How to Crash an Airplane

[Snake45]

If you absolutely HAVE to land a classic Piper twin gear-up, I doubt you could do any better than this guy. I don't think I could ride my bicycle down the runway centerline any straighter than he held it.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Small-Airplane-Landing-Gear-Problems-St-Marys-County-Regional-Airport-458899813.html

 

[kodiakken]

That was crazy!! He made it looks so smooth....

 

[Sturgis270]

Pilot looked very cool and relaxed like he does that every day!

 

[Cholo]

Wow! :shock: It's almost like he landed on two tiny roller skates.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Now that is a fine landing or crash because you walk away from it!

 

[CGDustDevil]

What a stellar job! The only way to make it any better was to stop the engines with the props horizontal to prevent engine damage! That beautiful Twin Comanche will fly again!

I'll fly with that guy any day!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Fox Mike]

That was smooth! Watched a pilot put a Twin Beech into Phillips Army Airfield like that many years ago. That very landing was filmed and used to show "how to do it" to pilots.

 

[Snake45]

The only way to make it any better was to stop the engines with the props horizontal to prevent engine damage!

If you watch it carefully, he did--and at the last possible microsecond. He couldn't have gotten ONE more turn out of the props without them hitting. (And it's possible that the very tip of the left one did--some on another board think maybe so. I think he got away with it.)

As Simon Cowell would say, "THAT'S how you do it!" :wink:

 

[Jeepnik]

I've seen several gear up landings. None went so well as this. Looked like he killed the engines and feathered the props just before they hit the runway. That saved a fortune if he's lucky.

Comment on the crash crew. Absolutely lousy setup. Way to far back, they strolled up with most of their gear haphazardly donned (trying to look cool, but looking very unprofessional).

That thing is possibly fueled by avgas not JP. The metal on the bottom of that aircraft is hot, note the "smoke" after it came to rest. It wouldn't have taken much of a leak for things to go very bad very fast. They should have set up and given the aircraft a quick shot of good old H2O.

It wouldn't have damaged the aircraft. It would have cooled the metal, and washed away / diluted any small fuel leaks. They should have deployed at least one hand line to cover the two people that should have approached to do the initial evaluation. And that initial evaluation does not include the entire fire team. Things go wrong, there is no one to put your burning butt out.

I'd guess this team doesn't train very much (likely they just sit around and think they are cool). And, hasn't many actual emergencies.

 

[coach]

A local pilot made an emergency landing on rt 97 in Maryland. Not nearly as smooth but everyone walked away.
http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/ac-cn-plane-crash-1111-story.html

 

[mjpchief]

Looked like to me the fire crew was in full gear. Talked to pilot before approaching aircraft. Probably informed them that all systems were shut down like he was supposed to do. Equipment was set up plenty close enough to do the job if needed. I'll bet the fire crew has had all the training necessary for the job.

42 years as a Firefighter and 15 years as Firechief. You don't serve on an airport Firehouse unless you have had the proper training.

Excellent pilot.

 

[bogus bill]

When I worked for lockheed a C-5A was in for mods. After a couple months the crew was taxing it out for takeoff and a fire started. They stopped the plane on the runway okay BUT the pilots exited and in their hurry the brakes weren't set. We had a new Oshkosh fire truck, the truck had parked in front of the plane, the plane started rolling ahead and tipped over the firetruck. The plane burned. The gutted plane sat on the field for many years and was used for practice drills at AF plant 42 in Palmdale.

 

[Selena]

I was taught to value the skills of a machine operator. In my limited experience in things aviation I have to say this man is a very good one.

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

Back in '82 I watched a Piper PA44 Seminole land gear up at Weiser Airpark, in Houston, TX.
After the guy landed he said he thought the gear was down. When they raised the aircraft to
lower the gear for towing, guess what came on when the master switch was turned on.
Yep! The gear alarm! you could hear it all across the airport.
Blackie

 

[CGDustDevil]

The only way to make it any better was to stop the engines with the props horizontal to prevent engine damage!

If you watch it carefully, he did--and at the last possible microsecond. He couldn't have gotten ONE more turn out of the props without them hitting. (And it's possible that the very tip of the left one did--some on another board think maybe so. I think he got away with it.)

As Simon Cowell would say, "THAT'S how you do it!" :wink:

It did kinda look like it... But I wasn't sure. I'll have to look again. I thought I saw the right side propeller stop, then move again as though it had hit the deck.

 

[mohavesam]

He did everything correctly. Including immediately sticking his hands in his pockets to surreptitiously put everything back into normal configuration!

Normal fully extended approach is what - 155? He feathered the props to lock and minimize prop/crankshaft destruction. No shrapnel that I noticed. A good day relatively speaking. A tip o' the hat...!

 

[bogus bill]

It looked like he didn't use flaps. I have never flown that type, just SEL, and most of my hours are tail dragger, but I assume if he didn't it was to come in at flatter attitude? You can land slower with flaps but the trade off with gear up would be contact with the runway would be farther aft towards the tail and sort of slapping the front end down harder as a result. I wonder how that AC manual says to do it? As far as the feat of going straight down the runway on runout, I don't see where that is any more of a factor than a normal landing.
I used to own a Citabria. I got my first annual. Flew it home and then to pick up a blind date a close friend had fixed me up with. She was his boss. We went for that famous fifty dollar hamburger but it cost me thousands! I made a normal landing but broke off a wheel! You have to come down sometime and when we did I held the wing up as long as I could and ground looped to a halt. We were okay but I hated myself for a short while until we found the axle had a cracked rusted weld that was welded to a plate that bolted to the gear leg. It wasn't found in the annuals. Later I got a letter from some lawyer that was representing another owner/pilot of the same model as he also had a identical incident and it turned out there were still more similar reports. The factory then went to a molded one piece axle and plate with no weld.
Back in the 1960`s when I was a student pilot I solo`ed in a Luscombe. Thats also a tail dragger. After I soloed I was signed off to take it up at will. I was a club member and about thirty of us owned three planes. I worked for Lockheed and as most of the other pilots did. A couple days later I went up by myself on my first flight and come down, lost control, drug a wing tip and "arrived". Again I hated myself. Then it was found that I was the first to fly it after another member had just put on a new tail wheel tire and had hooked up the steering chains tight on one side. Evidently when I took off or taxied out for takeoff I didn't notice it being a new pilot and probably just gave a lot of extra rudder to keep it straight. When I landed the tail swerved on me. I drug a wingtip but no other damage. We just slapped a little paint on it and left as is. I later owned a Piper Tri Pacer that I got my license in and I wiped that one out but that's another story.

 

[Daveboone]

how much structural damage would a landing like that do?

 

[Snake45]

how much structural damage would a landing like that do?

It will require a complete, thorough inspection of course. I've posted this on several aviation boards and the consensus seems to be that a little sheet metal work & paint on the bottom of the fuselage and maybe one or both of the nacelles, and of course fix whatever kept the gear from coming down in the first place, and the airplane should be pretty much good to go again. It LOOKS LIKE he probably saved both engines and props but of course they'll get a thorough inspection too.

 

[bogus bill]

It will hurt the pocketbook but is fixable. Of course most have insurance but you will have the rates go up and tough questions from both the insurance company and FAA. Maybe a check flight with a examiner. ANYTIME you have a prop strike and sudden stoppage you are suppose to tear down the engine. With those two engines it will cost a lot more to fix than the fuselage. On the Citabria accident I spoke of the insurance paid to tear the engine down to check it. Since it was approaching the factory recommended overhaul (two thousand hours) I paid the difference and got it zeroed. Those overhauls will water your eyes! A couple years ago I talked to a guy that got a re manufactured I think, 180 HP Lycombing engine for around 20/25 K and I believe those are bigger.

 

[Snake45]

ANYTIME you have a prop strike and sudden stoppage you are suppose to tear down the engine. With those two engines it will cost a lot more to fix than the fuselage.

It looks like he managed to avoid that on at least one engine, and possibly (probably) both.

 

[bogus bill]

I googled the N number. The report looks good.
https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=201528
I had a uncle in the 82nd AB with the gliders in World War two. On D day his glider had fourteen men in it. Just he and one other lived through the landing. He got hurt bad. Sounded like the aftermath was worse than the crash landing from what he told me.