 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
King air pilot reports being distracted checking weather when the autopilot disengages and allows aircraft to descend below 9000 feet.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 979505 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201111 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | King Air C90 E90 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Autopilot |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 90 Flight Crew Total 7500 Flight Crew Type 18 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
We were instructed to climb to 9000' MSL. We programmed it into the preselect; we monitored the climb and the plane (on autopilot) climbed up to and leveled of approximately 9000'. All autopilot annunciators were normal; I was then showing the owner (also a pilot) the use of nexrad and radar to check approaching weather. ATC called our north# and said maintain 9000'. I glanced down and we had lost around 300 - 400 feet. I read back; 'yes sir niner thousand' and immediately corrected the deviation and nothing else was said! We realize somehow the autopilot had come off line and this vintage aircraft/autopilot does not have an audible autopilot disconnect warning as I am used to. Had I not been distracted looking at convective weather ahead (which we were going to have to deal with) and if the plane was equipped with an autopilot disconnect audible warning this deviation may not have occurred.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: King Air pilot reports being distracted checking weather when the autopilot disengages and allows aircraft to descend below 9000 feet.
Narrative: We were instructed to climb to 9000' MSL. We programmed it into the preselect; we monitored the climb and the plane (on autopilot) climbed up to and leveled of approximately 9000'. All autopilot annunciators were normal; I was then showing the owner (also a pilot) the use of NEXRAD and radar to check approaching weather. ATC called our N# and said maintain 9000'. I glanced down and we had lost around 300 - 400 feet. I read back; 'yes sir niner thousand' and immediately corrected the deviation and nothing else was said! We realize somehow the autopilot had come off line and this vintage aircraft/autopilot does not have an audible autopilot disconnect warning as I am used to. Had I not been distracted looking at convective weather ahead (which we were going to have to deal with) and if the plane was equipped with an autopilot disconnect audible warning this deviation may not have occurred.
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.