AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2015 - 92

P&E

NEVER AGAIN

A thump on final
The TFR in the 72-page briefing
BY MIKE MERCER

92 | AOPA PILOT July 2015

to normal within a few seconds, and the noise was abating.
The adrenaline was still pumping when I barked to my friend,
"What the-was that?" I did not have time to wait for a response
as I was already beginning to round out for landing. As we
touched down, my friend, an Air Force officer, responded, "It
looks like an F-16."
On the rollout I got a look at the F-16 in full afterburner climbing
back to altitude and turning to circle the field. I concluded immediately that we had been "thumped," a procedure we used in the
military that was designed to rattle and harass the pilot of an intercepted aircraft. I asked the FBO on the CTAF if there was a TFR
over the field and got an affirmative response. I remember checking my iPad (and later took a picture). Go figure, the ADS-B display
was still showing all the TFR rings north of IGQ.
After further reflection I realized my mistake that day in
August 2012 was not taking a closer look at those odd concentric TFR rings when I reviewed my DUATS briefing. It turned
out that the first line of the description of that first ring was at

JAMES CAREY

IT WAS A FLIGHT I had done a number
of times before: Fly a friend and his
daughter to Purdue University; stop in
Lansing, Illinois, for business; and fly
home. I got my DUATS briefing through
my electronic flight bag flight planning
program-72 pages, including some
presidential TFRs in Chicago.
I hand-plotted the TFRs and noted
two concentric rings with the same
times and altitudes but different radii.
Odd. But all the TFRs were north of
Lansing, so I gave it no further thought.
I launched from Hagerstown,
Maryland, the next morning for Purdue
University Airport (LAF). There were
stiff headwinds at 10,000 feet. At least
I would have some nice tailwinds for
the trip home. My friend and I got his
daughter to her dorm and grabbed a bite
to eat on the way back to the airport.
The EFB showed all clear for the flight
to Lansing. It would be a short flight, so
I opted to go VFR.
The Lafayette tower cleared me
to depart VFR, and I switched over
to Chicago to pick up flight following. The controller was just
slammed with Chicago traffic, so I never could get in a flight following request. Fortunately the EFB with Stratus was picking
up all the great ADS-B In information. The current METAR at
Lansing Municipal Airport (IGQ) was good; no convective activity; and the TFRs all were north of IGQ. I still felt a bit naked not
being "in the system."
I steered to the straight-in to Runway 36. The ATIS matched
the FIS-B METAR. I made calls on the common traffic advisory
frequency at 20, 15, 10, and five miles out. I was on short final, gear
down, full flaps, and right on my target airspeed. Without warning, the Baron abruptly yawed 15 degrees right, and there was a
thunderous noise on the right side of the aircraft. I was standing
on the rudder pedals to maintain directional control and managed
to keep things more or less aimed at the runway.
It was quickly apparent that the problem was not the right
engine. I starting thinking I had lost the utility doors on the
right side of the cabin, but they were fine. Everything returned

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