Pilot gets locked in his own plane

...when I saw it was a Grumman, in the thumbnail, I simply assumed it would be... well... you!

Just goes to show: real life will always end up stranger than fiction. Kudos for having the guts to admit it and tell the story.
 
SCCutler said:
...when I saw it was a Grumman, in the thumbnail, I simply assumed it would be... well... you!

Kudos for having the guts to admit it and tell the story.
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I am thinking that he gets lots of opportunities.:D
 
I would just fly to home field and call a friend to come help. Sounds like he had enough fuel for that.
 
I would've just pressed the little silver release button and if that failed, crawled through the baggage door ... (didn't watch the video as I thought this guy must be a maroon):confused:
 
genna said:
I would just fly to home field and call a friend to come help. Sounds like he had enough fuel for that.
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I don’t think I’d fly an airplane that I couldn’t get out of in an emergency.
 
It is interesting that it is captioned in Portuguese.
 
Sac Arrow said:
It is interesting that it is captioned in Portuguese.
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he has a light accent that sounded latin, so Portuguese might be the native tongue. "Grooman" was irritating me somewhat... I'm terrible :(, especially given that I probably have a stronger accent
 
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MauleSkinner said:
I don’t think I’d fly an airplane that I couldn’t get out of in an emergency.
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You have a valid point. I don't know anything about Grummans, but I'm guessing you can kick that canopy or screen out if you have to. Maybe even force it open.
 
wsuffa said:
Why you should fly a plane with 2 doors plus a baggage door.... ;)
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Or one without locks. :rolleyes:

Nauga,
whose airplane doesn't have any doors but finally got a lock
 
I experienced a seatbelt release failure once, and could not get out of my seat. I was very concerned, as not only did I get a claustrophobic feeling, but what if there was a fire or other need to get out? Very disturbing feeling. Good reason to carry a knife.
 
I am aware of at least one accident in a Grumman where before occupants survive the initial impact but got trapped inside and did not survive the fire.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I am aware of at least one accident in a Grumman where before occupants survive the initial impact but got trapped inside and did not survive the fire.
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Was the canopy latch/lock a factor? It's a terrible thing, but it has also happened in airplanes with operable (unlocked and functional) doors.

Nauga,
and a couple of very bad days
 
My Warrior has a plastic latch at the top of the door and I have always been afraid that it will break, leaving me locked in the plane. I bought a new latch and keep it my flight bag along with a screwdriver that I would need to replace it.
 
The reverse is also true in regard to canopy latches. There was an accident here a number of years ago in a Zodiac 601. The canopy latch was not installed correctly and therefore didn’t latch like it was supposed to. Pilot and CFI were in the air doing some maneuvers for a checkout and the canopy came open, sending the airplane into a negative g dive. The pilot didn’t have his seatbelt fastened and he flew out of the airplane mid-air. Talk about a terrible (and frightening) way to go...
 
kshaw said:
My Warrior has a plastic latch at the top of the door and I have always been afraid that it will break, leaving me locked in the plane. I bought a new latch and keep it my flight bag along with a screwdriver that I would need to replace it.
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A lot of Cherokee folks keep a pair of vice grips as an emergency door opener if that plastic handle breaks.
 
Kritchlow said:
I experienced a seatbelt release failure once, and could not get out of my seat. I was very concerned, as not only did I get a claustrophobic feeling, but what if there was a fire or other need to get out? Very disturbing feeling. Good reason to carry a knife.
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Oh man, reading that brought up a brief twinge of fear through me. I have a very real phobia of being trapped. I can't even wear tight fitting clothes without sometimes feeling a little panicky, and forget coveralls. Strange though that sitting in a tight race car or airplane cockpit doesn't bother me, but I am thinking if I could not get the seatbelt loose I would hit the panic mode fairly quick. Fire is my next greatest fear, goes along with being trapped.

I just went and made sure every vehicle we own has a glass break hammer/seat belt cutter.
 
nauga said:
Was the canopy latch/lock a factor? It's a terrible thing, but it has also happened in airplanes with operable (unlocked and functional) doors.

Nauga,
and a couple of very bad days
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According to Grumman lore, the impact deformed the fuselage enough that that the rails became misaligned and they could not get the canopy open.
 
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danhagan said:
I would've just pressed the little silver release button and if that failed, crawled through the baggage door ... (didn't watch the video as I thought this guy must be a maroon):confused:
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yeah, me too. In the video he says he did not know about the release button. I thought that was in the POH, but just looked in my Tiger POH and it is silent about that release lever.
 
Van Johnston said:
According to Grumman lore, the impact deformed the fuselage enough that that the rails became misaligned and they could not get the canopy open.
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That can happen with doors as well. It is definitely a factor in survivability but it's not unique to canopies or Grummans.

Nauga,
who knows a handful of people who have gone through the canopy to get out
 
I've always thought about popping the door open if I know I am going to have an off airport landing, just in case the airframe gets twisted and the door gets jammed.
 
Groundpounder said:
I've always thought about popping the door open if I know I am going to have an off airport landing, just in case the airframe gets twisted and the door gets jammed.
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My crusty old curmudgeon of a CFI drilled this into my head on every off field practice. Pop the door(s) on short final as they can get jammed in the accident.
 
Groundpounder said:
I've always thought about popping the door open if I know I am going to have an off airport landing, just in case the airframe gets twisted and the door gets jammed.
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This part of my passenger brief. That and don’t wait for me.
 
Van Johnston said:
yeah, me too. In the video he says he did not know about the release button. I thought that was in the POH, but just looked in my Tiger POH and it is silent about that release lever.
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I thought it was i the POH, but I sold that ride and can't confirm ... I may be mistaken as Dave Fletch at FletchAIR near San Antonio (Tiger specialist shop) went through EVERYTHING with me and the transition CFI prior to us flying it home (both that release and the baggage escape method) ...

As a side note: The guy I bought it from had Ron Levy deliver it to San Antonio so had input from him as well (even though the seller was the one that paid the ferry flight from the east coast).
 
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