Pilot can't Fly RNAV/GPS approach | Landing with Critical Fuel

On March 10, 2016, a Beechcraft B35, registration N8846A, was flying under IFR from El Paso Airport to Grand Prairie Airport in Texas. As the aircraft approached Grand Prairie, the pilot had difficulty completing the available instrument approach and contacted Dallas/Fort Worth TRACON.

The pilot attempted the RNAV/GPS Runway 35 approach at Grand Prairie twice. Weather at Grand Prairie was five miles visibility with light rain and an overcast ceiling at 800 feet. During the approaches, the pilot had difficulty maintaining altitude and heading.

After the second unsuccessful attempt, the pilot told controller Patrick Armstrong that only about 10 minutes of fuel remained. Armstrong immediately considered an alternative that would avoid another attempt at Grand Prairie. He offered an ILS approach at nearby Arlington Municipal Airport, where the pilot could use a different instrument approach.

Armstrong vectored N8846A toward Arlington and provided information the pilot needed to establish the approach. The controller also coordinated with Arlington tower and arranged the landing. The pilot successfully reached the airport and landed on Runway 34.

The event later received national recognition from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. NATCA reported that Armstrong's assistance was recognized with an Archie League Medal of Safety Award. The account also records that the pilot later contacted the TRACON to thank Armstrong and offered him three steak dinners.

The incident demonstrates the value of having an alternative plan when an approach is not working. The critical point was not simply that the pilot was low on fuel; it was that the controller recognized the combination of deteriorating fuel margin, repeated unsuccessful approaches and the availability of a nearby ILS-equipped airport.

Accident Facts

Sources

NATCA, “Patrick Armstrong, Dallas/Fort Worth TRACON,” March 14, 2016.

the associated record: “Pilot can't Fly RNAV/GPS approach | Landing with Critical Fuel.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD_-zl3_kzs