Had a GPS antenna fail on me mid-flight yesterday

I was flying a King Air 350 out of Boise yesterday and lost GPS signal about 20 minutes into the flight. The MFD started showing a red X over the position data, and the FMS went into dead reckoning mode. I had to fall back on VOR and DME for navigation, which worked fine but really slowed things down. After we landed, I checked the antenna and found a crack in the housing where moisture had gotten in. Corrosion ate through the coax connection, and it finally gave out. I replaced the antenna with a new WAAS unit and resealed the base with fresh sealant. Has anyone else seen these older antennas crack like that after a few years in service?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_singh396d ago

Red X over position data mid-flight? That's the kind of thing that'll make you clench up pretty fast. King Airs are solid machines but you gotta stay on top of those older antennas before they turn into a headache. Good thing VORs were still working or that could have gotten really interesting.

gavincampbell5d ago

That bit about "clench up pretty fast" is exactly right. It's not just in flying either. You see it all over the place in everyday life. Like when you're relying on a GPS on your phone and it suddenly loses signal in the middle of a busy city. You go from feeling confident to scrambling for landmarks real quick. We lean so hard on these digital tools that when they flicker, it's like the floor drops out from under you. @dakota_singh39 I think that's why the old school stuff like VORs is still around. It's the backup plan nobody talks about until you need it.