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Note: I'm not a pilot, so I don't have much basic knowledge of how the pilot licence ratings work

If a pilot doesn't have an Instrument Rating, and the weather conditions drop below VMC; what do they do?

Presumably you can't instantly land, but nor can you safely continue to fly without sufficient visibility?

I know the basic licence includes some instrument training, but is this enough to fly and land without visibility? I was under the impression that was the entire point of gaining an Instrument Rating... To train the pilot to fly on instruments alone

Jon Story
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    Obligatory: http://www.aopa.org/AOPA-Live.aspx?watch={CCA30EA1-A94D-4E45-ABCD-3AD4074403E0} – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 13:58
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    @falstro: interesting. Why is it so lethal? (I'm not a pilot). – A E Nov 18 '14 at 14:47
  • @AE You lose the actual horizon which most VFR pilots use and if you are not trained to keep an eye on the artificial one you won't notice an odd attitude until you are nose down in the ground. – ratchet freak Nov 18 '14 at 15:22
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    @ratchetfreak - thanks for info - but presumably VFR pilots all know this and yet the same thing still happens to them? Is the artificial horizon just unusable unless you're specially trained for it? As a lay person it looks pretty easy to understand. – A E Nov 18 '14 at 15:26
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    @AE it's not so much the horizon, it's the visual cues that are gone, nothing moves any more, or moves in directions inconsistent with the actual movement of the plane. Add that to sensations of movements by our inner ear and other sensory systems, and we're all pretty much doomed without training. Classic test, close your eyes and let someone spin the chair you're sitting in. Eventually you'll get the feeling you've stopped (fluid in your ear has caught up with the rotation). Open your eyes and you'll go dizzy due to the fact that your eyes are now telling you you're still actually spinning. – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 15:49
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    That's a very good point - surely anyone in a plane understands the basics of the artificial horizon and airspeed? Call me over-confident, but I'm pretty sure I could keep an already airborne and stable aircraft in the sky as long as those two were working - at least until I ran out of fuel. – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 15:52
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    @JonStory ok. Mr. Over-Confident. :) Yes, you probably could, but as soon as you take one look away from that instrument, switch radio frequency, change VOR radial, GPS configuration... There's more to flying a plane than keeping it stable. Especially if you're in the soup, and you don't want to be there anymore. You look back at that thing and it'll now show a weird angle, your AI just failed. Only, as the post crash analysis might show, it didn't, it just didn't tell you what your stressed out mind was able to accept. – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 15:55
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    I'd probably assume the instrument hadn't failed and fly to correct it, to be honest - if the instrument fails I'm dead anyway, with no other point of reference, so I doubt I'd waste time second guessing if it's working or not. Perhaps I'm unusually logical though – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 15:59
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    You have to consider the situation you're in too. How did you end up in IMC? If you for funsies flew into a puffy cloud only to come out the other end, you'd probably manage (but don't, it's stupid). A better bet is that you're trying to beat a low ceiling with a good deal of haze that you can't tell the clouds from neither the sky nor the ground. Where are you when you suddenly lose sight of everything? 1000' off the ground? 500? Where's that radio tower or huge wind turbine you see in your chart? You will have a lot on your mind; and most likely, as the video says, 178 seconds to live. – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 16:03
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    You're not unusually logical; but you've also never been in that situation. Most people think they'll do just fine. Keep in mind, every fiber of your body is telling you you're sitting upright, only that instrument isn't. I have been in that situation, and it wasn't even in IMC. I was looking at my chart for too long. The feeling when you realize it's not what your body tells you is extremely humbling. – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 16:05
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    Fair point about altitude - I can see how even an experienced pilot would be in trouble when not sure of bearing and having to quickly find airspeed, altitude and attitude while working out what he needs to avoid – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 16:08
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    @JonStory The leans are quite common even in VMC when you can see the horizon, so you can imagine how much more difficult it can be in real IMC. This is also worth a read. – Pondlife Nov 18 '14 at 17:07
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    @JonStory looking at one instrument on its own is easy. Looking at 6 instruments at once is a bit more work. Crosschecking that they all agree to identify a failed instrument is yet more work. Ignoring the kinematic sensations your brain tells you that conflict with what the instruments are telling you is probably the hardest part. Doing all of this while remembering to fly is more work. Doing all of this while navigating is still more work. Doing all of this while talking to ATC, more work. Doing all of this while briefing and flying an approach, lots of work. Hope you brought charts. – casey Nov 18 '14 at 17:37
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    @falstro Regarding thinking the AI is wrong, couldn't you figure out that it's accurate pretty quickly by cross-referencing it with the VSI, HI, and airspeed indicators? That is, if it's showing you're banking and you don't think you're banking, it seems like a quick look at your HI and compass would confirm which is accurate. Similarly, VSI, altimeter, and ASI could confirm if you're climbing or descending. – reirab Nov 18 '14 at 19:25
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    @reirab Yes, you can. And indeed that's what you'll do after several hours of IFR training, and you've picked up an instrument rating. But until you get proper training and have experienced the tricks our minds play first hand, you will not be able to fight the urge to trust your senses. – falstro Nov 18 '14 at 19:40
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    @falstro Interesting. It was the first thing that came to mind for me while sitting here at my computer, but I can see how it might not be when I'm busy trying to fly an airplane. Thankfully, I've not flown into IMC, so I can't speak for what that feels like. I check the weather before flying and simply don't fly if the weather is going to be nasty. – reirab Nov 18 '14 at 20:07
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    @reirab have you ever flown with a stuck attitude gyro? Figuring out its failed is the easy part. Now try to remove your main attitude gyro from your scan. You've got the leans, and you're trusting your instruments to stay alive, except that now your instruments are lying too. Its incredibly confusing and vertigo inducing and likely only survivable through a lot of repetition. Every time you forget and correct using your failed gyro you go further into confusion and have to rebuild your SA bubble. I've done it once in real life and, without prior training, I would have died. – Rhino Driver Nov 19 '14 at 03:09
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    @SHAF I haven't flown with one that was actually stuck, though I have flown with one whose readings weren't quite accurate... and an HI that likes to drift a little. Fortunately, I was flying in VMC, so it didn't really matter. My previous comment was directed at what to do to verify that the attitude indicator was not lying to you in IMC, not what to do if it actually is lying to you. Obviously, that's a whole different ballgame. – reirab Nov 19 '14 at 06:07
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    @reirab and the point still stands that even if you cross check and figure out the discrepancy, unless you've had prior training, it probably doesn't matter. – Rhino Driver Nov 19 '14 at 06:24
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    "Get out and walk" – Criggie Sep 03 '16 at 09:32
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    @falstro Is that link still current? It looks pretty stock and bland compared to the URL. – E.P. Sep 03 '16 at 23:15
  • @RhinoDriver: Why not carry a stickynote or suction cup with you for covering up failed instruments (like flight instructors do to simulate instrument failures when teaching partial-panel flight)? – Vikki Nov 01 '19 at 22:46

9 Answers9

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It is very rare for weather to go IMC unexpectedly.

A responsible pilot should see that weather is deteriorating, and begin planning for the nearest available landing. If they cannot find a landing, they should contact ATC while still in VMC, declare an emergency, and begin working with ATC to get down safely.

In some cases, a pilot may inadvertently enter IMC unexpectedly. The standard procedure is to execute a standard rate 180° turn, and fly equal time in the opposite direction. That should get them back to VMC conditions.

If that doesn't work, unfortunately inadvertent flight into IMC is a leading cause of GA accidents, especially CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain - i.e. 'aircraft flew into the ground'). Because of that, even basic private pilot training includes more basic instructions on instrument flying (BAI) than it used to.

abelenky
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    Good answer - thanks. It did occur to me that it would likely be a rare occurrence, but I was reading about a crash involving it so was just wondering what the 'right' thing to do was... It sounds like the right thing to do is get an instrument rating :p – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 13:54
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    Two small points: climbing in IMC is probably a dangerous maneuver for a non-instrument rated pilot; and not all countries include instrument skills in basic training. – Pondlife Nov 18 '14 at 14:26
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    The 5 C's are specifically for lost aircraft. Inadvertent IMC should be handled by either an immediate climb or descent back to VMC, or a level 180 degree turn, if you flew laterally into IMC. – Rhino Driver Nov 18 '14 at 16:01
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    I suppose the other advantage to the 180 is that even if it doesn't take you out of IMC, it should take you along the obstacle-less path you just flew down – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 16:09
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    @JonStory The 180-degree turn is also supposed to be one of the things you practice as part of the limited instrument training you get in US private pilot training. You should hopefully be able to make the 180-degree turn without screwing things up too badly and killing yourself, if you trust your instruments. – voretaq7 Nov 18 '14 at 18:47
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    @voretaq7 Couldn't a quick 180 degree level turn be the wrong move though if you were, say, flying near some mountains? Wouldn't gaining altitude while contacting ATC be your best bet? Just trying to sort through this logically... – Jae Carr Nov 19 '14 at 01:52
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    @JayCarr Sure, if you are instrument rated you can just climb to the MSA (which you should be at anyway?) and then file IFR and carry on your merry way. However, if you are not instrument rated its a legitimate emergency and you need to immediately get back to VMC. The trouble is, the only VMC you know about is the one you just left. If you climb and then 180 you might climb into another layer of IMC you didn't realize was there earlier. It is imperative that you make an immediate correction back to known VMC if you don't have an instrument rating. – Rhino Driver Nov 19 '14 at 03:18
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    @JayCarr Hopefully you're aware of any mountains in the vicinity and were maintaining a significant amount of separation from them anyway. The only way this would prevent a 180 that I can think of would be if you just flew through a narrow mountain pass. – reirab Nov 19 '14 at 06:11
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A visual pilot flying into instrument conditions is a serious emergency. It's much better to avoid the situation in the first place which is why there's a significant amount of training around preventing that from happening , namely in learning meteorology and practicing good flight planning. Pilots should always be looking out for deteriorating conditions, and planning an escape route, or a precautionary landing, even if it's in a field.

The actual training pilots get for inadvertent flight into IMC is to do a 180 degree turn on instruments while maintaining a stable altitude, and then fly out of the cloud they've gotten into. This won't always work, it is possible to get into IMC gradually, especially at night or over the sea (It's happened to me but I have an instrument rating so no big deal), or have IMC conditions form over an area all at once. In these situations a 180 degree turn isn't going to get a pilot to safety so they should:

  • Don't panic, you will get through it
  • Fly the airplane: concentrate on maintaining controlled, level flight. The artificial horizon is your bestest friend in the whole wide world right now, but don't forget to check your other instruments and do your regular engine checks and carb heat
  • Get your aircraft set up for flight in cloud or bad visibility, so pitot heat on, navigation lights on
  • Call air traffic control if available, notify them of the situation and ask for assistance. ATC can help the pilot find an area with better visibility, or direct him/her to an airfield with instrument landing facilities. They can also get someone on to help talk the pilot through setting the instruments available for an instrument landing, or do a surveillance radar approach
  • Use navigation aids to keep aware of location and to keep clear of obstacles. ATC will probably direct you, but you still need to be aware of your location and situation. If there's no ATC it's all up to you, so fly yourself to the biggest airport around, or one with lots of space and as little terrain as possible. Climb if necessary to avoid the tallest obstacle around
GdD
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    To add to what you are saying about this situation being a serious emergency studies have been done on private pilots in IMC. A pilot with no IFR training in IMC conditions survives less than 3 minutes on average. – usernumber Nov 18 '14 at 14:14
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    I didn't know that statistic @usernumber. That's pretty scary! – GdD Nov 18 '14 at 14:21
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    @GdD See the link in falstro's comment on the original question. It's definitely scary! – Pondlife Nov 18 '14 at 14:27
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    If that's true then the answer to the question is probably: die. – GdD Nov 18 '14 at 14:38
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    Likely a very valid answer, then. 3 minutes? Ouch – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 16:00
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    It's relatively easy to avoid IMC during the day over land, when you have a clear horizon it's easy to tell when it starts to disappear and take action. At night or over the sea it's much less straightforward, and you might not realize until you are at an unusual attitude when recovery on instruments is challenging even with training. – GdD Nov 18 '14 at 16:25
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    @usernumber That's a scary number; do you have a reference to some of those studies? – Jason C Nov 20 '14 at 18:19
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    Question about the 180 turn: If you're in mountainous/rocky/unknown terrain, wouldn't you want to climb first? A wide turn in unknown terrain with no visibility seems to me like a good way to go CFIT. – Matt Nov 20 '14 at 21:39
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    The point of the 180 degree turn is to get a pilot back into visual conditions before he/she becomes disoriented. Climbing is more likely to get you deeper into cloud, and the deeper you get the more likely you are to lose control. Unless you have a very good idea of the surrounding terrain you are better off doing a 180 degree turn and relying on good fortune. – GdD Nov 21 '14 at 08:50
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    Not necessarily... Climbing could allow you to get above the clouds, get out of potential icing, decrease your turn radius, increase radio reception, and MOST IMPORTANTLY put distance between you and the ground. Not to mention, you're assuming a jet with a very tight turn radius. What about if you're flying something with a turn diameter of 6+ NM, you might not know what's 6 NM away while in IMC. –  Nov 23 '14 at 20:30
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    @JasonC, my aviation weather professor told us that number during the first lesson to get our attention, but I haven't found any link to an article that might confirm. – usernumber Nov 25 '14 at 14:29
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    @JasonC This leaflet describes a 1990s study at University of Illinois which concluded that on average, from their sample of 20, it took 178 seconds for a VFR pilot to lose control in IMC. However, here's an article which debunks this story. In particular, all the gyro instruments were apparently covered during the experiment, and the University of Illinois no longer seems to have even the excerpt, let alone the entire story. – Roman Jan 09 '15 at 23:39
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    @TUMBLEWEED Do people without instrument ratings actually fly aircraft with 6 nm turn diameters? I'd think most of them would be in light aircraft that have turn diameters of a fraction of a mile. A jet would generally have a much larger turn radius than most light GA aircraft. Consider that the downwind->base->final correspond to a 1 statute mile turn diameter and we still roll out on base and fly straight for a while before turning final. – reirab Sep 03 '16 at 16:57
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Special case: our university has an exceedingly good autopilot installed in all of our trainers. If one of our private pilot students gets into IMC by mistake, they hit the button marked "Straight & Level" and then let Otto fly the 180 turn to exit IMC.

While not every student or private pilot has access to the level of cockpit automation that we do, even a wing leveler + elevator trim might be enough to keep you alive until you can get your bearings.

As an anecdote, my first time in IMC, I had over three hours of hood time, I had been fully briefed on what to expect and I knew that my body was going to lie to me. Not more than thirty seconds in the cloud and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the airplane was tumbling backwards.

If my instructor hadn't been there I would have pushed the nose into the dirt and held it there until I broke out of the cloud or hit the ground.

Steve V.
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As others have said, this situation is best avoided. There's a term for trying to sneak under the clouds: scud-running. It can be deadly. As the dew point drops, the cloud ceiling falls. Combine that with rising terrain and accidents can happen. The spread between the dew point and the air temperature is a critical tool (the higher the better) for avoiding low ceilings. This is why the dew point and air temperature are part of weather information.

It's really critical to understand how disorienting IMC can be. You have to resist the temptation to fly with your eyes out the windscreen and switch to flying using the instruments. The expression "flying by the seat of your pants" is used a lot and it's just not true. One of my instructors wanted me to experience how undependable this is. He had me close my eyes and attempt to fly straight and level. After about 20 seconds, he told me to open my eyes. I was banked left about 20 degrees in a nose down attitude. While I had my eyes closed, I was certain that I was rolling to the right and climbing. That was a sobering lesson.

Peter Hansen
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    Flying by the seat of your pants (literal, actually) only applies to coordination/avoiding sideslip. And it is actual seat of the pants, not feel of balance because that one is getting conflicting information. – Jan Hudec Nov 21 '14 at 10:53
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Can't believe no one mentioned it, but first you need to transition to instruments. Then climb to at least the MEF (Maximum Elevation Figure [the number in the quadrangles on a VFR sectional]) or preferably a MIA (Minimum IFR Altitude) if you happen to know it, but do not climb into class A airspace unless it's an emergency. Exit IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) by changing heading OR altitude (i.e. 180 degree turn). If that doesn't work then squawk 7700 and attempt to contact the nearest controlling facility. Do not squawk 7700 if you are instrument rated, just pick up an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance...

By the way, I've always learned the 5 C's apply to the lost scenario, but I suppose it could work in this case. Never thought of it!

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    You say 'transition to instruments' as if they know how to do so... If they did, they'd probably have instrument rating (or had it previously, in which case they could probably fly as normal while declaring the situation to ATC) – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 16:36
  • No not exactly. As mentioned above, every U.S. private pilot gets at least a few hours flying under the hood. You can't keep flying looking out the window in the weather and expecting things to get better. You need to develop some sort of instrument cross-check and not look outside. –  Nov 18 '14 at 16:38
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    As other answers and comments have stated, not every country includes even basic IFR training – Jon Story Nov 18 '14 at 16:39
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    Fixed my above comment. But the principles are the same... You CANNOT look outside the aircraft in the weather and be expected to fly the jet.. Spatial D sets in very fast. Even without instrument training, a pilot uses the instruments enough to be able to rely on them solely for a few seconds to a couple minutes to get them headed in the right direction. They're not going to be expected to shoot an RNAV or LOC down to mins, just get out IMC. By the way, a lot of the instrument training isn't about learning to fly on instruments, it's about being able to comply with the IFR environment. –  Nov 18 '14 at 16:41
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    You really ought to expand your acronyms. The question explicitly says "no instrument rating". – egid Nov 23 '14 at 20:22
  • Fixed above.... –  Nov 23 '14 at 20:37
  • I disagree. The MEF leaves no room for error, so you should be at the MSA. Which begs the question, in marginal weather, why weren't you there in the first place? Second, the 5 C's have nothing to do with emergent IMC. If you flew into weather and then climb before executing a 180, you might fly into layers you didn't even know existed. Step one is always either climb to live, or if at a safe altitude, do the opposite of whatever just put you in this situation and then declare an emergency. – Rhino Driver Nov 23 '14 at 22:11
  • @SHAF I agree with you completely but as I was corrected the OP is asking about a pilot with zero instrument experience so I doubt they'd know what an MSA is. At least most can identify the MEF looking at a sectional to get them to a SAFER altitude. If you're at a safe altitude then a level 180 would be sufficient but if not you're going to perform a climbing 180. Finally, I learned the 5 C's apply to lost procedures but maybe civilians learn something different. –  Nov 23 '14 at 22:40
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I read a few times that the attitude indicator is your friend. That is not so much true. Just last night I was in IMC and my attitude indicator was acting up, a 2 month old AI... If you are flying anywhere near IMC conditions, you best be well rehearsed in flying by and trusting your life in that set of instruments(all of them), 3 hours a year ago in training is not enough. If you accidentally get stuck in IMC conditions and try to feel your way out of it, you'll be ascending into the heavens within minutes. I had never been in the soup, even as a passenger, until after I got my IR. I didn't realize the skill I had developed in instrument training until I took a non IR rated private pilot into the soup with me. Every 30 seconds he was asking why we were banking so hard when we were level, or why we weren't turning when we were. Thats coming from a guy just got his license and did his 3 hours in the past 2 months or so. Thats scary.

If you see IFR or degrading visibility anywhere near or around your flight, my advice is to stay on the ground

Golfpilot
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The airport I learned to fly at was the home of many planes. On Friday afternoon / evening during the summer the people would fly their planes to the beach, a couple of hours east of the airport.

One Friday afternoon while I was learning I was practicing touch-and-go's. I knew that my time was limited because there was a storm south of the airport, about an hour away.

For about thirty minutes I had the airport to myself, but then some of the earlier departures to the beach started returning. Next thing you know the airport has a lot of planes in the pattern. And of course I am last! I never lost sight of the ground but the thunderstorm I was in scared me beyond believe. (At one point I even considered landing at Andrews AFB that I could see and was in sunshine) My instructor got on the radio and eventually talked me through it.

Several weeks later while doing my long cross country I got a weather report indicating a thunderstorm ahead of me. Several minutes earlier I had passed over the airport at Orange, VA. Half an hour after landing at Orange, VA the thunderstorm hit.

GA pilots that test mother nature are a fatality waiting to happen.

dbasnett
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First of all, as a VFR pilot you are usually always watching weather and the chance that visibility just instantly drops is unlikely. That being said, you do have some "hood time" when training for your private pilot rating that you will likely fall back on ... but more importantly, if you are flying a modern aircraft, is to rely on autopilot. Turn the aircraft over to the autopilot, lookup weather conditions around you on your MFD (or call Flight Service and get their advise on where to go); then adjust the heading or punch direct to the destination with the better conditions. I would also notify ATC of my condition and if things were really bad, declare an emergency.

Sierra Skyport
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    Just flipping on the autopilot and continuing inside a cloud while trying to determine where to go is dangerous. The three hours in the PPL curriculum is for emergencies, and currency is essential when flying in IMC. VFR into IMC is a very dangerous situation, and grounds for an emergency (though keeping the plane upright should take precedence over calling ATC.) – NathanG May 28 '15 at 01:12
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A pilot must have a very good kinesthetic sense : his or her position in the air, in the space. When you have that natural quality; training helps but it is natural, it is much easier to have the same feeling for you plane. Early pilots did not have any kind of instrument and they crossed very long distances. Bleriot, the French pilot, went over he Channel in the 1920s. Some veteran pilots are more competent than now a days when some feel over confident in their electronic system. The pleasure of piloting is feeling safe and confident in its own abilities. Piloting is a vocation; you have to have natural predispositions for it. When you have them, you like the job. You are less stress. Kinesthesie is the senses of a human being measuring motion in space, so in the air too.

user3718737
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    Welcome to Aviation Stack Exchange! Sadly, your answer is incorrect - as mentioned in other answers, there are physiological reasons why humans, no matter the skill, cannot remain in control of an airplane in IMC based solely on kinesthetics. – NathanG Nov 21 '14 at 04:38
  • Sure, some folks have better kinesthetic sense. But in IMC flight an Olympic gymnast will succumb to the tricks the inner ear just as fast as anyone else. – radarbob Nov 25 '14 at 06:19
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    Its not just "tricks" of an inner ear... you can literally enter inverted flight with 1G through your butt the entire time, so that you feel you are sitting normally, and never detect the shift. It is acceleration and physics, not physiology. This is why airplanes must have Gyros. – abelenky Nov 25 '14 at 16:21
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    Early pilots had no instruments, true. They also frequently died because they were trapped in clouds or fog. There's a reason airmail pilots were instructed to bail out rather than try to land through fog. – cpast Jan 31 '15 at 04:12
  • @abelenky: Flying straight and level will be indistinguishable from flying along many other paths, but I would think the way in which the plane responds to controls would vary. If the wings are level and one elevators up and down, the all changes in acceleration will remain symmetrical left to right; if the plane is banking, however, I would think the elevator action would cause non-symmetrical changes in acceleration. – supercat Sep 02 '16 at 20:50
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    @supercat logically, what you say makes sense - in reality that just isn't how it works, because you aren't attached to the ground and your body has no fixed plane of reference – Jon Story Sep 03 '16 at 13:52
  • @supercat In the frame of reference of the pilot, pulling the elevator back while banking will produce a very similar force vector to pulling the elevator back while the wings are level. Either way, the force vector will point up relative to the pilot (just not necessarily up relative to the surface of the Earth.) – reirab Sep 03 '16 at 16:31
  • @reirab: If the pilot isn't feeling any lateral G-forces while banking, that would suggest that the pilot is in a perfectly-coordinated turn (I think that's by definition). Would a perfectly-coordinated turn remain perfectly coordinated while the elevator setting was changed but the rudder wasn't? I thought keeping a turn coordinated required adjusting both. – supercat Sep 04 '16 at 20:02