This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
While practicing the RNAV-D to ZZZ, began climb to 7,400 from 6,000 en route to ZZZ1, the Cirrus SR20’s engine began to make loud rhythmic knocking sound. Engine was banging and knocking and would worsen with added power. Airplane could no longer climb or maintain altitude.
I indicated the issue to my instructor and prompted her to contact ATC. My instructor called ATC stating “our engine is making a vibration and noise.”
ATC responded asking for clarity on the nature of her call and if we were requesting priority. My instructor did not respond to ATC. After a few moments, I took over. I called to ATC and told them we are requesting priority and need vectors to the nearest airport. ATC continued to give directions and gave us priority to land at ZZZ.
During the entirety of this event, I was the sole manipulator of the controls and my instructor did not help during priority.
My CFI froze in a priority situation while I was flying under goggles at night. I cannot think of a scenario where it is acceptable to have a trainee handle priority of that type as a CFII.
After landing, we taxied to the FBO. My instructor spoke to flight safety personnel on the ground and assured me that a report was made and that I would not need to write a statement. I later found that that information was inaccurate.
I was put in an unsafe position where I had to be PIC in priority as a trainee. My instructor was not a participant in landing after the priority was requested.
I am glad that my prior training was enough to get me through this priority, but if I had not reacted quickly and taken controls, the situation could have ended catastrophically.
I suggest the CFII be grounded and given a review prior to flight with other students. Instructor needs to be proficient in priority procedures and reevaluated.
Primary Problem: Aircraft
ACN: 1902272
The people criticizing the author rather than the CFI are really pieces of work. The author indicates that they instructed the CFI to handle the radio communication. The CFI failed to take on that task sufficiently. I also find it comical that in the same breath someone would criticize not declaring an emergency while at the same time suggesting maybe the CFI just chose to watch. If this is an emergency situation (which I agree any possible engine failure in flight is an emergency situation IMHO), then that is the time for both pilots to be working as a team and implementing emergency management principles. It is not the time for the CFI to back away and say you handle this so I can observe.
Sounds like a crybaby to me take the hood off declared emergency People always trying to blame somebody else typical.
Apparently you have never heard of crew management. But at the same time preflight briefing was never done either. The what if part.
That CFII should have been fully engaged in the emergency, should have ensured that an emergency was declared, and conversed constructively and promptly with the student (certificated pilot or not) on best options. Sounds like this CFII was not fit or qualified to be a CFI, let alone CFII. When you’re instructing, YOU are, functionally, the PIC — and are morally (and largely legally) obliged to assume responsibility for the safety of the flight. If you don’t want to, DON’T INSTRUCT. Report this quack to the FSDO.
Sounds to me like you got the lesson of your life.
Did you learn anything?
I am thinking the CFII let you handle it and learn from it.
And this is another total assumption on my part thinking you are already a certificated pilot if you are taking IFR lessons, but a private pilot should already know what to do under these circumstances.
Glad it turned out OK.
Something not right? You did take the hood off right. Was the instructor trying to keep the engine running……what was the weather
Remember AVIATE NAVIGATE COMMUNICATE?
Obviously you made it back with the engine running and at night…….
What was the engine problem???
There was no mention of a debrief following the flight, but it would be interesting to know if the instructor was simply observing how the instrument student was handling the situation. There was also no mention of aircraft ownership so that might also be a factor is the “student” was the owner. Is it typical now days to refer to things as a “priority” rather than an emergency? That part stuck me wondering how valid this report actually was.
Apparently, you didn’t get the e-mail…
They aren’t “students” anymore; they are “learners”!!!!
(You must have missed it when we all voted on that very critical change.)
This “we asked for priority” drives me up the wall; why people just don’t say “Emergency” is beyond me.
Curious… who was PIC on the flight.? Sounds like a certificates pilot working on instrument rating., in which case the pilot flying may have been PIC. I’d expect a certificated pilot to be able to handle this emergency, which he did!
But it does seem disturbing that the CFII froze. I’d have at least expected her to discuss options with the pilot and be responsive to ATC…
Maybe a low time CFII with little real life flying experience?
Yep, that’s a new Cirrus owner….
At least, I’d let the school know of the actions of the CFII. That’s crazy.