UPRT (Upset Prevention Recovery Training): Icing Conditions

I would like to share one of my experience during my UPRT training in Madrid. The training is a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical flying training with the aim of providing the flight crew with the required competencies to both prevent and to recover from situations in which an aircraft unintentionally exceeds normal flight parameters.

EASA distinguishes 3 different levels of UPRT: Basic UPRT, Advanced UPRT course and class or type-related UPRT. All three of these variations are integrated into existing pilot training. Class or type-related UPRT during class or type-rating training is included on type-rating courses and addresses the specific requirements of the relevant class or type of aeroplane. This specialized type of training is integrated into training courses for single-pilot, high performance complex aeroplanes, training courses for multi-pilot aeroplanes as well as bridging courses for extending privileges on a single-pilot aeroplane to multi-pilot operations. The key areas of focus of this specific type of training are: an enhanced knowledge of the factors leading to an upset condition, spatial orientation, unusual attitude recovery and spin recognition and recovery.

One of the most critical condition on ATR is the bad weather, especially during abnormal and emergency procedures. Icing conditions are a kind of enhancer for bad situations, basically like opening a parallel abnormal situation in an another emergency situation.

When we climb through bad weather we can encounter Icing Condition and we usually apply the right procedure for Icing, adding the Level 3 (De-Icing) e still trying to climb. Then probably we will have some alert on FMA due to APM (Aircraft Perfomance Indicator) which let us understand that the situation is going very bad suddenly. So we execute the Severe icing Checklist which is a Memo Items and then the rest of the checklist.

Now we see our speed  decreasing suddenly in the speed tape our PFD (Primary Flight Display) and very soon we are goint to think that we are stalling.

First basic istinct is to try to recover disenganging the Autopilot and pushing the column down applying  the memo items for stall recovery setting the flap 15, etc.

We still read the speed barely above the V min OPS, pushing the aircraft down, we are probably to 20 degrees or more pitch down and we hear more sounds in the cockpit as CRC (Continuos Repetetive Chime) and other alerts.

The pilot flying is completely focused to recover the aircraft (or thinking to do that), but the pilot monitor could put his attention about the fact that is impossible to have more than 20 dregrees down without speed increasing. If the STBY pitot still works (if we are lucky), we can see on IESI the real speed of the aircraft understanding we have pitot tubes frozen.

Anyway, what UPRT training teaches is to make crosscheck of all information available in order to avoid what happened to the Air France Airbus Flight 447 over Atlantic Ocean.

If we have a high pitch down our expectation is to increase the speed and we have to monitor all the speed indicators we have (I would say not last the GPS Ground Speed on MFD (Multifuncion Display with Navigation Display). It's almost impossible to have an high stable picth down asset without speed increasing.

Basically the 80 % of pilots on sims lead on an incredible CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain), overspeeding the aircraft configuration (considering we are in IMC with no visibility and a lot of vibration). Technically, during Icing condition procedures, if we recognise an Upset situation led by a possible freezing of pitot tubes, we have to apply the memo items of Unreliable Speed Indication, and thinking at same time about escape the Icing Conditions. During a climb sometime it's better to stop the climb and request radar vectors and, if necessary, descending at least 2000 ft down according to the radar minima. Then to make the decision if come back or find a way to continue out of bad weather.

CAE Madrid

LVO sim session

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