Arrow makes emergency landing on I-540 in Raleigh

Holy &%$*!&$!!!!

The article said nothing about a flight plan. This may be one of the first news stories about a GA incident that it wasn't mentioned.
 
When i read the title, I had to check our plane schedule to see if it was being used or sitting in the hangar. Lol
Curious to hear what ntsb will report.
Now I'll know where to land when my '75 arrow has engine troubles when I'm in the raleigh area!
 
Glad to hear the great news among all the fatal crashes lately.
Too bad the police decided to f*** up everybody else's life and shut down the highway for no good reason when the airplane is sitting in the safety of the bushes 30 ft off the shoulder. *rolleyes*
But again, kudos to the pilot, that sure sounds like a textbook engine-out emergency. He did not lose his cool and didn't try to stretch it to the runway.
 
I-540 is a "new" loop road around Raleigh. It's like 4 or 5 lanes wide in each direction so if you get a 5 lane section you're talking about a 60' width. If traffic is light, it would make a great choice for a landing location, especially given the lack of farms around Raleigh anymore.

The loop around the southern end of town is North Carolina's only toll road and has light traffic even during rush hour. The $6.40 price for the 10 mile drive is probably a significant factor in that.
 
bflynn said:
The loop around the southern end of town is North Carolina's only toll road and has light traffic even during rush hour. The $6.40 price for the 10 mile drive is probably a significant factor in that.
Click to expand...

So you're saying if one had a forced landing and put her down there it'd only cost $6.40? Man that's a bargain! ;):)
 
It's not quite "around" just yet...as soon as "they" figure the snail mollusk thing out it might be.


bflynn said:
I-540 is a "new" loop road around Raleigh. It's like 4 or 5 lanes wide in each direction so if you get a 5 lane section you're talking about a 60' width. If traffic is light, it would make a great choice for a landing location, especially given the lack of farms around Raleigh anymore.

The loop around the southern end of town is North Carolina's only toll road and has light traffic even during rush hour. The $6.40 price for the 10 mile drive is probably a significant factor in that.
Click to expand...
 
I wonder if NCDOT is going to figure out where to send the toll bill.
 
I hear NC is cracking down on speeding, hope he got it under the limit before touching down.

That overpass just a little further up the hwy could have definitely made things interesting.

upload_2016-3-30_10-8-46.png
 
Last edited:
Kelvin said:
It's not quite "around" just yet...as soon as "they" figure the snail mollusk thing out it might be.
Click to expand...
We have a similar situation here.
The pot-smoking hippies wanted to build a loop "360" around the city so they started on it. A few years later, after blasting through thousands of tons of rock and bridging wide rivers, they had to halt construction when they came up on densely populated areas on both ends. So we now have a half-loop that goes nowhere. :)

Hey, NC locals, how does the median look there? Just curious if that would also be a viable option. Some medians are pretty mild and suitable as an emergency spot.
 
Not for 6 months, then they will send the bill with the accumulated 6 months of penalties for not paying.

I hate toll roads. Toll free roads were a step forward in freedom. The freedom to travel is a biggie. Don't give it up.
 
Just noted - this was an event after takeoff from RDU. Pilot did not attempt the impossible turn, he put it down in pretty much the only free spot he had. The quarry just to the south is about the only other open space nearby and that would be a bad choice.
 
N54TA, 1975 Arrow II. Rolled off the line just after mine. I hope the plane is repairable. I hate to see a good plane go to waste.
 
I wonder if he forgot to put the gear down? Or if the gear broke off? I didn't see any landing gear parts/debris in any of the photos. I watched the full interview with the pilot on the WRAL website. He said he touched down and then slid into the grass. No mention of the landing gear. Kinda looks like he landed gear up and then just slid off the road. But the prop tips weren't curled back, so it's hard to say. Not being critical, just curious. Definitely a good outcome.
 
[
pburger said:
I wonder if he forgot to put the gear down? Or if the gear broke off? I didn't see any landing gear parts/debris in any of the photos. I watched the full interview with the pilot on the WRAL website. He said he touched down and then slid into the grass. No mention of the landing gear. Kinda looks like he landed gear up and then just slid off the road. But the prop tips weren't curled back, so it's hard to say. Not being critical, just curious. Definitely a good outcome.
Click to expand...

Once again: Landing with the gear down during an emergency forced landing is neither required nor a reason for skepticism of the pilots airmanship.
 
hindsight2020 said:
[


Once again: Landing with the gear down during an emergency forced landing is neither required nor a reason for skepticism of the pilots airmanship.
Click to expand...

I wasn't being skeptical of the pilot's airmanship. In fact, I clearly stated I wasn't being critical of the pilot's actions, but rather, was just curious. That being said, IF I had a clear hard-surface such as a runway or highway in front of me, I personally would prefer to land with my gear down so as to maintain as much control as possible. I obviously don't know all the facts of this particular situation, and I don't even know if the gear was up or down upon landing, only that the gear is not visible on the plane in the pictures. Because I don't know all of the factors in this situation, I will not second-guess the pilot.

There are three possibilities: 1. The pilot intentionally landed gear up 2. The pilot unintentionally landed gear up (either forgot or had a gear failure) 3. The pilot landed gear down and the gear collapsed at some point (swerving to avoid a vehicle?)

As an owner of the same make and model I would certainly like to learn as much about this particular accident as possible with the hopes of learning from it.

It appears that he landed safely, with no injuries to himself or anyone else. It also appears that he did not collide with any cars on the roadway. All of this is very good, and the pilot should be commended.
 
Pilot has posted on a different aviation discussion group about the incident and his decision to talk to the media to try to control the tone of the reporting. He mentioned that the landing was rougher than he wished due to having to ditch under the power lines, leading to gear damage.
 
uncreative said:
Pilot has posted on a different aviation discussion group about the incident and his decision to talk to the media to try to control the tone of the reporting. He mentioned that the landing was rougher than he wished due to having to ditch under the power lines, leading to gear damage.
Click to expand...
I made the impossible turn after losing nearly all engine power after takeoff. I must have hit sideways a bit as I rolled the tire off the rim and ended up running off the side of the runway as a result. The gear didn't collapse, but seeing how OKV's runway is built up higher than the surrounding grass, I managed to bung up the scissors on the main. Amusingly, there was another Navion in restoration in a nearby hangar. The mechanic and the owner of that plane swapped his left gear leg out for mine so they could tow the airplane off while I was dealing with the State Police.
 
I passed the plane a short while after it came down. He landed w gear down and side slid down into the grass where apparently the gear collapsed. There were obvious skid marks on the pavement. The other choice if he could not slow would have been the overpass. Missing the power lines was no doubt a feat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top