Drunk Captain & Going Below DH

[Hugh Jorgan]

Here's one aspect in these answers I haven't heard.
For one thing, a fight low to the ground is dangerous. I don't think anyone reasonably believes a fight for controls will ever occur at 150 ft AGL. One might consider that they are asking this question to see how you will react to an incapacitated captain in a tight situation. Do you have the S/A to realize you need to step in?

So....
1. Make the standard call at minimums.
2. If no action is taken by the Captain, make it again (more emphatically, using his name maybe.
3. If after two challenges, there is no response, ASSUME INCAPACITATION and execute the go-around.

I have seen this as standard procedure at one company.

Key words here being ASSUME INCAPACITATION.

 

[Thedude]

Drunk captain goes below mins...must have been a freight dog...

 

[RJPilott]

I agree with the incapacitation issue. That is why "back him up" i think is the best result in a transport category airplane.

1. If he is not incapacitated, you are moving the controls in the same direction for being on Loc and GS. (back him up)

2. If he is incapacitated, you are assuring a touchdown under emergency conditions instead of attempting a miss so close to the ground with switch of controls at 120-150 kts. (finishing up what was started)

3. If he is not incapacitated, and you attempt the missed, you will likely disconnect the elevator causing a severe roll at 100 AGL.

4. If you continue the approach and are unsure of your position relative to the runway to commence a missed, you shouldnt be at DH in the first place.

 

[WorldSeries]

The answer to the going below DH question is. you call Missed approach, if capt. does nothing you call it again and look to see if the capt has become incapicated. if they have you take the controls , if not and they are cheating below minimuns you dont take the controls! you call missed approach. you dont NOT want to fight for aircraft controls 100 ft. above the ground..the only time you want to take the controls is if is apparent that the captain wont make the landing. A pilot going below mins is wrong but to fight for controls low to the ground will cause more harm than good. your better off leting them land then going to your safety department with the incident. yes you have to say something right away. as a FO your just as responsible for the safety of the flight and to say well if it happens again is wrong cause your saying it is okay to go below mins just once.

 

[bandit110]

The people asking these questions have heard every response here. The best advice i have ever recieved about interviewing is:

"If you don't like the question you have been asked, answer a diffrent question."

ie: "Mr applicant, what would you do if a Captain went below minimums?"

answer: " I would make it my personal mission to conform to the companies SOP. Working for crap-shoot airlines involves being part of a team and working together in a pre-determined manner where all members of the team expect proper call outs actions and a positive attitude to keep the opperation safe and executed in a professional manner. If hired I would make it my goal to never be the weakest link in the system."

I never gave the answer to the question asked but I made a positive statment about my abitlity to work for the company. If they press it then give one of the canned responses.

 

[Sphincter Boy]

Thats what an autopilot is for. It's the designated driver.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

"If you don't like the question you have been asked, answer a diffrent question."

ie: "Mr applicant, what would you do if a Captain went below minimums?"

answer: " I would make it my personal mission to conform to the companies SOP. Working for crap-shoot airlines involves being part of a team and working together in a pre-determined manner where all members of the team expect proper call outs actions and a positive attitude to keep the opperation safe and executed in a professional manner. If hired I would make it my goal to never be the weakest link in the system."

I never gave the answer to the question asked but I made a positive statment about my abitlity to work for the company. If they press it then give one of the canned responses.

That is the WORST advice I've ever heard. Nobody wants to be bull$hitted. If I'm interviewing you and you give me a politician style don't-answer-the-question-asked, you don't stand a chance. You've pretty much lost me as a listener as soon as you pull something like that. It's intellectually dishonest and stupid. ALWAYS wrap up your answer with a summary that DIRECTLY answers the question asked.

 

[Obi-Wan]

Always take a few steps back. My answer would be that if the guy was drunk i would not takeoff in the first place, therefore I would not be in a situation like that. if you've got all the way to DH without noticing the capt is drunk, you are not doing your job.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

Always take a few steps back. My answer would be that if the guy was drunk i would not takeoff in the first place, therefore I would not be in a situation like that. if you've got all the way to DH without noticing the capt is drunk, you are not doing your job.

Whoooooooshhhhh...right over the head....

 

[Mel Sharples]

When they ask if you would fly with a drunk captain, tell them in a very clear voice "that type of thing does not happen. Let's stick to things that are a real possibility." Then wait for a response.

NOTE: If this interview is for a job at Northwest, then the above does not apply. In that case, you say, "Are myself and the F/O drunk too, or just the captain?"

On the minimums question, I would ask the interviewer, "Is this the last leg of the trip? Because if it is, I don't want to miss the crew bus and I can't wait to be home. I would continue until I heard 'Sink rate' or 'Whoop-whoop, pull up' and then I would flare. Questions?"

In all seriousness, this is why I HATE the HR portion of airline interviews. Go play your amateur psychologist bit somewhere else. All they get are B.S. answers anyway. Anyone can answer a hypothetical question. What they should ask is "Tell me about a time when something happened that was of legal/ethical nature and what you did." In other words, ask about actual experience and not hypothetical. Only a pilot can tell if a prospective pilot is for real or not.

HR people have asked these same crap questions since the Stone Age. It even happened at Kitty Hawk. "So, Wilbur. You show up to the Wright Flyer and Orville is drunk. Do you still try to achieve the first powered flight ever?"

HR interviews are crap. But I guess until I run the world we are stuck with them.

*sigh*