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An air taxi pilot reported drifting toward mountainous terrain in the las area after his autopilot malfunctioned but already correcting to his cleared route as ATC issued an alert.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 973437 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201110 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | L30.TRACON |
| State Reference | NV |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Transport Low Wing 2 Recip Eng |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Climb |
| Route In Use | Vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Autopilot |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot Pilot Flying Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45 Flight Crew Total 3825 Flight Crew Type 325 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Track / Heading All Types Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT |
Narrative:
While climbing out from an airport near las on an IFR flight plan I experienced an autopilot malfunction along with audio warnings. While troubleshooting the problem I drifted to the east with the help of a very strong westerly wind. As I contacted las departure I realized I was off course and began to correct. At the same time the approach controller asked if I realized I was off course and I replied that I did and was correcting. I was also asked about the terrain and informed ATC that I had the terrain in sight and would be able to maintain obstacle and terrain avoidance. When I spoke to the TRACON supervisor later I was advised that traffic separation was not an issue; just that I was approaching high terrain and that the drift off course put me below the MVA for that sector. I will continue to train with emphasis on equipment malfunctions and cockpit distractions.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An Air Taxi Pilot reported drifting toward mountainous terrain in the LAS area after his autopilot malfunctioned but already correcting to his cleared route as ATC issued an alert.
Narrative: While climbing out from an airport near LAS on an IFR flight plan I experienced an autopilot malfunction along with audio warnings. While troubleshooting the problem I drifted to the East with the help of a very strong Westerly wind. As I contacted LAS Departure I realized I was off course and began to correct. At the same time the Approach Controller asked if I realized I was off course and I replied that I did and was correcting. I was also asked about the terrain and informed ATC that I had the terrain in sight and would be able to maintain obstacle and terrain avoidance. When I spoke to the TRACON Supervisor later I was advised that traffic separation was not an issue; just that I was approaching high terrain and that the drift off course put me below the MVA for that sector. I will continue to train with emphasis on equipment malfunctions and cockpit distractions.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.