AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024 - 98

RUDDER & WRENCH
98
I called Atlanta Center and blurted
out that I was in serious trouble and
needed an immediate heading change
to get me out of the hole. In my haste, I
forgot to identify myself. Once Atlanta
knew who I was, the controller informed
me I was headed directly into the storm
and suggested an immediate course correction
of 45 degrees right. I made my
correction and continued flying blindly
into the dark abyss, silently praying
with each jolt that the wings would stay
firmly attached to the fuselage. Every
correction I made seemed to exacerbate
the jolts and bumps. Finally, as if
a hand was coming out of the sky, beckoning
me to come this way, I could see
the sun peeking out. Almost as quickly
as I had gotten into this tumultuous and
angry storm, I emerged into smooth air
and breathed a sigh of relief. The rest
of the flight was uneventful, and I shot
a not-so-smooth ILS into CAE. We were
very thankful to be on the ground, to say
the least.
So, what went wrong? That evening,
I downloaded the manual to the King
horizontal situation indicator. I learned
that if it precesses more than 3 degrees
every 30 minutes, it needs to be rebuilt.
We experienced turbulence
that rocked me to my
core. My daughter's head
hit the ceiling, sending
her earphones and iPhone
flying across the cabin.
I had noticed that it needed to be reset
every now and then but had not made a
note how frequently that was necessary.
I am now certain that was the culprit, as
I was using the heading bug to steer the
ship. Since it was precessing, it basically
led me directly into the storm. My new
dilemma was whether to spend $1,800
rebuilding a 35-year-old instrument.
After some back and forth, I decided it
was time to go all glass, no more precessing
for me. Lesson learned: Read the
manual if something seems off.
In telling this story to more experienced
pilots, I learned that this
phenomenon is often called a " sucker
hole. " It feels like a double meaning,
sucking in a sucker like me. So regardless
of what Center tells me now, my
old flight instructor's words ring in
my head. " They are on the ground,
your rear is in the air. " This experience
remains the most frightening of
my life in aviation. So always remember
to triple check the weather, know
your limits, and remember no 30-minute
shortcut is worth your life.
Chap
Breard is a tailwheel-endorsed, instrument-
and seaplane-rated private pilot. He
has been flying for 37 years and owns a 1969
Cessna 180.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2024

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