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Welcome to the test Unexpected Situations – 19.
This test contains 3 situations that you can choose from the menu on the left-hand side of this page. Always try to answer before reading the expected answer!
ATC: FALCON 51, WE HAVE AN AIRCRAFT RUNNING LOW ON FUEL COMING TO OUR FIELD. CONFIRM IF YOU CAN DOGLEG TO FINAL, RUNWAY TWO NINE RIGHT AFTER DOWNWIND LEG.
PILOT: NEWCASTLE TOWER, FALCON 51. WE HEARD THERE IS TRAFFIC LOW ON FUEL, BUT I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID AFTER THAT. COULD YOU REPEAT IT?
ATC: FALCON 51, I ASKED IF YOU CAN DOGLEG TO FINAL AFTER DOWNWIND LEG.
PILOT: TOWER, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DOGLEG?
ATC: FALCON 51, DUE TO THIS TRAFFIC, CAN YOU MAKE A SHORT APPROACH?
EXAMINER: Now tell me in your own words everything the pilot and controller said.
The controller informed the pilot they had an aircraft running low on fuel coming to their field.
He asked him to confirm if the pilot could dogleg to final, runway 29R after downwind leg.
The pilot informed he had heard there was a traffic low on fuel, but he hadn`t understood what the controller had said after that, so he asked him to repeat.
The controller repeated the question about dogleg to final after downwind leg.
The pilot didn`t understand dogleg and asked what the controller meant by that. The controller rephrased and asked him if due to that traffic, he could make a short
approach.
EXAMINER: How can non-standard phraseology hinder communication?
From my point of view, non-standard phraseology can hinder communication, especially when we talk about pilots who are communicating in a language that is not their first language. Another factor is the use of slangs that can undoubtedly make it hard to understand, therefore hinder communication.
EXAMINER: Now listen to situation number 2.
PILOT: CONFINS TOWER, N307FT IS HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY HERE. WE ARE TOTALLY READY TO DEPART.
ATC: N307FT, HOLD POSITION. THERE IS A DOG LOOSE ON THE RUNWAY ONE SEVEN LEFT. FIREFIGHTERS ARE TRYING TO RESCUE IT. I’LL CONTACT YOU WHEN IT’S SOLVED.
EXAMINER: Now tell me in your own words everything the pilot and controller said.
The pilot informed they were holding short of runway and that they were ready to depart.
The controller instructed the pilot to hold position because there was loose dog on the runway 17L.
He informed that they were trying to rescue it and told the pilot they would contact when it was solved.
EXAMINER: How can animals on the runway be avoided? And what are the possible consequences?
I guess the most effective way to avoid animals in airport areas is by investing in airport infrastructure, therefore maintain good fencing avoiding animals on runways. The consequences of animals on runways are possible collisions leading to delays and even severe damage to aircraft.
EXAMINER: Now situation number 3.
ATC: DELTA 307, DESCEND TO FLIGHT LEVEL ONE FIVE ZERO. JUST TO CHECK, YOU INFORMED YOU NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, IS THAT RIGHT?
PILOT: LYON APPROACH, NEGATIVE. WE NEED ASSISTANCE TO NAVIGATE. WE ARE BLIND HERE.
NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEMS ARE OUT OF SERVICE. INITIATING DESCENT TO ONE TWO ZERO, DELTA 307.
ATC: DELTA 307, I’LL SAY IT AGAIN: FLIGHT LEVEL ONE FIVE ZERO.
PILOT: OKAY, ROGER THAT. FLIGHT LEVEL ONE TWO ZERO, DELTA 307. SORRY, SIR.
EXAMINER: Now tell me in your own words everything the pilot and controller said.
The controller instructed the pilot to descend to FL 150 and asked him if he needed medical assistance.
The pilot said he needed assistance to navigate, he informed that navigational systems were out of service and informed they were descending to 120.
The controller corrected the FL and repeated the
correct one, but the pilot still understood it wrong.
EXAMINER: What is read back?
Read-back is a procedure whereby the receiving station repeats a received message or an appropriate part back to the transmitting station to obtain confirmation of the correct reception.
EXAMINER: Now, considering the three situations you have heard in part three: How would you compare them? You may want to compare them in terms of severity, possible solutions and ways of prevention. Which one do you think is the most difficult to deal with? Why?
In my opinion, the loose dog on the runway is the least serious situation to face. I say this as the pilots must wait for the ground personnel to remove the dog, and then they can take off normally.
The navigation system failure is worse than the loose dog because this could lead to a high workload in the cockpit and, in the worst-case scenario, a disaster.
However, the aircraft that was running on low fuel is the worst situation to deal with because the pilot must land straight away, and if that is not possible, to can lead to a fatal accident.
If I faced a situation like this, I would undoubtedly land immediately.
I believe the best methods of prevention are good maintenance, constant training, and reliable backup systems.
EXAMINER: Thank you. That is the end of part three.