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2 Answers

Navaid failure on an instrument approach before turning final.

Asked by: 5525 views Instrument Rating

Can anyone advise me as to what the procedue would be for a navaid failure on an instrument approach before turning final approach?  Lets say the aerodome has a NDB/DME and a VOR/DME procedure, the VOR fails on the approach.  Obviously you would advise ATC and request to enter the hold for the NDB/DME approach, but how would you fly this, would the aircraft need to turn 180 degrees from the point of the navaid failure?

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2 Answers



  1. John D. Collins on May 04, 2012

    I would initiate a climb, if needed, to a safe altitude and report the failure to ATC. I would use any navigation means  available to me, to conduct an alternative approach or navigate to an alternate airport.  Hopefully, I was in a radar environment and would request ATC to provide vectors and assign an altitude. My aircraft is pretty well equipped with an IFR WAAS GPS and a DME, but I don’t have an ADF installed, so although I could navigate to the hold for the NDB-DME approach, or for that matter to the VOR-DME hold, I could not fly either approach without the underlying navaid and on board navigation  equipment operating.

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  2. Matthew Waugh on May 05, 2012

    Agree with John – you have to get to the MSA as soon as possible by any means necessary. If turing 180 degrees seems ike a good idea, then fine, but it’s not required, all bets are off, you got to do what you got to do.
     
    These are the reasons some pilots recommend having all the VFR charts out and reviewed before shooting the instrument approach so you know where the lumps are and can plan accordingly. Seems ike a lot of extra work, but I guess you only die once.

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