The search page on the FOIA.gov website
On June 12, 2022, as we learned in my previous article, I planned to fly my 1989 Piper Malibu Mirage from Alexandria, Louisiana (KAEX) to Refugio, Texas (KRFG), where we own a working cattle ranch and commercial deer hunting operation.
After the incident described in the previous article, finally landing in Beaumont, Texas, I was curious whether I handled the situation professionally and wanted to hear how I sounded in my communications with ATC and the tower. I searched www.LiveATC.com, but Beaumont, Texas, is not one of the airports reported on LiveATC. As a lawyer, I knew I could submit a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) to the FAA, but was not sure of the procedure or whether the FAA would respond.
Like most amateurs, I Googled the process, and the FAA website has detailed instructions on how to go about submitting the request. My Google query was simply “FAA Freedom of Information Request.” The first link that comes up is “Make a FOIA Request.” Clicking on the related links within the website gave me all of the information I needed for submitting the request and the fees that might apply.
I submitted the following email to the FAA:
From: Lawrence Searcy lsearcy@walkerautomotive.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 4:09 PM
To: 7-AWA-ARC-FOIA (FAA) 7-awa-arc-foia@faa.gov
Subject: Audio Recordings for N891AW on June 14, 2022 – Houston Center and Houston Approach / Departure Control
I am seeking the audio transmissions between a Piper Malibu Mirage (PA46) (N891AW) and Houston Center and Approach Control, and KBPT Tower on June 14, 2022, between the times of 17:40 (4:40 p.m.) and 1805 (5:05 p.m.). The recordings are of a declared emergency by the aircraft (N891AW) and a request to divert to KBPT due to low manifold pressure. At the time of the declaration of the emergency, the plane was traveling eastbound at 17,000 feet. I am the pilot of the plane that was involved in the emergency and am requesting the information for purposes of debriefing and training. The incident occurred approximately 20 miles northeast of KBPT.
Six days later, I received the following response from an FAA FOAI coordinator:
This email acknowledges receipt of your FOIA request concerning the audio transmissions between a Piper Malibu Mirage (PA46) (N891AW) and Houston Center and Approach Control, and KBPT Tower on June 14, 2022, between the times of 17:40 (4:40 p.m.) and 1805 (5:05 p.m.).
I received several emails in the interim advising that my request was being reviewed, and once a determination was made that the files could be released, I would be notified.
In August 2022, I received a hard copy CD-ROM from the FAA with the time-stamped recordings from my incident. The audio was a bit grainy and distorted in some instances, but was easily cleaned up with the audio software on my computer.
I reviewed the audio to assess how I handled the emergency and to retrace the flight path on a YouTube video with the recording overlayed on top of the flight path animation. The link to the audio and video can be found at https://youtu.be/RXZEw81E2zA?si=lHqtt4uS3Flqm_tX
The process of asking for and receiving the audio was straightforward. The professionalism from the FAA was refreshing, and all of the employees were extremely helpful. I would highly recommend contacting the FAA for these types of recordings if you ever have an incident or emergency. The review was extremely helpful for training for a future emergency I may have. My annual recurrent training instructor and I reviewed the transmission with the intent of planning for any future emergency and assessment of what could have been done differently.
