SDEA TRAINING • PART 3
Unexpected Situations – Test 14
Practice Unexpected Situations – Test 14 through three operational scenarios. Listen carefully, report what you heard, answer the examiner’s questions, and compare the three situations at the end.
14
TEST
3
SITUATIONS
✓
FINAL COMPARISON
TEST STRUCTURE
Complete the three situations step by step
This test contains three different operational situations. Listen carefully to each pilot–ATC communication, report what you heard, answer the examiner’s question, and complete the final comparison after the three situations.
01
Listen and report
Listen carefully to the pilot–ATC communication and report everything you heard, including the relevant operational details.
02
Answer the question
Listen to the examiner’s question and provide a clear, organized and well-supported response
03
Complete the final comparison
After listening to all three situations, compare them in terms of severity, possible solutions and ways of prevention.
TEST 14
Complete the three situations
Part 3 Instructions
Listen carefully to the examiner's instructions before starting the three unexpected situations.
Part Three: “Unexpected Situations”. In this part of the test, you will listen to three different communications between pilots and air traffic controllers.
The recordings will be played twice. There is a five-second pause before the recording is repeated. After listening to the recording, you should tell me everything that the pilot and the controller said. I will then ask you a question.
At the end of Part Three, I will ask you to compare the three situations, so please take notes. All information is important. Do you have any questions?
Situation 1
Listen carefully to the communication, report what you heard, and then answer the examiner's question.
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, London Approach, PR-AJR, we have [fire in the cargo hold], [we are descending to two thousand feet]. [Request emergency landing] [straight-in approach] at Heathrow. [We have five hundred liters remaining fuel].
PR-AJR, London Approach, roger. [Descend at your discretion]. [Firefighters will be called upon]. When able, [report persons on board].
According to the exchange, the pilot declared a Mayday and reported a fire in the cargo hold. He said that they were descending to 2,000 feet and requested (asked for) an emergency landing with a straight-in approach at Heathrow. He also reported that they had 500 liters of fuel remaining.
Then, the controller cleared the crew to descend at their discretion and advised that firefighters would be called. The controller also asked them to report the number of persons on board when able.
According to the communication, the pilot declared a Mayday after detecting a fire in the cargo hold. He advised that the helicopter was descending to 2,000 feet and asked for an emergency landing with a straight-in approach at Heathrow. He also reported 500 liters of fuel remaining.
In response, ATC allowed the crew to descend at their discretion, advised that the firefighters would be called out, and asked them to pass on the number of persons on board when able.
In my view, if there is a fire onboard, the pilot should maintain control of the helicopter, identify the source of the fire, and follow (run) the appropriate emergency checklist.
The crew should use the available fire extinguishing system, declare an emergency, and land as soon as possible. A cargo fire may be caused by electrical problems, lithium batteries, flammable materials, or dangerous goods.
From a safety perspective, an onboard fire is one of the most urgent situations because it can spread quickly and affect critical systems.
The pilot should maintain aircraft control, run the appropriate checklist, identify and isolate the source if possible, activate the fire suppression system, and head for the nearest suitable landing area while coordinating with ATC and emergency services. If the fire were in the cargo compartment, it could have been caused by an electrical fault, overheating lithium batteries, flammable materials, or improperly handled dangerous goods.
Situation 2
Listen carefully to the communication, report what you heard, and then answer the examiner's question.
Phoenix Approach, looks like we’re gonna be [returning to the airport]. We’ve got an [airspeed indicator failure] that we’re gonna need to check, PT-FIJ.
PT-FIJ, roger. [Descend to one zero thousand], [altimeter setting two niner niner two], [expect vectors to ILS runway zero seven left].
According to the exchange, the pilot reported that they were returning to the airport because of an airspeed indicator failure that needed to be checked.
Then, the controller instructed the crew to descend to 10,000 feet, provided the altimeter setting 29.92, and advised them to expect vectors to the ILS approach for runway 07L.
According to the communication, the pilot advised that they were heading back to the airport after experiencing an airspeed indicator failure that required further checking.
In response, ATC cleared the crew to descend to 10,000 feet, passed on the altimeter setting 29.92, and advised them to expect radar vectors to the ILS approach for runway 07L.
In my view, not knowing the correct airspeed can be very dangerous because the pilot may fly too slowly or too fast, especially during approach and landing.
The pilot should cross-check the instruments, use the standby airspeed indicator if available, and compare the aircraft attitude and power setting with the expected performance. If the indication looks abnormal, the crew should follow (run) the appropriate checklist and land as soon as practical.
From an operational standpoint, unreliable airspeed can be extremely serious because the pilot may no longer have accurate information about the helicopter’s speed, particularly during approach, landing, or other high-workload phases.
The crew should cross-check the primary indication against standby instruments, attitude, power settings, and other available information to work out (determine) whether the airspeed indication is unreliable. If the failure is confirmed, they should run the appropriate checklist, fall back on known pitch and power references, and coordinate an approach that minimizes workload.
Situation 3
Listen carefully to the communication, report what you heard, and then answer the examiner's question.
Pan Pan, Pan Pan, Pan Pan, Brasilia Control, PR-OMA. [Tail rotor control failure].
PR-OMA, roger. Say your intentions.
[Request an available runway] [for running landing], PR-OMA.
PR-OMA, [proceed to Brasilia Airport]. [Expect runway two niner right]. [Say your estimated time of arrival].
[ETA twelve thirty], PR-OMA.
According to the exchange, the pilot declared a Pan Pan and reported a tail rotor control failure.
Then, the controller asked for the pilot’s intentions. The pilot requested (asked for) an available runway for a running landing. After that, the controller instructed the crew to proceed to Brasilia Airport, advised them to expect runway 29R, and asked for their estimated time of arrival. The pilot reported an ETA of 12:30.
According to the communication, the pilot declared a Pan Pan after experiencing a tail rotor control failure.
In response, ATC asked what the crew intended to do. The pilot asked for an available runway so that they could carry out a running landing. The controller then instructed them to proceed to Brasilia Airport, advised them to expect runway 29R, and asked them to pass on their estimated time of arrival. The pilot reported an ETA of 12:30.
In my view, a tail rotor failure may be caused by a mechanical problem, damage to the tail rotor blades, a drive shaft or gearbox failure, or a problem with the control system.
If it happens, the pilot should maintain control of the helicopter, follow (run) the appropriate emergency checklist, and avoid abrupt control inputs. If directional control is still available, a running landing on a suitable runway may be the safest option.
From an operational standpoint, a tail rotor failure could result from damage to the blades, a tail rotor drive shaft or gearbox malfunction, a control linkage problem, or another mechanical failure in the anti-torque system.
The pilot should first maintain aircraft control, run the appropriate checklist, and work out (determine) how much directional control is still available. Depending on the type of failure, the crew may need to maintain forward airspeed and set up for a running landing on a suitable runway. If directional control deteriorates significantly, a different emergency landing technique may be required according to the helicopter’s procedures.
Final Comparison
Compare the three situations in terms of severity, possible solutions, and ways of prevention, and explain which one would be the most difficult to deal with.
In my view, the tail rotor control failure was more difficult to deal with than the other two situations because it could directly affect the helicopter’s directional control.
The cargo fire was also very serious because fire can spread quickly and damage important systems. By comparison, the airspeed indicator failure was less critical because the pilot could cross-check other instruments and use known pitch and power settings. Overall, I think the tail rotor failure was the most difficult situation because the pilot might have fewer options and may need to perform a running landing.
From an operational standpoint, the tail rotor control failure would be the hardest of the three situations because a loss of directional control can make the helicopter much more difficult to handle, especially during the approach and landing.
The cargo fire was also extremely serious and probably more urgent than the airspeed indicator failure because the fire could spread and affect critical systems. By comparison, the airspeed problem was more manageable because the crew could cross-check standby instruments, fall back on known pitch and power references, and coordinate a stabilized approach. Overall, I would consider the tail rotor failure the most difficult to deal with because it may require the crew to maintain forward airspeed, set up for a running landing, and carefully manage directional control all the way to touchdown.
I’ve never experienced any of these situations personally. However, I’ve trained for abnormal and emergency situations, so I understand how important quick decision-making, clear communication, and situational awareness can be.
End of Part 3
You have completed the Unexpected Situations section. Listen to the examiner and choose what you would like to do next.