Sorry its been a while since the last post,
But I was rather busy during the last weeks...
So here is a new update from my recent experience:
it was just a like normal flight, another full load of cargo, all systems running good. So off we go, I`m the pilot flying on this leg, nothing special on the take off maybe a little bit more x-wind than normal but nothing we can`t manage. After the initial climb we join the SID, clean the plane and continue climbing to our cruise level. Once settled there we start to get a little bit more relaxed but not for long, soon a master caution gets our attention and we identify an electrical system failure, it seems one of our busses has had it… It’s not too bad after all, most of the systems are still running but we lost a lot of indicators probably the most annoying one for time being seems to be the loss of a few engine instruments and the normal pitch trim. Just as we are working through the checklist and getting an overview of the lost equipment we`re interrupted by a more severe warning, the warning bell goes off continuously combined with red lights flashing and a clear indication on the warning panel: Electrical Smoke! Just as we go for our oxygen masks we realize that we already have smoke sneaking into the flight deck, not a good sign so it’s probably not an erroneous warning…
After we`re both on oxygen I order the appropriate checklist and actions, while maintaining control of the airplane. My crewmember starts working on the memory items and the checklists while I declare emergency, advising ATC of our serious problem. I risk a glance to my left and can`t see much of the other half of the flight deck but I can see a dancing flashlight piercing through the smoke and I hear him working on the checklists. ATC offers as vectors to Stuttgart the closest field, we quickly decide that we accept Stuttgart and while I turn the plane on to the new heading he`s still busy working on the checklist. It turns out we cannot clearly identify the source of the smoke so we have to continue shutting down more and more systems in order to try to stop the smoke. Within in a few seconds this leaves me hand flying the airplane hauling towards Stuttgart. Once the checklists are finished we prepare the approach as far as possible, by the time we got the ILS set up done we`re already on the intercept vector and cleared. The smoke situation is still not improving and as another goodie we also have to configure the plane using backup gear extension…
As finally approach the last mile to the airport we can finally start to see flickers of runway lighting flashing through the smoke and clouds up ahead. A few hundred feet above the minimums we break the clouds and have the runway dead ahead, to be honest a very welcome sight at that situation! The landing is not especially smooth but still we are on the ground, we stop on the runway but the smoke is still billowing in to the cockpit. So without losing time we go for the evacuation checklist with is done within a couple of seconds. Just as I`m getting out of my seat to open the escape hatch someone turns on the lights and a voice says:
All right guys good job, that`s it for today now let’s go debrief!
Just another mission in the during the type rating…
Sorry that there are no pictures, but as you can imagine I was rather busy and didn`t have time to dig the camera out...
