The Day My Airplane's Brakes Failed and My Reaction..

 

It was a cold morning, and the plan was to fly south-east towards Florida and back from Atlanta Dekalb-Peachtree Airport. I went through the checklist and checked everything until it was time to check the brakes. Immediately after releasing the parking brakes while pressing the regular brakes, the airplane began rolling towards the taxiway, which is in the movement or active area. Thank God I had already requested permission to enter the movement area before doing the brake check, or I would have been in the active area without permission. Because there was no airplane crossing in front of me at the time, I can only thank God.

 

My reaction was to quickly pull the parking brake before the airplane gained momentum, and luckily, it stopped. While I was trying to figure things out, the control tower called and asked me to continue taxing because he had already sequenced another airplane behind me. I tried to be as calm as possible while I was telling them my situation. For a few moments, it felt like everybody stopped and all eyes were on me. I released the parking brakes again and started pumping the regular brakes really hard, but nothing happened, this time I was far into the movement area. I pulled the parking brakes again, and the airplane stopped.

 

After failing a second time, I gave up on trying to figure out what the problem was; I just confirmed to the control tower that I did not have brakes and I wanted to taxi back to the ramp. The safer way would've been to shut down the airplane right where it was and request a tow tug to push the airplane back to the ramp, but that cost money, and at the time the airport was so busy that meant I would have held a lot of airplanes behind me, so I decided to taxi back to the ramp with parking brakes.After I cleared the active area, I shut off the airplane, as I didn't want the parking brakes to fail either.

 

If you have any questions about this video or any aviation questions, you may ask me in the comments section of this video. I do respond to all comments.

Peace Be With You.

 

 

[SWAHILI]

Ilikua ni siku ya baridi kali, mpango ulikua ni kuruka kusini-mashariki kuelekea Florida kutokea kiwanja cha ndege cha mji wa Atlanta Dekalb-Peachtree. Nilikagua ndege nje na ndani nikifuata kanuni zote mpaka ilipofika wakati wa kukagua breki. Nilipoachilia tu breki za mkono ambazo ndizo zinazoshikilia ndege ikiwa imeegeshwa, ndege ilianza kuondoka ingawa nilikuwa nimekanyaga breki za kawaida, na kuingia kwenye eneo linaloitwa taxiways. Kuingia eneo la taxiways ni lazima uwe umepewa ruhusa na waongoza ndege. Namshukuru Mungu kwani nilikuwa nimeshaomba ruhusa ya kuingia kwenye eneo hilo kabla sijafanya ukaguzi wa breki maana ningekua nimeingia kwenye eneo hilo bila ruhusa na hili ni kosa kubwa. Pia namshukuru Mungu kwani wakati hili linatokea, kulikua hakuna ndege inayokatiza mbele yangu.

 

Nilichofanya kwa haraka haraka ni kuwahi kuvuta tena breki za mkono kabla ndege haijakolea mwendo na kwa bahati ndege ilisimama. Wakati najaribu kufanya tathmini tatizo ni nini, muongoza ndege aliniita kwenye redio na kuniambia niendelee kusogeza ndege kwa sababu alikua tayari amezipanga ndege nyengine nyuma yangu. Ingawa nilikua na mshtuko, nilijaribu kuongea kwa sauti ya utulivu nikimuelezea yaliyonisibu. Kwa dakika chache kila mtu alikua kimya na macho yote yalikua kwangu. Niliachilia breki za mkono tena safari hii nikiwa nakanyaga breki za miguu kwa nguvu lakini ndege ilikua inazidi kusogea na kuingia ndani kabisa ya eneo la taxiways. Nilivuta tena breki za mkono na ndege ikasimama tena.

 

Baada ya ndege kufeli breki mara ya pili, niliacha kuendelea kuangalia tatizo ni nini na nikathibitisha kwa muongoza ndege kwamba ndege yangu haina breki na ninahitaji kurudi kwenye eneo la kuegesha ndege. Njia bora na ya usalama zaidi ilikua ni kuzima ndege pale pale ilipo na kuomba vigari vya kusukuma ndege vinisukume kuelekea eneo la maegesho lakini huduma hiyo huwa sio bure. Pia wakati huo uwanja wa ndege ulikua bize sana kwa hiyo kama ningezima ndege pale pale na kuita kigari cha kusukuma ndege, ningekua nimezuia ndege nyingi. Nilichofanya ni kurudisha ndege kwenye eneo la maegesho kwa mwendo mdogo huku nikitumia breki za mkono. Baada tu ya kutoka kwenye eneo la taxiways niliizima ndege kwani sikutaka breki za mkono nazo zifeli.

 

Kama una swali lolote kuhusu video hii au swali jengine lolote linalohusu usafiri wa anga, unaweza kuniuliza kwenye eneo la maoni la video hii, huwa ninajibu maoni yote yanayowekwa hapo.

Amani Iwe Nanyi