Saratoga down

I sure wish every engine problem induced forced-landing ended up at least this well.
 
It was not a Saratoga, it was a PA-28-140 Cherokee 140. The pilot has been posting about what happened on the PA-32 Facebook page. Flightaware erroneously listed it as a "Piper Saratoga PA32" on the track log, and the news media picked that mistake up and ran with it.

Two guys owned a Cherokee Six and a Cherokee 140. They flew both airplanes from Vashon to Bend, to drop off the Six at the paint shop. They were on their way back home in the Cherokee 140, in IMC at 8,000', when the engine got sick.

Oh, and the name of the registered owner? Treetop Flyers LLC. He's been chuckling about that, too. And we're glad he's around to appreciate the irony.
 
IMC at 8000, yikes. Did he say where he broke out of the bases? What his route of flight was? I think I found Gumboot Mountain see below with a line from Bend and to Vashon. Treetop Flyers, lol. Are they thinking of a name change. How about Lumberjack Flyers.

upload_2021-4-1_17-56-43.png
 
luvflyin said:
IMC at 8000, yikes. Did he say where he broke out of the bases? What his route of flight was? I think I found Gumboot Mountain see below with a line from Bend and to Vashon. Treetop Flyers, lol. Are they thinking of a name change. How about Lumberjack Flyers.

View attachment 95235
Click to expand...
He said he started breaking out at about 5,000' MSL. Per Flightaware the route was DSD LTJ BTG OLM.

And about the aircraft type -- he said it was a 1971 Cherokee 140 Flite Liner with STC'd 180 hp engine and constant-speed prop.
 
"
The Piper was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter that’s supposed to activate in a crash, but the relatively gradual landing wasn’t enough to set it off, O’Brien said.

He knew they needed to get the transmitter going, so they climbed up into the fuselage, removed the device and installed a small, mobile antenna to activate it.

Then, the two friends removed the plane’s seats and made themselves comfortable, sitting around a small fire they built using the plane’s battery and papers, and waited for rescuers. O’Brien said it was too wet to get much of a blaze going, but it produced a lot of smoke – which helped lead the rescuers to them.
"

^impressive... this crew knew what they were doing!
 
Pilawt said:
He said he started breaking out at about 5,000' MSL. Per Flightaware the route was DSD LTJ BTG OLM.

And about the aircraft type -- he said it was a 1971 Cherokee 140 Flite Liner with STC'd 180 hp engine and constant-speed prop.
Click to expand...

If that would have happened not to much earlier it could have been grim. Did he say what he thought made the engine quit?
 
Tantalum said:
"
The Piper was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter that’s supposed to activate in a crash, but the relatively gradual landing wasn’t enough to set it off, O’Brien said.

He knew they needed to get the transmitter going, so they climbed up into the fuselage, removed the device and installed a small, mobile antenna to activate it.

Then, the two friends removed the plane’s seats and made themselves comfortable, sitting around a small fire they built using the plane’s battery and papers, and waited for rescuers. O’Brien said it was too wet to get much of a blaze going, but it produced a lot of smoke – which helped lead the rescuers to them.
"
Click to expand...

That's crashing with style..!!
 
Pilawt said:
It was not a Saratoga, it was a PA-28-140 Cherokee 140. The pilot has been posting about what happened on the PA-32 Facebook page. Flightaware erroneously listed it as a "Piper Saratoga PA32" on the track log, and the news media picked that mistake up and ran with it...
Click to expand...

That's rather impressive for the media. At least they got the manufacturer correct, for a change. Most of the time an accident like this would have been reported as a "Cessna". :rolleyes2:
 
Pilawt said:
Unknown. He just said the engine was shaking like crazy and there was not enough power to maintain altitude.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an engine running on 3 cylinders. Maybe a stuck valve. I have had that in my lancair but was able to maintain altitude barely.
 
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