Had a Garmin GNS 430 fail mid-flight last Thursday

I was up near Bakersfield on a routine check flight and the screen just went dark on the GNS 430. No warning lights or anything beforehand, just a dead unit. Pulled the circuit breaker and reset it, still nothing. Had to divert to Meadows Field and swap in a loaner box. Anyone else seen these older units give out with no warning signs?

2 comments

2 Comments

patel.daniel5d ago

Garmin saw you having too smooth of a flight and decided to add some excitement. At least it picked a good spot to die, right by a field with a loaner box.

laura2115d ago

Wait, is there some kind of dark Garmin humor going around that I've missed? Because this is gold. Like the GPS literally waited until you were over the most inconvenient but safe spot to give up, almost like it had a backup plan for its own failure. A field with a loaner box waiting for you is practically a miracle, but I bet the filing with Garmin support about the timing was a fun write-up. Honestly though, that loaner probably saved the rest of your trip, so in a weird way the Garmin died a hero.