MadScientist267]

Like a pro indeed.

[@jamesjarvis832]

As an aspiring pilot, I REALLY appreciate the takeaways from this video. You handled yourself very well and it's amazing that you could maintain communication through that static. I couldn't understand 80% of what they were saying.

[@cammoerman516]

Same, here. About 10 hours into training and great video for me to learn from.

[@whozaskin3639]

Just a car audio guy here, but that alternator lead was horrible. I can not believe it was not more secured and well routed. I would recommend using 2 guage welding cable, with neoprene bushings at every penetration. It is highly fire resistant. Also, there is a man named Michael Singer, who builds and repairs alternators. His work is top notch. Finally, it's common for an alternator to be grounded through the engine block, and this can be upgraded by directly grounding the case of the alternator to the battery. Direct grounding usually lowers the temperature of the bridge rectifier during higher output operation. The video was quite enjoyable, and you remained composed, focused, and safe. Good flying!

[@shawnsutter9748]

Hey Niko....I haven't been YT in a while but it is nice seeing you. Sorry to hear about your inflight emergency but you remained calm and tried to work the issue. You did an outstanding job at communicating your issue with ATC. As a student pilot, I obtained a great deal of information from your real emergency. Thank you for sharing.

[@k.c.lejeune6613]

As someone who has worked in the electrical field for many years i know firsthand how serious an electrical problem can be, they can present themselves in a split second and compound themselves into multiple issues ultimately resulting in catastrophic damage primarily fire and electrocution. An electrical problem in an airplane is absolutely no joke and as someone who has also flown planes i commend you Niko for taking the action that you did, declaring an emergency was the right thing to do. I'd HATE to see one of my favourite pilots go down in a horrible situation, or ANY pilot for that matter. May all your flights and endeavours be safe and incident free. Your biggest fan here in southwest Louisiana, Kevin L. Cheers Niko!

[@dwyanebrentson2837]

Nikos a pro! What a stud! You got the right stuff!

[@garywheeler2055]

Never fail to learn from your videos, large or small I take something away from each episode. Thank you from a low time new pilot.

[@jackboyd7398]

Something similar happened to my friend's dad years ago... the only difference is that it was dark and all the lights in the cabin were cut! He had to land with nothing but a flashlight and managed to do it

[@ally9168]

I was training for my ppl and my very first night flight- the panel light went out and then the map light quit too. I legit flew a lap in the pattern with nothing but the moonlight and my instructor’s phone light.

[@NikosWings]

I bet it was beautiful. I remember the day my instructor turned off all lights on my Cessna 152 trainer….

[@magnussen9388]

(Just realized it’s my 2nd time watching this video). I’m very impressed with how cool calm and collected you remained under such a stressful situation. Very informative video!!

[@Acc0rd79]

Good to see this. I was in Branson Missouri a week ago and lost electrical right after takeoff, radios died, gps and everything. I immediately had to turn around and land with no call outs or anything....good thing it was an uncontrolled airport and I had my ipad still for awareness. They found out a wire from my alternator broke and wasn't sending power to anything. He next day aired parts and had me up and rolling. Love to see how smooth you were here.

[@janhoyle1462]

A good pilot never panickeds. It’s cool, calm, collected. Thank you for the great video. Yes the static was annoying.

[@davideames10]

For those who say don’t declare. Please don’t teach newer pilots like me this. When I had a loss of oil which led to engine failure I didn’t declare. Everything worked out fine, but had I been forced to land before a runway, nobody would know where or why. If the situation is bad declare, when it gets worse you may not have the opportunity.

[@MrLikeke]

I have had three in-flight emergencies. I declared an emergency the first two times to make uneventful landings. The third time I only used Pan Pan on each radio call at a non-towered field. Apparently it was ignored by three pilots: a commercially rate pilot had decided to land the opposite direction on this one strip field (against the flow); a 2nd pilot cut in to a very short final to squeak in before me while I was on 1/2 mile final. I landed before he had cleared, I was not going around again. A third bitched at me for going around (due to 1st pilot) which somehow confused him. On the ground the first two pilots admitted they had heard me loud and clear but did not think Pan Pan warranted their attention. BTW: I had oil coming out of the prop hub and covering the windscreen. So yeah, I went around after starting to lose oil 15 minutes prior on the single engine aircraft over mountainous terrain with passengers. Lesson learned, I am going straight to declaring the big E. Thank God for that airport, the next nearest was over 50 nm away which was doubtful I would make.

[@NikosWings]

Wow, that’s crazy, glad it worked out

[@sientguy]

You can always cancel an emergency so indeed no reason not do declare.

[@tiny_toilet]

@@MrLikeke Losing oil (and visibility) sounds like an automatic emergency to me, but I can't question your judgement since I wasn't there. But it's a hell of a lesson in how other pilots might treat a "pan-pan" call w/o the benefit of a tower to enforce proper traffic. Idiots abound in the sky as on the ground. Thanks for sharing.

[@robertdonald4409]

That music had my heart pounding ! Great job ,u recognised a fault acted swiftly ,u weren't afraid to declare an emergency, landed safely!! Best outcome !!!

[@graysinclair6572]

Niko, thanks for posting this. First and foremost, I’m glad everything turned out alright and that you and your bird made it safely to terra firma without any major issues. Great composure under stress. What I also observed, and some would call this petty, is the graciousness you displayed to the air traffic controller as he was helping you. Your requests for guidance were followed by thank yous and that expressed gratitude for the help being given to you. Strong character my friend! By the way( on a less serious note), the engine in your aircraft sounded incredible as you were accelerating for takeoff! I’ll have to google the specs of this beautiful plane. Cheers.

[@jackw3302]

ATC did well to help. You didn't lose your calm and asked for exactly what you needed. I don't know a lick of flying but to me you handled it very nicely.

[@sasha-01]

That cool calm way you handled the situation. I will be sure to mimic you if ever i'm in a similar situation. Bravo sir

[@Glitter6804]

No matter how small one might think an issue is, when you're in the air I would definitely call for an emergency in that situation. I'm originally from Chicago and when I was a little girl I ended up on a flight landing in Chicago from Michigan and we had engine failure on one of the engines, plane filled with smoke you couldn't see the person right in front of you. I thank God our pilot landed us safely, but it stayed with me and now I'm soooo fearful of flying. Yet oddly enough I love watching these awesome flight videos. You did a great job I'm thankful for cautious pilots like yourself🚁🛩️✈️🚁☁️☁️💫✨🌠🙏🙏

[@frogcassady]

At first I was thinking I would have not declared at the time you did. But as I am watching you made the correct choice. Compounding issues can get bad really fast. Thanks for sharing.

[@jbreezy101]

Break the chain of events that leads to an accident

[@beyerch]

Seriously? He probably waited a bit too long in actuality..... Would you have waited to see flames or have the engine die? He was losing reliable communication with ground and having panel failures. That should be more than enough.

[@RJ9mech]

Solid aeronautical decision making in my opinion. ATC is a great resource when things go south, and I agree with the declared emergency and immediate diversion. A calm head prevailed, and you kept your priorities straight. I'm also pleasantly surprised with the multitude of supportive comments. With so much armchair quarter backing these days, it is refreshing to see many who expressed agreement with your actions. Best to you, sir.

[@JoeyLemming]

Now that was some real intense stuff right there!! Pilot handled it like a champ. Keeps ya on the edge of your seat!!

[@steveantone3853]

Nice work! Remaining calm is critical and your knowledge of the systems was better than most!

[@hughthemusicalengineer4365]

When I saw you tightening your seatbelt, I knew it was serious.

[@pilotnh2]

I thought the Cirrus emergency checklist was: 1. Declare an emergency. 2. Pull the chute. j/k. Nice job.

[@thetomgamerboi6817]

pilotnh2 funny. That would be a waste, as the chute firing destroys parts if the plane in the process (at least on some citrus aircraft) A chute deploy is a last resort. If sully had a chute, he would have pulled it and still thought about it before doing it.

[@LeeYCoyote]

Gamingthomas Eikel You failed sarcasm in your childhood. Didn’t you?

[@silencedvirtue3854]

Gamingthomas Eikel r/whoosh

[@rykehuss3435]

Gamingthomas Eikel Cirrus says that the idea of the chute being last resort is costing lives. By the time a pilot like that pulls the chute it might be too late. They want pilots to consider it as an first option, not the last. Better pull it and regret than regret not pulling it.

[@nathanjessup8409]

@@thetomgamerboi6817 I believe that "j/k" means just kidding and the remark should not be taken seriously ;-)

[@delkwilsonjr]

I think you handled it very well, you still were able to aviate, navigate and communicate dispiate having a real world emergency and your only mistake was the wrong airport on your callout. Job well done.

[@bassgee2938]

Intense situation. Very good video and thank you for setting a great example for new pilots on staying calm and analytical during an emergency.

[@CoverageGenius]

Wow that was scary. Flying looks fun, but I don't know if I'd be as calm and connected as you. Great job. Subscribed.

[@pittss2c601]

Well that stressed me out. I feel your pain. I’ve had countless failures causing forced landings. Blew a piston in a rented Cessna 152 and glided onto a country road. Vapor lock, ignition electrical failure, clogged fuel filter, leaking gas tank which drained the fuel and caused a forced landing with a passenger that I was giving a ride to. Scared him to death as I dove for the runway to gain airspeed for a smooth landing. Most of mine occurred at low altitude so I was on the ground in less than 2 minutes. My tachometer cable broke once although engine ran fine. That will make you quickly find a spot to land while never trusting ones instruments again. It’s all a part of small airplane flying. It’s always good to practice engine idle gliding.

[@NikosWings]

Wow you had your fair share of issues. It’s part of flying.

[@llamallama1509]

Have you considered getting your maintenance done elsewhere? xD

[@wakeuppeople7327]

Dang bro. I had a bird strike cracked the windshield and the crack grew from a 2” slice to 12” wide I was freaking out. The crack was about 4” below the top of windshield on a Cessna 172 in the middle. Imagine yo ur rear view mirror on a car. A piece the size of that flew out. Yes. The crack went horizontal for 14” then straight up then it was sucked out. I shit. Told ATC I coming back for a short approach into SNA and on my downwind leg. As soon as I passed the end runway threshold I turn left base by the time I turned final and level my wings I landed. Wasn’t much of a long downwind leg. I wanted on the ground fast But I remember I slowed the AC to MCA to reduce pressure on the plexiglass windshield Didn’t declare a emergency cause I was afraid I have to explain to FAA. And didn’t want to shit down the 2nd busiest airport in So California. It was a big airport for commercial airliners.

[@glennoc8585]

I'm considering just learning to fly gliders and powered gliders you never hear of many faults with the avionics

[@cirruscapo]

Since we had already talked about this I was looking forward to this Vlog, but what you told me about this situation wasn't as serious as this vlog shows. As always, you made the correct choice, safe and not sorry... Safety first, and always...

[@mtmals9786]

Whew..glad you opened the door for some fresh, safe, cool air after all that. Keep up the great flying.......new subscriber.

[@zrtsixx]

No matter what happens, you fly the aircraft! Awesome job Niko!! Congratulations!!

[@karlkascha1261]

Niko, you are so calm during a difficult situation and make flying look effortless. You also have great radio skills.

[@TheAmericanGamerTV]

This is badass! Kept cool the whole time and handled it like a boss! Great Flying!

[@noah-mv5eb]

Me: I have 4hrs of sleep left KZbin Recommendations: Are you sure about that?

[@Alex-fy7on]

I quite literally find myself in that exact situation now!

[@brandonstone6962]

That is why I always call it the wormhole.. You could start on something as innocent as trying to find out how to open a trash bag.. Then the next thing you know you're watching videos on aircraft crashes... Then 3hrs later you're watching videos of worms being blown up and wondering WTH just happened lol

[@lt1nut]

I'll ADD to that and bet you Amphetamines.

[@davidca96]

Thats really scary, having virtually no contact with ATC and electrical faults popping up all over. I thought you did great and very professional.

[@therayven3147]

Was watching this video... Noticed the static was getting worse... Fading in and out... My first reaction was, "sounds like the alternator"... Then when you showed your cluster, and it was arratic, I was thinking, "I would call for an"... Right before I could say it, you call an emergency, "mayday... Mayday... Mayday... November one seven two Sierra Romeo, declaring an emergency"... I love your ice cold demeanor and balls of steel... I know you probably were scared shitless, but you stayed calm, and communicated flawlessly... And brought the aircraft down with out incident... I am considering being a pilot if I could raise the funds to do so... I play a lot of simulators, and your videos are quite informative... Nice and thorough and to the point... God bless bro, and keep the blue side up...

[@NikosWings]

Dale, find a flight school and start taking lessons and go with the flow. For me I budgeted different when I started and took money away from going out for dinners on the weekends to flying.

[@therayven3147]

@@NikosWings about how much would I be looking at for classes/lessons... If I ain't mistaken, the certificate runs several grand?

[@michaelmike5709]

A man in tune with his machine, no complacency here , vigilance , great situational awareness. Nice when touched down , opened door as precaution

[@Windtee]

When in doubt, keep calm and put it down. Great share. Thanks, Niko!

[@pmh1nic]

I would never call into question your decision to declare an emergency when you lose a vital system and have to resort to a back-up. You avoid all the what ifs by landing as soon as possible.

[@RepoManInIndy]

Even being a beginner to flight training and someone who study’s air accidents as a hobby, the two worst things you never want to say “I am declaring an emergency” and “mayday”.. excellent job. Even before the trouble began I could tell you were a pro.

[@terribleTed-ln6cm]

Man you got nerves of steel ! And kept yourself flying the aircraft , while you figured it all out . A skilled aviator no doubt.

[@ghostindamachine]

It has to be said: thank you for sharing the full experience, including your comments. May it serve as a guidance to as many pilots as possible. That they can learn from your experience, what to watch out for and what the correct decision process is.

[@fdtank81]

So this happened to me in a DA20. I had 10 hours as a student and was flying with my instructor from Campbell River to Fort McMurray on a long x country. The alternator failure light came on and we started losing system voltage. We landed at the closest airport, but did not declare emergency. Turning off all electrical systems and using a handheld to communicate with field. I replaced the alternator, but it turned out to be the main breaker. There weren’t any radar, nor towers around to help. And my instructor felt we had good situational awareness with handheld and IPad. Plus we had vacuum gauges so really just the lights, radios and transponder were down. I now fly DA40 with G1000, getting kind of lazy with AP and all redundant electrical systems, I feel your concern for a fire trumps all in this situation and declaring emergency is the right way to get help and vectors. I will say once you isolates the terminal, I would have turned all systems back on and got a good repair/second opinion in Chicago Thanks for the great video

[@paulbergman8228]

That similar kind of problem on early F-16’s cost a few pilots their lives, including one of the Thunderbirds. His wife never gave up and pushed to discover the problem which was a poor routing of primary electrical cables over a rather sharp pathway, resulting in abrasion and failure, finally total flight parameter problems that were unrecoverable in a fly by wire aircraft. You were very lucky Niko!

[@christimbes7897]

Only a few hours under my belt but as soon as I saw your electrical readings, I knew right away something was grounding out the system. Glad you landed safe without much worse happening.

[@briansims4365]

No alternator no battery, no radios no problem, great job handling so much happening at once. If that had been a car it would have stop running but thanks to magnetos the plane engine keeps running. Good Job Niko.

[@dajzilla]

What do magnetos do exactly? Sorry im a new pilot... on Xplane 11 : )

[@chrisl2090]

dajzilla it's a technology that isn't used in cars or trucks anymore. It's a device that makes electricity for the spark plugs to fire on on its own no battery or other electronics required.

[@stargazer7644]

@@dajzilla dajzilla, it's the same as how your push lawnmower powers its sparkplugs without a battery or electrical system. A spinning magnet on the flywheel produces electrical pulses in a coil that runs to the ignition.

[@NikosWings]

Think of it as a generator that the engine rotates and it generates electricity and at specific points that are timed with the timing of the spark plugs it fires about 20,000 volts spark. As long as the magnetos run the airplane engine will run. We have two sets of magnetos for redundancy and they both work together with their own set of spark plugs..

[@lylemills4569]

So was the adapter the wrong part, or did it's installation or both cause the problems? Thanks! Great job with the video and filming the panels!

[@andrewzanas9387]

Wow. Very educational video, Niko. Don't know if you were told to shed loads before flying back to Chi-town or not, but doing that for the return trip after the fact was IMO the second most important lesson you shared today. Had to edit this because the first was getting down alive! In the initial emergency the short in the cabling manifested in fluctuations in instrument readouts. The SR-22's alternator was only one of many suspects. It had sounded like a problem with a voltage regulator or a bridge rectifier. Alternators produce AC, or alternating current. A bridge rectifier circuit converts it to DC, the direct current needed for the plane's avionics. The VR has overvoltage protection to prevent burning out the sensitive avionics circuitry. The BR is simply a bank of diodes organized in a circuit to affect the DC conversion and the loss of just one diode could have caused this fluctuation in the voltage and amperage and static in the comm system. Same deal with the alternator. Not only hard to diagnose when your main concern is survival and getting down, but also in making the return trip. Even with the knowledge that it was causally related to a shorted cable you had no way of actually knowing what else was smoke tested and damaged in the ordeal. As always, well done, sir.

[@NikosWings]

Great feedback 🙏

[@psychicmediumandprouddomes7185]

@@NikosWings you did a fantastic job you aviated, navigated and communicated and kept calm, level headed, and praise God you got down safely and walked away from the landing with an almost intact plane i commend your piloting skills and the very indepth analysis and information provided through your emergency although perhaps on your uncontrolled air space perhaps a repeat of mayday sr 22 over the comms there however excellent job and wishing you safe flights and blue skies sir

[@joeycarr1398]

Electronic lesson always nice to know. Happy landings always Niko.

[@chinese244]

I am not a pilot or have any technical knowledge in determining the problem or reacting to it accordingly. BUT......the comments here about how it could have been done better and what to do and jade jade jade.......This is an airplane not a car that has a flat tire or the radiator that has a leak......were you can just pull over and call the tow company. The calmness and the professionalism dealing with the issue was incredible. The only negative thing I have to express is the incompetence of the mechanics..........Niko pls.change mechanics. Glad you made it save and sound !!!!

[@ericlozen9631]

You struck gold with the viewers on this one Niko. Very glad all turned out well.

[@jameswest8280]

As far as I can see, you did everything by the book. Stayed calm, declared emergency, controlled descent. I was taught, above all else, fly the plane. I can't remember who said it, "fly the plane as close to the crash site as possible". Nice job.

[@NikosWings]

Hey James, thx for the comment

[@johnblair2279]

I can relate very well. I had a complete electrical failure over the sea a few months ago. At first I thought it was an engine issue as the oil pressure gauge started fluctuating then the rest of the electrical instruments then everything went. While it was scary it was a very valuable learning experience. The main lesson I learnt was not to panic and take time to diagnose the problem.

[@NikosWings]

Yikes, but the airplane still flies and that’s the lesson. Great work!

[@shawnsutter9748]

As former Weapons Technician on F-16's, I can't tell you how many times we see wire chaffing and grounded wiring against a metal surface. Niko, you handled it like a champ....Again, great job...

[@rhagedorn]

Wow, what a tense situation you were in. I know it happened some time ago, but watching this video made me realize that pilots are always vulnerable to many things beyond their control. If I was a pilot, I would do the same thing you did, keep your cool. I am happy that you got through this experience safely.

[@rickbarrington]

Great post, thank you for sharing. My observations as a fellow instrument pilot: 1) you handled the situation professionally and glad you’re safe 2) surprised you don’t have inexpensive and widely available backup systems such as Sporty’s Handheld Radio and IPad with moving map. Wouldn’t have helped with fire but might have helped find alternatives and coms in case of total electrical failure, 3) you might consider adding a cam that faces the instrument panel. A GoPro chestcam harness might help provide closeups. Love your videos, keep up the good work

[@NikosWings]

Thanks for the tips

[@terryrutherford2114]

1st Thank you for another great video. You, Seveo1kinivo, Flightchops, Aviation 101 have inspired me to get back into flying. I found your decision making perfect. No one should be afraid of declaring an emergency. ATC wants to help and take care of you. Good Call Niko!

[@canamm]

You handled that rather well, glad everything turned out alright. Good job!

[@redrhino1911]

I’m no pilot, but have been obsessed with aircraft from a young age. When you’re in the sky, I think you should declare and emergency if something isn’t work perfectly. Safety first. If something acts up, or goes out, take care of it appropriately.

[@Gorlaxx]

I love how this on my suggestion page! I used to work for signature PWK I remember the card you gave us to follow your channel! Real chill dude! I was still fairly new at being a line guy now I work for a charter company on the same airfield!

[@NikosWings]

Hey Sam! If I see you I bet I remember you! Well done!

[@rondo1775]

First, welcome to DNV. Sorry you had to meet us under such circumstances. I’ve been flying since 1978 and I’ve had my share of mishaps and emergencies, only one of which I declared. Nonetheless, it was the right thing to do even if it turned out not to be a serious problem. I thought you handled it all very well indeed. You were calm, cool, and collected, as they say. You found the source of the problem, fixed it, albeit temporarily, and you were back on your way in no time. Well done. I only have one thing I thought you should have done and been better prepared for and that was your lack of charts, etc. If it’s electrical, you must know that it can just plain stop working, for a host of reasons, and then where are you. One should never, ever trust or rely on anything electrical. I still plot out the entire flight plan (both IFR and VFR) on paper before I leave the house. So, do yourself a favor, never takeoff again without having a back up flight plan, with all the particulars, that isn’t reliant upon your electrical system. That’s from your speakers to your batters and everything in between. Be safe…

[@NikosWings]

Great feedback. I do however use three sets of charts, 1 on the PFD, 1 on my iPad and 1 on my iPhone. But you are right about knowing where I was. On that flight I rushed and didn’t study my route well. Murphy is always watching doesn’t he?

[@thegeek3348]

you teach me something new everyday. today it was how to be cool as a cucumber with an alternator failure. thanks for letting us ride along.

[@HHMMIICC]

I'm no pilot, but I can drive a car. And whenever the dashboad, radio, air conditioning or engine RPM start acting funny, screw work.. deviate to the mechanic or stop and check the battery. Big fan !! I subbed after I watched your instrumentation test!! Keep those videos rollin!!! :D

[@tylerwest4544]

As a controller I agree with a lot of what these comments say about being as specific as possible, tell us exactly what you need and we will clear the way for you. If you explain how your emergency hinders you it’ll make it a lot easier on us to help you. Overall nicely done. Not sure if I just missed it but thought it was weird that the controller didn’t ask for more information? # of personnel on board, fuel remaining..etc.

[@robgandy4550]

Yes, nicely handled. 1st, dont panic. You still have the prop spinning. You still have control. Dont panic. Nicely done.

[@NikosWings]

Thanks Rob

[@unapologeticallyme8513]

How you guys stay so calm is beyond me I'd be freaking out...I'd die too of course from panicking instead of focusing on fixing the issue but my heart races just watching these videos from home I can't imagine the fear when your up in the air and something isnt working right.

[@NikosWings]

You gotta do what you gotta do…

[@Ellexis]

Niko, You demonstrated how keeping a cool and level head lead to effective problem solving and decision making. This is a wonderful example of a PIC being just that; a Pilot In Command. And good gracious Miss Grace! Enough repairs already! Any more and we're gonna pass a love offering basket around to help Niko out! Seriously Niko, you're the best!

[@harrymakongwa1147]

The demonstration was amazing on the real situation... after watching this video am going to play Flight simulator with DIY modified Umbrella as parachute having Engine failure and on fire ..

[@bansheeman213]

When the static started an you had gauge fluctuations I was wondering if it was a loose ground or cable rubbing because the static was very intune with the shimmer at the edges of the video. Definitely glad all went well and you made it safely home.

[@StefBelgium]

There is no comment to be made. You assessed the situation and took a rapid decision asking help to the ATC: aviate, navigate, nailed that problem nicely! Good job!

[@NikosWings]

Thanks my friend, it worked out ok 👍

[@AV8R_1]

I’ve had two alternator failures, and a smoking cabin due to an HSI meltdown in 12 years. In both failed alternator cases I had to divert and land at an alternate with no comms. I don’t know if I would declare an emergency for an alternator failure in day VFR, but being that you suspected a chance of shorting electrical system and possible fire, it never hurts to get all the help you need. You handled it very well! Took a bit longer than I would to make the decision to land, but each pilot reacts their own way. With both my alternator failures and HSI burnup, I opted to land immediately after realizing the issue. Better to land before the battery dies too... well done!

[@NikosWings]

Agreed, I learned a ton from the incident, and much of it thanks to you guys.

[@NUKE-W.E.F.]

Handled perfectly, would have done the same. Glad you made it down safely. On a different note, your choice of background music is perfect!

[@mytube1968]

Nice job, great decision. It's kind of neat, having not read the details, when I start recognizing ATC controller voices. :D

[@jessemonico168]

Niko, your videos alone are getting me very interested in flying! Great Music, instruction, and overall great videos! I know this is almost a year old! But great job!

[@kinch613]

Seen several videos whereby the static and intermittent radio transmissions were early indicators of a problem with the alternator! Well done Sir! It would be cool to have a emergency antenna on a reel like the olden days you could hook up to a handheld radio as a backup for just these types of emergencies! As a retired cop, there were many times a radio saved my life! I admire your professionalism and calm in this situation.

[@NikosWings]

Thank you for serving your community!!!

[@xav5351]

Well handeled, I would have done the same in this kind of situation. First asses what could be wrong and deciding after the checkup to declare an emergency. I think all of your videos are a good guide especially for the amount of detail you show us. Thanks for making these videos, I hope to see a lot more!

[@tonymerlot9305]

Safety first...First airport asap! Absolutely!😯

[@wombra8314]

Tony Merlot 😯👍

[@jakelonganbach]

Crazy intense! Glad everything worked out ok. Great job!

[@christine9385]

Just found your channel. I am not a pilot, nor will I ever be. I am an airplane enthusiast and I enjoy learning and watching anything about airplanes. I am so glad you were able to land safely and the issue was identified. Thank you for sharing☺️Subscribed👍🏻

[@deeksiedoesstuff7913]

Not only are you the most handsome man i've seen, your calm and controlled under life threatening circumstances. The kinda guy the world needs! Glad you're here to tell the story.

[@Diogenes_von_Sinope]

this will be the third video i watch in a row. really interesting. im no aviation nut. but watching this man fly his own fancy plane is a perspective i probably never will have in real life. im not jealous, im thankful that he shares his experience. time well spent.

[@mswilkes1]

Thanks for sharing your experience, you held it together in a frustrating situation. I couldn’t help but notice though that you relied on ATC to find you an airport and frequency. If you had a chart at the ready, you’d have known what suitable airfields were nearby. Many GPS and Foreflight have a nearest airfield feature too. Handy in a dicey situation, but I still like to reference paper, it never runs out of power. Glad you made it back safe. Gorgeous airplane too by the way.

[@Truman-Sparks]

Paper and a back up radio come in handy. Fantastic job to get it on the ground and determine the issue there rather than trying to troubleshoot in the air. Very calm and professional approach. Great job!

[@NikosWings]

Backup radio yes, paper no absolutely hands down unnecessary. With 2 sets of electronic charts it’s a complete waste of money and cockpit space.

[@franciscobacino7207]

Good job! You were calmed at all times, and did everything you had to be safe!

[@Dance_of_a_tree_called_life]

new to your channel Niko ... diggin'it ; your schwarzenegger coolness , your plane's efficient comfy ergonomic style, and great simple editing and score overlay ... fantastic. lookin' forward to catching up with all your videos. cheers .

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

Very good landing and smart decision, I’m not a pilot so I don’t have the expertise to know when it’s a good time to declare an emergency but with a background as a mechanic I know anytime there’s an electrical issue and there’s fluctuations in readings and measurements it’s always best to shut down (in this case land) and trouble shoot the issue. I had a 24v battery system short on me once while my hand was on a wrench trying to cut the power and I got a nice big shock that melted the terminal of the battery to the wrench and caused a tiny oil/grease fire(thankfully it was on a Diesel engine not on a plane), so you are 100% correct in that the shorting wire would’ve caused a fire had it continued and you not intervened so hats off to you again on your assessment of the situation and I’m very glad you didn’t suffer the dreaded “blue death smoke”

[@donaldcarter4324]

As a novice with a few flight hours I thought you handled the issue calmly and safely! As an A and P mechanic the 1st thing I thought of was arcing and sparking with the radio static and the intsrament fluctuations. Glad you landed safely 🙏

[@ginacalabrese3869]

Do you have a handheld radio? If not it might not be a bad idea to get one. Usually there's a headset adapter available. Obviously your radios stayed operational but you never know. I'm glad you are safe Niko. Thanks for the video.

[@pacadet]

Rjh Rhjj agreed. This video has made the decision easy for me to get a handheld. The Yaesu 750 isn’t ultra expensive, and it’s cheaper than a new plane or a new me.

[@capchuckpriceutyoub]

A backup radio may not have helped in this case, since the cause of the static was alternator arcing. This generates high radio frequency noise, which would have been picked up by the handheld the same as the onboard radios. (This actually would have been an interesting clue that the problem was with the alternator, since that’s where the AC lives, pretty much exclusively in the airplane. So I take it back - the handheld would have been a good diagnostic tool. But not necessarily a fallback for communication.)

[@zanderhamilton7908]

Can't you usually use a cell phone to call tower with a phone number?

[@heyeveryoneitsbrian1338]

Handheld radio, Chuck.

[@folkenvanvanel6611]

Calls are seldom stable at altitude. Data (low volume) works however.

[@samhiatt]

Love the background music. Got my blood pumping and palms sweaty.

[@CharlieBoy360]

Very Bladerunner-esque

[@yuyuthetoastlicker4856]

Douglas Sharp moms spaghetti