Real Pilot Story: Trapped On Top 

Love these videos! Pilots can never stop learning and these videos teach you a lot.

"i am ifr but i am not current" that straight up humble honesty would have contributed to him being alive today.

Being ATC, all the hectic days and stressful situations are worth that one day where a pilot tells you that you saved his life.

Keeping secrets from the tower is more deadly than keeping them from your doctor. Never, EVER minimize your situation with the ground!

This is so far the best episode of your series I have seen. The pilot beeing alive and the controllers having a face makes this episode so strong.

I love when he said "we want to teach you how to do it right, not punish you when you do it wrong." Great video

Nice to see a happy ending we usually never hear about.

The key is to put your ego aside and ask for help.

I like the pilot’s old timey use of the word “why”.

The pilot seems like such a nice, gentle, and humble man.

Excellent video thank you. The last comment by the pilot might be the most important: If your alternate is unavailable, MAKE THE CALL...

Whoa! So reminds me of my scariest flying "incident"! I was a newly minted, cocky Instrument Rated pilot flying my [certified and properly equipped] Cherokee 140(!?!) in actual IMC .... but had never encountered ICE! While I'm reporting this to ATC my engine quit - I'd run my first tank dry - BUT had plenty in the other - never declared an emergency but learned a LOT from that escapade! Ken's saving grace was admitting what he'd got himself into and asking for help. Those controllers deserve kudos ad awards!

Tip. Keep your instrument rating current

11:02 To hell with the runway if the barrier looks iffy... line up on the grass! : )

I am so thankful for these videos. Pilots need to spend time with ATC at a local controlled airport. They are great people who CARE about helping pilots and keeping pilots safe. I truly believe these videos help me be a better student of flying.

I'm with Andrew Roberts. As soon as the pilot sensed trouble, he could have gotten vectors into Moses Lake, and likely landed with at least 45 minutes of fuel. No real sweat. His non-currency would have been easier to handle in a low traffic area with huge runways and fuel to burn. When the weather in this area fails to perform as forecast, look out. Make alternate plans immediately and be prepared to use them.

So great to watch one of these videos with a happy ending. Too many of them are just tragic and post-mortem rather than having a survivor who gets to tell the story. Kudos to the controllers who kept their heads and to the pilot to listened at the last minute and got his focus off the wrong runway. So many lessons here, thanks to ASI for making this available.

I think everyone in this situation came out of it extremely well. We all make errors and the pilot did a good job.

11:10 "all of a sudden the engine came back to life....." unimaginable moment.

It's almost always foggy and overcast in the area he planned to land. I am glad he made it.

Good thing he was in a Mooney -- one of the best gliders, ever! Smooth, laminar-flow wing. That last little boost of thrust over the blast fence was a blessing, too. Great job by the controllers to help him avoid fixation, panic and a futile attempt to extend the glide to an unreachable airport.

Everyone stayed calm and professional. Great job! Give a shout out to your guardian angel!

A great wake up call! Thank god for our professional aviation controllers and our airspace system.

Great job ATC. Aviate, navigate, and communicate!

So glad he’s safe, and what fantastic controllers!

Dropping the gear when that far out was a near fatal mistake.

I remember reading about this incident after it occurred. Seeing this video is a stark reminder of what can go wrong and that ATC is not the bad guy. Any type of en-route communication with ATC could have prevented this by letting the pilot know of conditions at his destination before he arrived there. I initially trained under an instructor who avoided towers, didn't use flight following and wouldn't make calls unless it was absolutely needed. I was young and naive and didn't know any better. He would always tell me they didn't need to know where he was or what he was doing. On my first long distance night cross country flight, I didn't use Flight Following or any other radio communication except for my departure and arrival CTAFs. I was scared to death for most of that because I was in the abyss of the dark for hours. Thankfully the flight was uneventful. I blamed my poor radio instruction and woke up after that flight. I now use Flight Following for all of my VFR flights beyond the local hamburger joint. Don't be afraid to contact ATC!

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Exactly what pilots want to see/hear/know. Well, very well done.

I'm not a pilot, just a casual fan of aviation and technical knowledge. This channel is better about transferring information about different issues and details in a way that a layman like myself can comprehend than any other I've seen. Hats off to AOPA for producing these videos! Also a very big thanks to the ATCs in the video for their exemplary work!

I knew it would be a good video from the very beginning as the pilot was still there to narrate his own story. :) The controllers did a very good job, that's awesome!

Very impressive ATC work!

Love learning from these safety videos. Please keep them coming, as they're very useful for every level of aviator.

Amazing emergency management and calm attitude by this pilot.

WOW- This is a SPECTACULAR series. Thanks so much for producing these & helping us be better, safer pilots!

Thank you for sharing. Always good to remember to take weather seriously.

I became very concerned about fuel on my last flight to Seattle. I must have called the tower 100 times via phone as I had no working radio. I still remember I was in seat 39C.

Stories and safety shares like this will save lives, thank you for putting these together!

That's awesome to have controllers who actually care. Great job to everyone, including the pilot.

So incredibly happy that this experienced pilot, and experienced controllers were able to get him down safely. Great job all around, and great lessons learned.

Great lessons learned. One thing though: Maybe stop calling it Air Traffic Control - rename it to Air Traffic Services. Perhaps that would make even more pilots call out sooner before the situation gets out of hands. I got lost on my skill test and immediately called the local Approach control. They helped me out and got me back on track. I still passed my skill test because I did the right things... Fly the aircraft. Realize I was lost. Circled a small city - radioed in and got help. Just my 5-cents :)

These videos are GOLD!! Thank you for making them available. To the pilot who allowed this video to be published and to share his experience, thank you! There is no telling the number lives that have been saved from these videos. I'll be the first to admit I am very hesitant to call up ATC, this video has broken down some of those barriers.

This video showed up in my recommendations and found it interesting that it was in my area. So glad to see these types of things when things do have a happy end to them but lessons can still be learned for those involved but also others to not be afraid to ask for assistance. The line that sticks out from it all with the pilot concerned to contact ATC over fear of getting in trouble is with the atc responder saying "we want to teach you how to do it right not punish you if you do it wrong"

Thanks for sharing. You are very fortunate. The engine re-starting just to clear the hurdle on landing looks timed, glad it happened.

This is a great video and love how the emphasis was placed on the ATC being a pilots friend someone to assist and help them out of trouble sticky situations!

Great vid. Thanks to all involved for sharing the story. Glad the pilot lived to tell the tale.

What an amazing save by some very sharp controllers, to understand that his vacuum system is inop with an engine out, to remind the pilot of the landing gear, what great team work, controllers like this should be teaching a course that relates to incidents like this at the FAA Academy. As a pilot, I am proud to be able to work with such professionals. Fantastic outcome.

About the most suspenseful ga story I've heard in a long time. Kudos to the controllers.

From watching these videos I’ve learned the guys who make it, like right here, just ask for assistance and tell it like it is. Seems too many pilots don’t dare admit things are really bad until it’s too late and even then they may not. This video was outstanding! Thank you.

I love watching these videos. They are a tremendous learning too. Thanks AOPA !!!

So happy seeing a great outcome. Fantastic work by all involved.

Great video. I ve had 2 engine failures and I learnt a,few,things along the way. 1 is, never put ur gear down until u r sure ur gonna make ur landing destination.

These videos are excellent. Thank you for this resource!

Glad you made it down and landed in one piece! Kudos to all you guys for working together and saving one pilot’s life !

This channel is awesome, and love this story.

Great job by the ATC! Teamwork and problem solving at its best.

Great video. I learned so much from these videos and I'm not a pilot. I also have a much better understanding and respect for all ATC.

Its nice when these videos end on a positive note.

Thank you to the Air Safety Institute for producing these outstanding if not lifesaving presentations. There is a lot of experience being shared for the profit of the any flying communities. I appreciate the cooperation and support of all the Air Traffic Controllers making these airspace safe and protecting pilots sometimes from ourselves (pilot's self). My life was saved once by ATC (Houston ARTCC saved me from ditching in the Gulf following an emergency in South Texas years ago). You guys/girls have all my gratitude and admiration, Ciao, L

What a great story and really nice video. Thanks for posting.

You know, the location of the fuel pickup line should be noted in the POM. That bit could save a pilots life

Outstanding work all the way around.

I am so happy for you! and for the great job of ATC's

Had a simulated one of these from on top of cloud, getting a GCA from the tower. (Simulated in the sense that it simulated me becoming "stuck on top". I was intentionally on top of the clouds with my instructor.) A Ground Controlled Approach is where the controller, after the request for the GCA, tells you not to acknowledge anything, just to follow instructions. I had an instructor with me as I was only a VFR pilot u/t .... The tower only had me on radar in plan view, they did not have my altitude. We entered the cloud on the heading given and I was told (for example, I can't remember the exact figures) I should be at 4600 feet ..... was (for example) at 4400 so added some power and raised the nose slightly to slow the descent, maintaining same airspeed. Told to turn left onto 095 (for example) .... turned onto 095 .... told I should be at 3900 feet. I was at 4000. reduced power slightly and lowered nose to maintain same airspeed. Told to turn right onto 098 degrees and should be at 3200 feet. I was at 3350 so again, power off slightly and lowered nose slightly .... and so on with varying heading and height adjustments ... eventually was told I was on correct heading for Runway ... at 1800 feet came out of cloud and could see the runway ahead. Very tiring but very good practice. The key things I was taught were to maintain constant airspeed throughout and to just follow instructions from the tower. It works. Not sure if things are the same nowadays, this was in 1975. And ... I wasn't out of fuel!! I'd recommend at least some extra instrument flying tuition / practice for all new pilots and for them being aware that a GCA is available from most towers. As said, a draining experience but such a great feeling to break cloud and see that runway! *Just found out that this procedure is called a surveillance approach in the US.*

Our tax dollars at work! Well done, ATC guys. Thanks for the job you do.

Asf makes great lesson videos! Thank you so much. You're a regular part of my curriculum for students.

Quite the eventful christmas! Very glad you made it sir.

Thank you this was an excellent video that brought several important instructional points out to learn from. Glad pilot landed safely and wow thank God for the ATC they saved the pilots life.

Thanks for sharing! please keep on the good work! these videos are helpful and very instructive.

I once flew a rental from UK (south coast) to France in VFR conditions. Weather was checked prior to departure and as we only expected to stay in France for lunch we didn't expected any weather changes. We stayed a couple of hours longer and half way across the channel, the cloud base lowered to 600ft above the water. We have about 16 miles to run to our departure/destination (Bournemouth). Our Arrow 2 was IR, but I was not. We contacted approach and they suggested SVFR. We landed safely with a cloud base of 280ft ag. ATC were superb, talking to us all the time. Spookily we broke out of cloud over a cemetery!

It's great to see a good ending for once, this was a literal rollercoaster, thanks.

What a great story. Well done to ATC and the Pilot for sharing his story, honestly.

Man those thrust barriers should be moved or down when not in use.. you never know when someone might need to land short, and imagine if he got all that way and disintegrated against a stupid fence

That .6 gallon made the difference in this situation. Awesome. I've watched this multiple times and it's nerve-wracking even knowing the outcome. Awesome ATC and pilot teamwork.

"I'll just go over and slide in between the (imagined) gaps between the mountains and the clouds." What the...?!? Good thing he realized he didn't have the fuel to actually try that.

I’m glad these people are willing to share their experiences

Interesting stuff this. It's great to get the perspective from the controllers, as a student pilot myself I always feel a little daunted when on the comms amongst commercial pilots, but it's good to know that if anything does go wrong it's ALWAYS the right call to tell ATC immediately!

The engine came back to life right before the barrier...wow.

Great outcome. ATC is supposed to help you so don't be afraid to talk to them vs possibly dying...

Great story!! I am a retired US Army Senior Warrant Officer and Blackhawk Pilot. I was an Instructor pilot and IFE ( Instrument Flight Examiner) I too have had a couple of scary situations IFR couple with fuel concerns & couple with moderate to severe icing conditions so I watched this video with great concern. My hat is off to everyone involved great job outstanding outcome God Bless Everyone

Thank you for sharing this.

Incredible story. Great job everybody.

Very good lesson. Thank YOU!

This is a great one. Cool, level headed thinking without panic. Awesome ending.

Great story! Glad he was brought down safely!

Good job, guys! You are dedicated heroes!

Good job ATC. Great pilot too keeping his calm... Good job all of you...

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'm glad I live in Seattle. Thanks to all for this. From an X-Controller.

I have seen this more times than I care to remember in my 27 years of ATC. The pilot waiting until he is out of fuel and options before contacting ATC. Once you are out of fuel, your options are really limited, you are going down. Confess early and give us a chance to help you. The controller did a great job getting him on the ground except for one thing. If you are low on fuel, the last thing you want to do is descend too soon. Altitude is your friend. That goes for most emergencies unless if you are on fire. Stay as high as possible till you get to the point where you can glide to the airport if the engine quits. If the pilot was VFR only or in this case non-current IFR, line him up on a long final before he gets into the clouds. Having him turn while descending in the clouds is a recipe for losing control of the airplane. On another note, he kept saying that the airports that he was trying to get to were showing "green" which I'm assuming meant that they were showing as VFR on his handheld GPS. Just because an airport might be VFR doesn't mean that there are no clouds over it. You can have a solid overcast at 1500 and still be VFR. If your AWOS is also transmitting METAR data, just because it says that the sky is clear, doesn't mean that there are no clouds. AWOS data is a one-minute weather picture exactly overhead of the sensor. It is averaged over a 30 minute period with the more current weather having more weight. If you want a better picture of what the weather is doing to try looking at the METARs for airports that on the windward side of your airport. You may be able to get an idea of what's coming.

THANK U!!! for SHARING IT

Professionals all around. Great work on everyone!

When it rains ... Way to stay ON the problem, and all that good help on the ground, this one turned out GREAT.

The heroes behind the scenes... Great video.

Got to give the pilot his props-he wasn’t too shy about saying he’s in trouble.

What a story! I am not a pilot, but this is an inspiring story, on several levels, for anyone. Thanks for these amazing videos, Air Safety Institute.

This is a really good channel. I’m glad I subscribed.

Great to watch one of these videos with a happy ending! I used to fly out of Renton (and Boeing Field once) - over a quarter of a century ago when working at Microsoft in the 90's. It must have been hard for him to turn away from BFI when he can see it straight ahead. Great work by the ATC guys.

this is amazing! wow the pilot and the controllers had done excellent job, Wow.

Great story with a great outcome

Very moving video, pretty emotional ...