Subscriber question:
"What's the best way to write up a squawk?" —Clarke B.
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David:
“Writing up good squawks doesn’t get much attention in flight training. We call these “snags” in Canada, but it’s the same thing: an informal report of a mechanical defect, system malfunction, or technical discrepancy so that mechanics can inspect, troubleshoot, and fix the problem before the next flight.
Squawks must be recorded so that the next pilot knows about the discrepancy—even if that pilot is you. FAR 91.405 mandates that the owner/operator shall ensure that maintenance personnel make appropriate entries in the aircraft maintenance records and that inoperative instruments/equipment are properly placarded. That starts with properly squawking the discrepancy.
Your job is to describe what you observed, not how to fix it. “NAVCOM 1 not working” is poor squawk. Much better is: “NAVCOM 1 does not transmit. No tx light observed when PTT pushed and no calls were acknowledged. Unit receives normally. NAVCOM 2 works normally for both transmit and receive.”
In general, the more detail, the better, especially for intermittent squawks. For example: “Aircraft charging system operates normally for approximately 30 minutes of flight, then alternator fail light illuminates and ammeter indicates discharge. Alternator won’t reset when alternator switch cycled. No circuit breakers pop.”
Taking a short video of the panel with your phone can often be very helpful for things you observe but are intermittent, like an instrument issue. Obviously don’t compromise flight safety. Use another person to take the video, if possible.
Finally, FAR 91.7 forbids any person from operating an aircraft unless it is in an airworthy condition. So don’t fly a broken airplane. Doing so is a violation of the FARs and could reduce the safety of flight. It’s not going to fix itself in flight.”