Author Topic: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal  (Read 13956 times)

Offline socal_crz

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BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« on: October 14, 2011, 01:05:06 AM »
Well this has been hiding on my computer for the last six months. Just came across it and it was even more nerve wracking. Icing isn't exactly common down here in socal. A situation well handled by everyone involved.

Removed silence and other traffic, although it wasn't very busy at the time.



Offline NoMad

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2011, 10:45:01 PM »
Fine job by the controller getting out of a bad situation.

Offline phil-s

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2011, 03:34:57 PM »
Wow, ATC really was there when you needed them. Was this a sector controller (not sure of the right terminology)? You said it wasn't a busy day but how much other traffic was he handling? And what's the reference to Joshua? Military air space? Thanks -- Phl

Offline mielsonwheals

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2011, 04:18:14 PM »
Really great clip. Pilot did a good job listening to air traffic control, even though he probably wanted to descend a lot quicker than they allowed.

"Joshua" is the call sign for the Edwards AFB TRACON... looks like they control a lot of the restricted airspace that is en route from Hawthorne Airport to Henderson Executive, NV.

Offline socal_crz

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2011, 08:02:38 PM »
I've gotten rid of the original clip from the archive, but there was at least a Southwest arrival into Ontario at the time, and maybe another GA aircraft. Weather like that keeps the Sunday fliers at home here in socal, and Ontario doesn't have the air carrier traffic it once did, or so I'm told.

This happened in the Norton sector at socal, named for Norton AFB, which is now San Bernardino (International, lol) airport. Here's the radar map for the sector, which is mostly a bunch of nonsense lines, but if you know what you're looking for you can find 13 airports depicted. (BNG L35 REI SBD L26 RIV RIR RAL CNO AJO ONT L67 CCB) And yes the northern boundary of Norton is adjacent to High Desert Tracon, E10, or Joshua Approach.

If the pilot had been willing to declare an emergency, the controller could have descended him below the minimum vectoring altitude. Eventually the controller declared an emergency on behalf of the pilot and descended him, and there's a real possibility that may have saved his life.

Offline ifette

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2011, 12:26:49 AM »
I'm amazed that even after losing his ASI and VSI, and repeated "encounters" with IMC and icing, the pilot was still asking for vectors to some other airport. That's nuts. I pick up ice and I'm thinking "get me on the nearest runway, now." Freaks me out.

Offline StuSEL

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Re: BE35 icing emergency with SoCal
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2011, 05:41:15 PM »
I'm amazed that even after losing his ASI and VSI, and repeated "encounters" with IMC and icing, the pilot was still asking for vectors to some other airport. That's nuts. I pick up ice and I'm thinking "get me on the nearest runway, now." Freaks me out.
Yeah this guy's not the brightest in the box if I may say so myself. Had it not been for the controller this guy would most likely have crashed. Not kidding. And I can't believe he didn't even thank the controller, geez.