Post by Dutch Owen on Nov 10, 2010 9:29:17 GMT -5
I almost never make a flight without FSCaptain and for me it's fun to take those flights very seriously -- as in, don't make a major screw-up. Ever since starting my career back in February of 2009 during the initial testing, I've made a few poor flights but I've avoided bending any virtual metal (that wasn't caused by an FS glitch). None of my virtual PAX have suffered so much as a bruise from my flying.
Until now.
As a part of the regression testing of release 1.1.5 I'd decided on a medium range flight in the PMDG 737-700, one of my favorite airplanes. It's been while since I'd flown this one, and it's a complex and accurate simulation of the 737NG. I guess I'd gotten too used to the simpler airplanes.
The flight was from my base in GSO to Lakeland FL with 78 PAX. Weather was not significant. It looked easy. I followed the checklists and the flight proceeded routinely. During the initial approach I got a fuel warning indication but this is normal in the 737NG -- when the center tanks are drained the fuel warning pops up to remind you to turn off the center tank fuel pumps. I was busy at the moment and postponed turning off the switches. I knew I had plenty of fuel, I'd monitored it from the FSCaptain progress screen as we got near. I just reset the caution.
I was vectored for a visual to runway 27. It was a clear, warm night in Florida and I'd just reported "runway in sight" to the approach controller when from my FO I hear the dreaded words "Whoa, I think we've got a flameout!"
Indeed we did -- BOTH engines at once! We were at about 4,000 feet. A quick glance at the runway revealed red VASIs -- no way we'd be able to glide in. A scan around revealed there were no other airports I could make. It was restart an engine or we're all dead. But why did they flameout? I knew it wasn't FSCaptain causing the failure -- it will never fail more than one engine at once.
Right before grabbing the restart checklist I glanced down at the fuel quantity on the panel. Then I knew -- both wing tanks were drained, and then center tank was full. The exact opposite of what should have happened! I looked at the overhead. There it was -- I'd somehow forgotten to turn on the center fuel tank pumps during the initial engine start. So during the flight the wing tanks had supplied the engines until they ran dry.
I quickly flipped on the pumps and tried to follow the restart checklist, without success. I didn't have enough time. We smashed into the ground about a mile short of the runway.
End of career.
I actually felt quite terrible about it. Such a simple blunder able to cause such a catastrophe.
My errors were:
1. Not reading the checklist carefully enough and turning on only 4 of the six pumps required.
2. Relying on FSCaptain to check fuel, rather than look at the actual fuel quantity indicators on the airplane (one look during flight and I would have noticed the anomaly.)
3. Not following proper procedure and turning off the center tank pumps when the fuel warning popped up. If had done it immediately, or not forgotten to do it entirely, I'd have noticed the problem with the pump switches.
4. Not taking the warning seriously because I'd seen it so often.
5. Not knowing by heart the engine restart procedure, so I wouldn't have to try and go through the checklist without enough time to do it.
I'll note here the engine restart procedure in the PMDG abnormal checklists doesn't work. I went up and practiced restarting engines and it was necessary to start the APU and restart using the GRD setting, the PMDG says use the FLT setting but it won't restart the engines.
Anyway, lesson learned.
An idea occurred to me for this. What about adding an option to the emergency page of FSCaptain to have the FO restart any dead engine(s)? That's what a real captain would do, order the FO to do it while he handled other pressing duties.
Dutch
Until now.
As a part of the regression testing of release 1.1.5 I'd decided on a medium range flight in the PMDG 737-700, one of my favorite airplanes. It's been while since I'd flown this one, and it's a complex and accurate simulation of the 737NG. I guess I'd gotten too used to the simpler airplanes.
The flight was from my base in GSO to Lakeland FL with 78 PAX. Weather was not significant. It looked easy. I followed the checklists and the flight proceeded routinely. During the initial approach I got a fuel warning indication but this is normal in the 737NG -- when the center tanks are drained the fuel warning pops up to remind you to turn off the center tank fuel pumps. I was busy at the moment and postponed turning off the switches. I knew I had plenty of fuel, I'd monitored it from the FSCaptain progress screen as we got near. I just reset the caution.
I was vectored for a visual to runway 27. It was a clear, warm night in Florida and I'd just reported "runway in sight" to the approach controller when from my FO I hear the dreaded words "Whoa, I think we've got a flameout!"
Indeed we did -- BOTH engines at once! We were at about 4,000 feet. A quick glance at the runway revealed red VASIs -- no way we'd be able to glide in. A scan around revealed there were no other airports I could make. It was restart an engine or we're all dead. But why did they flameout? I knew it wasn't FSCaptain causing the failure -- it will never fail more than one engine at once.
Right before grabbing the restart checklist I glanced down at the fuel quantity on the panel. Then I knew -- both wing tanks were drained, and then center tank was full. The exact opposite of what should have happened! I looked at the overhead. There it was -- I'd somehow forgotten to turn on the center fuel tank pumps during the initial engine start. So during the flight the wing tanks had supplied the engines until they ran dry.
I quickly flipped on the pumps and tried to follow the restart checklist, without success. I didn't have enough time. We smashed into the ground about a mile short of the runway.
End of career.
I actually felt quite terrible about it. Such a simple blunder able to cause such a catastrophe.
My errors were:
1. Not reading the checklist carefully enough and turning on only 4 of the six pumps required.
2. Relying on FSCaptain to check fuel, rather than look at the actual fuel quantity indicators on the airplane (one look during flight and I would have noticed the anomaly.)
3. Not following proper procedure and turning off the center tank pumps when the fuel warning popped up. If had done it immediately, or not forgotten to do it entirely, I'd have noticed the problem with the pump switches.
4. Not taking the warning seriously because I'd seen it so often.
5. Not knowing by heart the engine restart procedure, so I wouldn't have to try and go through the checklist without enough time to do it.
I'll note here the engine restart procedure in the PMDG abnormal checklists doesn't work. I went up and practiced restarting engines and it was necessary to start the APU and restart using the GRD setting, the PMDG says use the FLT setting but it won't restart the engines.
Anyway, lesson learned.
An idea occurred to me for this. What about adding an option to the emergency page of FSCaptain to have the FO restart any dead engine(s)? That's what a real captain would do, order the FO to do it while he handled other pressing duties.
Dutch
