Indian armed forces undertake regular operations for maintenance and casualty evacuation at these treacherous heights. The incident happened in 2009, the mission involved a para drop of supplies (ration) followed by landing to pick up a patient. Both the pilot and copilot of Mi17 IV were qualified for Siachen and Sub Sector North with more than 7000 hrs amongst them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We took off from Thoise in a loaded Mi-17 IV for a drop sortie followed by landing at Tsogstaslu”, he said. “Did not reach the SOP altitude at the turning point Shyok towards Gogra (no attempt either) because we expected that valley to be like the Shyok valley……. at least flat if not that wide”. “We were busy catching up with each other”, he explained when I arched my eyebrows in a question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “After the turn, in the first few minutes it was evident that this is going to be a nasty day” (no discussion…. only telepathy still). Minutes later we were in a down draught and with take-off power applied were still descending headed for the valley floor.” He explained further that the valley was very narrow with hills all around. “No escape route, there was none….hilly terrain within the valley, and no possibility of turn either since we had not climbed in the Shyok valley”. Imagine a valley floor of 15,000 feet and you are slowly descending towards it with take-off power applied. You can not turn also because power is not adequate, because if you attempt a turn the rate of descent will further increase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We quickly explored all the possibilities and instructed gunner to prepare for offloading 2 Tons of load. “Hurry up and be ready to push on our command” was the order which luckily did not have to be executed. The pilots were not aware of the presence of mountain waves in that area. In addition, not adhering to the SOP got them into a tight situation because of turbulence\/mountain waves\/downdraft. The pilot on controls maneuvered the helicopter within the valley to try and get out of the situation.”The VSI started showing a climb just as we were about to offload the load” ….. this power allowed us to carry out a turn back towards Shyok where we climbed up as per SOP and continued with the mission. “Just imagine how embarrassing it would have been otherwise” and we were both lost in our own thoughts. Lady Luck was on their side and they got out of valley unscathed but not without learning a vital lesson. Later they learned that this phenomenon was typical at that spot which is a confluence of many valleys. This was the reason perhaps SOP was made to climb to a certain altitude before entering the valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SOPs are designed and made to achieve consistently safe flight operations through adherence to SOPs that are clear, comprehensive, and readily available to flight crewmembers. SOPs are the result of a careful process, often conducted over a period of many years, which considers all likely outcomes; deviation from a standard procedure may lead to an unexpected and unsafe outcome. Key features of the effective SOP are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If all elements (above) are not consistently implemented, flight crews too easily become participants in an undesirable double standard condoned by instructors, check airmen, and managers. Flight crews may end up doing things one way to satisfy training requirements and check rides, but doing them another way in “real life” during line operations. When a double standard does appear in this way, it should be considered a red flag that a published SOP may not be practical or effective for some reason. That SOP should be reviewed and perhaps changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When flight crew members understand the underlying reasons for an SOP they are better prepared and more eager to offer effective feedback for improvements. The operator, in turn, benefits from more competent feedback in revising existing SOPs and in developing new SOPs. Those benefits include safety, efficiency, and employee morale. When flight crew members understand the underlying reasons for an SOP, they are generally better prepared to handle a related in-flight problem that may not be explicitly or completely addressed in their operating manuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/vayuacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thoise-to-tsostsalu-route-840x480.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding an SOP<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n