Airport emergency - Reporting requirements

[simon]

This is not a CAP specific question, just a general question for the pilot community.

A friend of mine was flying into San Jose International on Friday afternoon and experienced sudden and complete power loss at 1000' AGL over the city of San Jose.

He notified the tower. After getting through the initial 'disbelief' stage, he worked the problem, managed to regain intermittent power and made the threshold - just. By the time he landed, emergency crews were there. After a stop/start of the engine a couple of times on the runway, he managed to limp free of the ramp and eventually get the aircraft into his hangar.

My friend did recall the tower asking him in the air if he needed assistance but he doesn't remember whether he eventually said yes. He told me that he was so busy trying to get a restart, his recollection of the actual tower communication in those last minutes was blurry. I suspect that given he was over San Jose and that this could have had a very different ending, the tower probably called it in.

Fortunately, no injuries or damage. I won't go into the events leading up to that flight that may have caused the engine failure and I don't want to speculate in this thread. My question is whether there is anything my friend has to do or should do as far as reporting. The FSDO is based on the field so I'd bet they know about it. SJC is a busy international airport and I suspect arrivals from Southwest and others may have been affected (Especially given it was Friday afternoon and they have closed the GA runway permanently - everybody has to land on 30L or 30R).

He is worried that he might be in some kind of trouble. Personally, I can't see how. I told him that in my view, he did the only thing a pilot could do - try and make the runway (He did eye the freeway until he got power back). I thought perhaps he might file an ASRS as an incident within 10 days of the event to give him immunity from any administrative action, although again I can't see how he could be held at fault unless there was something he did in maintainance (Or lack of it) or in his piloting.

So, does anyone with experience in this area or a good knowledge of the regs. have an opinion on this?

BTW, on the ground afterwards, a visual inspection of both fuel tanks indicated plenty of fuel, as his gauges indicated - in case anyone was wondering...

[a2capt]

Nothing bent, no 'evidence' on the field. They're happy they didn't have to work. If reports needed to be done, once it was obvious the aircraft was able to move I'd have to imagine he was in radio contact with the ground control, either via guided ground vehicle or direct. He did nothing wrong, to the contrary, it sounds like everything was done 'right'.   The airplane got inside the airport fence, and moved to a hangar.

It's going to be a log book entry for sure. as the A&P will have to figure out what happened.

When I had an engine quit over Colorado and put it on a ranch road, someone came out and fixed it the next day, and we were on our way.

But .. seriously, trouble? For what? As long as the aircraft is in annual, and any ADs that may be based on hours are complied with, it wasn't a fuel issue, or such, he's not got anything to worry about. 

Fuel is bad ju-ju for pilots, yes. This wasn't that.

[coudano]

aviate navigate communicate
sounds good to me.

[PHall]

If the tower didn't ask you to call them after you landed, then you're probably not in trouble.

[bosshawk]

Just to be on the safe side, he should file an ASRS report: it won't count against him.  If the FAA contacts him in the future, about the incident, tell him to be as truthful as possible, but don't volunteer any additional info.

I am very familiar with SJC and he didn't have many options if over the city: he was extremely lucky.

[Thrashed]

Private Pilot 101:

FAR Part 91.3 (b) and (c)
FAR 91.123 (c) and (d)
49 CFR Part 830 Subpart B

I'd say the matter is closed. Don't reopen it.

[bosshawk]

AAAAH, come on Thrash: CAPtalk can't open and close a subject in one page.

[Thrashed]

I didn't mean the thread, I mean the emergency. Don't go opening stuff with the FAA or NTSB unless you need to. 

[bosshawk]

+1000 and I have filed a couple of ASRS reports in my time.

[scooter]

I would tell him to write everything down that happened in as much detail as he can remember while it is still fresh in his mind. Then just file it somewhere in case the Feds want to talk to him later. There is a record of what happened, the tower has their tapes and logs.  You didn't say if he declared an emergency or not. It sounds like the tower did to be on the safe side.