The April night was clear and calm. My plan was to keep my night currency by exploring Maryland’s Eastern Shore, flying to Cambridge-Dorchester Airport and Ocean City Municipal Airport before returning to Bay Bridge Airport for my third and final landing.
I began my mental preparation for night flight at home. I watched the Weather Channel for radar and satellite images for the region; I called for my preflight weather brief; I studied the charts; I thought a bit more about the route and the airports; and I organized my flight bag and flashlights. Once the checklists were completed I started the Skyhawk’s engine and taxied out to the runway.
Now in cruise flight, the lights of Ocean City were off the nose to the east and on the horizon. All I needed to do was reduce the power to 2,200 rpm to allow a cruise descent and head for the dark area south of the city. I turned south-southeast to gain some distance between my approach and the field so that I would arrive approximately two to three miles south of the field and parallel to Runway 32. I clicked my five clicks to activate the runway lights at medium intensity. While on the extended downwind I glanced down at the 4,000 feet of runway and straight out through the windscreen. I made a mental note of the darkness ahead and to the east, which was the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Still on downwind for Runway 32, as I crossed over the sandy beach and caught a quick glimpse of a few waves, it hit me. In an instant I was overwhelmed by a wicked case of vertigo. My body’s senses were screaming at me that the airplane was in a steep turn to the right. My mind tried to reassure me and remind me what was happening. I managed to keep the fear suppressed long enough to remember that when in actual instrument flight conditions you need to use your instruments.
I focused on the turn and bank indicator. I told myself to keep the turn shallow. I kept repeating out loud: shallow turn, shallow turn. I kept the turn indicator at slightly less than a standard rate turn, about 15 degrees. Airspeed hovered near 70 mph, and altitude was 700 feet in a stable descent.
I continued my left, slightly descending turn through the blackness and also onto final approach. The turn continued until I caught a glow outside the windscreen. Ocean City’s hotels and street lights gave me the orientation I desperately needed. By the time I had completed my turn to over the water, the airplane was in a 25-degree or greater bank angle. I straightened out the airplane to wings-level flight, and then with the rudder I aimed the nose for Runway 32. I focused on making a good landing. After I taxied off the runway I stopped the Skyhawk to rest. My breathing returned to normal, and the tight grip on the controls loosened.
The final leg from Ocean City to Bay Bridge Airport was a very pretty night flight. The final approach and landing were uneventful. The moments of reflection began as I returned to the FBO. I asked myself the questions and evaluated the flight. Had I crossed the line on safety or was it a case of challenging myself and remaining focused to meet the challenge? Three hours of instrument flight training are included in the FAA private pilot curriculum. This training is part of the reason I was able to use my instruments when I needed them the most. The other part is the ability to overcome the fear and distraction caused by the vertigo and to stay focused on flying.
According to the NTSB accident database there were a total of seven fatal accidents at Ocean City between 1982 and June 2013. Three fatal accidents occurred at night. One accident occurred with the alchemy of fog and mist added to dark night flying, and with the pilot not having flown at night for 18 months prior. Another accident had witnesses observing the aircraft flying at night and “crossed the shoreline and went over water.” (I could speculate that most likely the airplane was on downwind for Runway 32.) And finally, another accident occurred in 2003 with the airplane reported as being “over water, making a night VFR approach to a coastal airport.” A factor was “dark night, over-water visual conditions.” Given the history of accidents, especially during night flying conditions and over open water, why would any level-headed and safety-minded general aviation pilot even try? That question is an open-ended one with an equally open-ended answer.
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