Fri May 13, 2022 8:42 pm
#1911383
The report point that the aircraft was limited between FL75 & 1500ft amsl
While I understand LTMA constraint is a tough call (VFR from Golf, they will be dead by the time they get cleared into LTMA, sad but true), I never expected “prohibited or dangerous” in Golf from 0ft-1500ft to be a “hard constraint”? don’t London Info offer DACS/DAIS on these area? having a piece of “restricted airspace” down to surface is just nuts and poor design for VFR, I could see the huge treat to safety for many VFR cross English Channel when that piece of airspace is operated like CTR down to the ground without an aerodrome in charge…
Two questions,
- Before they get into clouds, why they did not fly laterally to stay VMC? maybe fear of long water crossing (risk of engine failure is tiny and besides a controlled ditching is very survivable and can be mitigated by rafts & jackets)
- While inside bumpy clouds, why they did not descend to safe altitude or even sea surface to become VMC? maybe fear of busting danger area (personally, I would have zero hesitation to do so in case of emergency: engine failure, icing, convective encounter…you have to descend into any sort of airspace bellow your wings, like it or not)
There is a lesson here: an old golden rule, never fly VFR in position where dealing with weather would require pop-up clearance or permission into airspace
There are other lessons: never fly in clouds is not qualified and if you do 180deg turn but airspace design along the shortest crossing is also a major issue? there were 6 aircraft: the twin under IFR, 4 aircraft flew VFR in convective IMC to L2K (one went into DA), one aircraft turned back to Shoreham (proper 180), the last aircraft got stuck looking for VMC between LTMA & DA
This is unlikely other to be an isolated event and many may follow as having 1500ft-3000ft English Channel Danger Area sitting in the shortest water crossing without "published VFR route SFC-FL75" is a disaster for airspace design: it would simply push many aircraft to fly into cloud or fly long crossing, the latter, is the safest option, the former, require instrument ratings & equipments