I think that the light experience of the pilot could have trigger a kind of ATc bias that could happen under stress when experience doesn’t show you the way to proceed. But Type rating is not for nothing… There are few memory items, there are usually easy but need to remain in memory…
Atc isn’t part of it. (it’s further low in emergency descent CL).
I guess it boils down to how people teach it? and how one treat these emergencies?
I was told by my instructor after that I was supposed to ask ATC for the descent before heading down, on the basis that there might well be conflicting traffic below.
I was without any exception taught to coordinate contingencies with ATC when the situation allows it, e.g. a slowly rising cabin altitude or an engine failure (requiring a lower cruise level, while still maintaining level as speed slowly runs back).
Versus,
For cabin altitude (a warning commonly triggered for a cabin too high) the first thing, without delay, is to don the oxygen mask. Once that’s done, initiate the descent with 45 up to 90 turn, mayday call, lights, belts, 7700. In descent, re-evaluate for MSA, further clearance with ATC.
I was under the impression that oxygen & pressurisation issues (small or big) are one of those “run for your life”, you can add cockpit smoke or cockpit fire to this category, there is no point talking on radio and losing your breath: you have to be in 8kft altitude (for cockpit oxygen) or near ground surface (for cockpit fire/smoke) in the next 3min
In most depressurisation & cockpit smoke, the pilots are dead after 10min and aircraft is on freefall anyway
The mention of “smoke” or “loss of pressurisation” on radio is automatically treated as MAYDAY by ATC irrespective if it’s declared by PIC or not
C is number three on the list I was told always in an emergency
In an emergency you do whatever is necessary. No clearance is needed for anything. You tell ATC what you’re doing when you get the chance.
Bingo
Ibra wrote:
I wonder if auto-pilots in the high altitude jets have one single button that flies aircraft down to MSA of current leg in case of pilot blackout?
Not a 500/550 Citation. The CJ4 does have such a function, but not the CJ1,CJ2, CJ2+, or CJ3
Ibra wrote:
My understanding you still need ATC clearance to do that? or at least it’s the advice given in the training?
In an emergency you do whatever is necessary. No clearance is needed for anything. You tell ATC what you’re doing when you get the chance.
No time to get a clearance, you just descend.
Yes this is less relevant to GA operations
Hence the advice to turn off the route (the “airway”) when doing an emergency descent.
My understanding you still need ATC clearance to do that? or at least it’s the advice given in the training?
I am still puzzled by clearance & separation concerns, assuming it’s VMC at FL360 why a conscious PIC of CJ can’t go off-airway and avoid traffic visually during his emergency descent?
There is almost nobody in “GA” airspace, below say FL200.
The Citation is a different thing; you are likely to be in “airliner” space when enroute. Hence the advice to turn off the route (the “airway”) when doing an emergency descent.
Peter wrote:
Definitely not the case. Lots of turbo piston planes can do FL250 and until recent years none had any traffic detection
Some of the high end GA is running it cheap I get that, puzzled if one can’t fit 10k-20k STC TAS device in 1m aircraft? 
Anyway everybody above some weight has ADSB and hopefully can see things in iPad? they can’t just sit and relax on comfy chairs while getting served separation on silver plater by ATC? what if they lose radios?
