I Declared an Emergency-Twice! What Really Happens and the Lessons I Learned

[@malibujack4852]

I’ve had almost the same experience. In more than 3500 hours, I’ve declared an emergency twice. Once when I lost my engine in my experimental while over hostile terrain and once in my PA-46 when ATC declared an emergency on me when I had a rough running engine in IMC. Of course you get the FAA inspectors to show up on site, but as you say, they were very professional and really just want to understand what happened.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@malibujack4852 how do you like the -46?

[@malibujack4852]

@@TheFlyingSalesmanAbsolutely love it. Pressurization is a game-changer that gets you up and over most of the weather most of the time. Family loves traveling in it. We hardly ever take commercial airlines now unless we are going internationally.

[@SoCalFlights]

I had to declare an emergency on a stuck throttle cable in the open position with less than 150TT under my licensed belt. I said exactly what you said. I need to figure this out and find a solution to land safely. Luckily, I was by myself. After coasting to a safe stop where the fire truck met me, I got out and pumped my arms in the air and said......"and that's how you do it"

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@SoCalFlights it is a good feeling when we you get back on the ground. How did you set up your landing?

[@SoCalFlights]

@@TheFlyingSalesman two scenarios entered my mind. 1) come in lower because of speed and then cut mixture when runway was made (4,900') and ease back on yoke to bleed off speed. 2) I manipulate the mixture going from rough to rich in order to control the engine for speed and alt. Once runway was made and approach was stable, cut the mixture. I chose #2. I also had three other airports within glide. two of which had shorter runways. The third was a military base with 8"K and 12'K runways. I will admit. I was tasked overloaded during the event.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@SoCalFlights that does sound intense. Job well done.

[@liquidintegrity]

Love that flag on the wall! Thank you for your experience!

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@liquidintegrity thank you for watching.

[@ENGPilot]

Thanks for sharing. Appreciate you point that we should not fear asking for help when needed!

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@ENGPilot you got it, thanks for watching.

[@shanemacgregor2771]

Goodstuff thanks.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@shanemacgregor2771 thanks for watching!

[@dot1958]

What good stuff man

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Thanks! Which emergency did you think was the more stressful?

[@AaronReinert-oc2jg]

Good stuff man great thoughts! Thanks for sharing! We must always Keep learning and always strive to get better🙌

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Amen! Thanks for watching...

[@theB35flyer]

Thanks for sharing!! If you fly long enough you'll have incidences, urgencies and emergencies.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@theB35flyer I cut out a portion where I found a poll that said 31% of pilots have never had an emergency. I thought those were lucky and am happy they haven’t.

[@imagerysd]

Thanks for sharing your experience 👍

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Thanks for watching! What part sticks with you the most?

[@billgalante1181]

Matt, great video, thanks for sharing.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Thanks for joining me in the hangar, I am looking forward to getting back in the air.

[@FtwAv8r]

Excellent video. Not enough information on what happens after declaring an emergency. Use all the resources available to you.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

@@FtwAv8r what else would you like to know?

[@jimosborne2]

Hey dude, do you wear your sunglasses on when you meet with your customers too?

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Not unless it is sunny and we are on the ramp. If you want to know why I am wearing them on video, it is because my eyes sometimes wonder to the "B" camera and I feel it is distracting for the viewers to see my eyes shifting. I am still trying to get the hang of all this and filming in the hangar is just a stop gap until I can get back in the plane. It is for the same reason I like to wear sunglasses in the plane by the way. A lot of the time when I am talking in the plane, my eyes scanning the panel and outside can be distracting. The sunglasses mask a lot of this. I hope you enjoy the videos despite the sunglasses and I appreciate you reaching out. Blue skies! -TFS

[@jimosborne2]

@@TheFlyingSalesman not likely I am your target audience- old school- I don’t watch videos of people talking while driving or flying because they think it’s cool and they are entertaining. Different if they are demonstrating something. Or highly edited. But it’s your channel so do what you want.

[@747FoSophie]

As an international pilot we use PAN-PAN-PAN or MADAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY never "declaring an emergency". Does your 210 have a standby artificial horizon that is self powered? If you are in an emergency ATC is your friend.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

I was on the standby horizon so I was good there. My only heading reference was the mag compass. You are correct about the phraseology, but like I said in another comment, I had such a long dialogue with the tower before I declared the emergency that I did not feel "mayday" was necessary. I will ask you the same question- Is "Mayday" the correct phrase, or is it used to get everyone's attention on frequency to hush and listen? That has always been my thought- The words that came next were your actual communication. So in my mind, there was not a need to make everyone stop talking because we were already in a dialogue. So again- what is your procedure?

[@747FoSophie]

@@TheFlyingSalesman MAYDAY is used when there is a threat to life otherwise PAN-PAN is used. I haven't heard declaring an emergency outside of the US. If you didn't think it serious enough for a MAYDAY call and you were already in a dialog with ATC I would say PAN-PAN PAN-PAN PAN-PAN then your call sign followed by the reason, such as unsafe landing gear.

[@mts982]

weird smile. lol.

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

LOL, it was was a surreal moment!

[@eminye1]

Do you use the correct phraseology, mayday?

[@TheFlyingSalesman]

Take this with a grain of salt because that is my intent, I understand your question, but I really hope that I never need to USE the correct phraseology. In the video how ever, I did not use "Mayday". By the time I was ready to land, I was past the formality of the incident because of the all of the communication with the tower. In the second instance, ATC declared it for me. My mind set is that "Mayday" is an attention getter for ATC and other pilots on Freq. I didn't need to get ATCs attention, They were already giving me their best. What on your thoughts on this? Is mayday required?