Systems and Equipment Malfunctions

Fly the airplane first, then troubleshoot the three things an engine needs — fuel, air, spark:

• Carb heat on (carb ice is the top suspect in a carbureted engine)
• Adjust mixture
• Switch fuel tanks and boost pump on
• Check mags on both (then test each individually — if it smooths out on one mag, leave it there and land)
• Check primer in and locked
• Scan the engine gauges

Then the POH checklist (AFH ch 18, POH).

Recognize: ammeter shows discharge (or a low-voltage light illuminates). I verify by cycling the master/ALT switch and checking the alternator field breaker.

If it won't reset: everything is running on battery — typically 30–45 minutes, less with a heavy load — so I shed nonessential electrical load, save power for flaps/lights/one radio, and land before the battery dies.

In a Warrior the engine keeps running fine on magnetos; this is an electrical problem, not an engine problem (PHAK ch 7).

The attitude and heading indicators spin down slowly over several minutes and start lying gradually — that's the trap. I detect it with the suction gauge and by cross-checking: AI disagrees with turn coordinator, altimeter, and ASI. Response: cover the failed instruments, fly the electric turn coordinator plus compass/GPS track, and stay strictly VMC (IFH ch 5, PHAK ch 8).

Pitot ram opening blocked (drain open): ASI drops toward zero.

Both pitot openings blocked: the ASI acts like an altimeter, reading higher as I climb.

Static blocked: altimeter freezes, VSI reads zero, and the ASI reads slow above the blockage altitude and fast below it.

Fixes: pitot heat, and alternate static air (or breaking the VSI glass as a last resort) (PHAK ch 8).

The distinctive acrid smell comes first.

• Master off, avionics off — killing power usually kills the fire
• Fire extinguisher if there are flames
• Only after the fire is out, open vents to clear smoke

I don't restore power unless it's essential for a safe landing (then breakers in one at a time, watching for recurrence), and I land as soon as possible (AFH ch 18, POH).

Flap failure: plan a no-flap landing — flatter, faster approach (POH speed), longer float and rollout, so pick a longer runway.

Asymmetric split flaps: stop moving them immediately and counter the roll.

Inop trim: expect to hold sustained control pressure; land as soon as practical before fatigue builds (AFH ch 18).

It's noisy and startling but the airplane flies essentially normally. Fly the airplane — climb out, pattern, land, then close it. Trying to shut a door while hand-flying at low altitude has caused far more accidents than open doors ever have. This is the ACS's startle-response item (PHAK ch 2, POH).

Checklist discipline (memory items, then the printed checklist to verify), resisting the startle response for a few seconds before acting, and not letting the malfunction steal the scan — a distracted pilot in an undesired aircraft state is more dangerous than most system failures (ACS IX.C R1–R4).