I Should Not Be Alive!

[N521MA]

I know that training and experience is the key to keep on flying, but at the same time, I wanted to put together a thread for members to re-call on your close calls ( I am sure there are plenty) in aviation and how everyone else can learn from your experience

They often say "In aviation, expect the unexpected", perhaps by sharing the wealth of our "unexpected" experience - we can all be a bit more prepared for when our turn comes B)

 

[ClimbnSink]

Danger zone

 

[catmandu]

It was gloomy Friday in June as I got ready to board Thai Airways flight 693 . . .

<CENSORED FOR CONTENT>

 

[N521MA]

I was really thinking about personal GA experience, not commercial.

I guess I will start with mine:

During my PPL - almost at the beginning, I am on final for a touch and go, TWR advised of caution turbulence from a jet ahead. Instructor and I acknowledged, but no specific instruction was provided to me by my instructor - so I continue inbound. As I was about 50 feet above the runway, plane completely dropped out of the sky on to the runway, following an insane side load. I was 100% sure, landing gear had to be bent (Piper Warrior), but post inspection revelved no physical damage. I think if I was 10 feet higher, that would have been the end of my flying...

Lesson learned: ALWAYS stay above the glide path of an aircraft (such as jet) and land further down the runway. Since then, I had few go-arounds, as this "drop out of the sky" really messed with my confidence.

 

[N521MA]

Vigilance is the key:

My second solo around the TF at the Republic (KFRG). Transition from left base to final, cleared for landing, all nice and happy! I turn my head for a final scan for other aircraft and see another cherokee flying right at me (on right base) and I mean I could see the color of his eyes - he was extremely close; at the same time tower starts screaming at the guy - Cherokee N#### TRAFFIC 12 O'clock, TRAFFIC 12 O'clock, TURN IMMEDIATE LEFT, TURN LEFT NOW; there was still no reaction from the pilot. I was completely lost, as I am on mile final, second time in the plane by myself, and I clearly see that this guy is few seconds away from ramming me on the right side! I must say - all kinds of thoughts went through my head and I clearly locked inside my own head. Time literally froze for few seconds. Not sure how I did what I did, but my reaction was full throttle and side slip to get off his altitude. I landed with some excessive speed, made it a long landing and was safely on the ground, although there was no control of my knees (shaking out control) There was also a brief silence from tower; I think the guy knew I almost crap my pants and needed few seconds to just get myself back together. As I taxied back to the ramp with tower, shutdown and tried to get out of the plance, my legs just collapsed under me ..... I seriously thought it was the end of it.

Lesson learned: Although, I know I fly at a crazy busy airport and usually its not like this throughout our country and elsewhere, but I will actually take my time to viciously look for every mother out there before I get anywhere close to the TP; even at a towered airport, I still try to track every plane out and trust no one!

 

[Silvaire]

When we were kids we used to follow the bug sprayer around town on our bicycles and one time, pedaling IFR through the cloud, I smashed right into the front of an MGB.

Luckily for me it was parked.

 

[Skylane81E]

Unless I loose a wing, stabilizer, primary control surface, or the engine falls off I should survive it.

 

[1600vw]

Throttle cable broke right after take off at the end off runway. My A&P warned me about that cable. Did I listen. I bet I listen next time.

After coming out of Maint. Lost a intake tube on climbout.

 

[tangopapa]

I thought there was already a thread in Lessons Learned?

 

[tangopapa]

Vigilance is the key:

My second solo around the TF at the Republic (KFRG). Transition from left base to final, cleared for landing, all nice and happy! I turn my head for a final scan for other aircraft and see another cherokee flying right at me (on right base) and I mean I could see the color of his eyes - he was extremely close; at the same time tower starts screaming at the guy - Cherokee N#### TRAFFIC 12 O'clock, TRAFFIC 12 O'clock, TURN IMMEDIATE LEFT, TURN LEFT NOW; there was still no reaction from the pilot. I was completely lost, as I am on mile final, second time in the plane by myself, and I clearly see that this guy is few seconds away from ramming me on the right side! I must say - all kinds of thoughts went through my head and I clearly locked inside my own head. Time literally froze for few seconds. Not sure how I did what I did, but my reaction was full throttle and side slip to get off his altitude. I landed with some excessive speed, made it a long landing and was safely on the ground, although there was no control of my knees (shaking out control) There was also a brief silence from tower; I think the guy knew I almost crap my pants and needed few seconds to just get myself back together. As I taxied back to the ramp with tower, shutdown and tried to get out of the plance, my legs just collapsed under me ..... I seriously thought it was the end of it.

Lesson learned: Although, I know I fly at a crazy busy airport and usually its not like this throughout our country and elsewhere, but I will actually take my time to viciously look for every mother out there before I get anywhere close to the TP; even at a towered airport, I still try to track every plane out and trust no one!

Yikes!! I would have crapped my pants.

 

[Dan Thomas]

Towed gliders with an airplane in the 1970s. Later bought the airplane, took it apart to restore it, and found that the aft spar in one wing was cracked through the strut attach point, and that five of the eight drag/antidrag wires were broken.

The spar had been cracked 20 years before when the wind blew the airplane over on its back while tied down, and the negative load on the wingtips cracked it from the top down. The crack tended to close under positive G and the airplane flew that way for years without it failing. Another similar airplane that I was asked to look at for prospective buyers had an identical turnover event in its logbook; I asked the owner if those spars had been thoroughly inspected; he said it was OK. I wasn't reassured and refused to touch it, and another guy bought it and the wing failed a couple of years later when he buzzed someone and pulled up. The investigators found that silly crack that had been there since the turnover.

The drag and antidrag wires broke when the wind tore the airplane away from its tiedowns and blew it up against a hangar, wingtip-first. The owners simply did a fabric repair and called it good without looking inside. The fabric was the only thing keeping the wing square.

I once ferried a 172, and during the subsequent inspection we found the lower wing strut bolts had no nuts on them and they were gradually backing out. The forward stabilizer spar was cracked all the way through; only the stab skin was keeping it straight. That spar cracks when you force the stab down to lift the nose to turn the airplane on the ground.

I flew a Champ that was later found to have one wing strut corroded most of the way through.

There's an angel that follows me around.

Dan

 

[N801BH]

Towed gliders with an airplane in the 1970s. Later bought the airplane, took it apart to restore it, and found that the aft spar in one wing was cracked through the strut attach point, and that five of the eight drag/antidrag wires were broken.

The spar had been cracked 20 years before when the wind blew the airplane over on its back while tied down, and the negative load on the wingtips cracked it from the top down. The crack tended to close under positive G and the airplane flew that way for years without it failing. Another similar airplane that I was asked to look at for prospective buyers had an identical turnover event in its logbook; I asked the owner if those spars had been thoroughly inspected; he said it was OK. I wasn't reassured and refused to touch it, and another guy bought it and the wing failed a couple of years later when he buzzed someone and pulled up. The investigators found that silly crack that had been there since the turnover.

The drag and antidrag wires broke when the wind tore the airplane away from its tiedowns and blew it up against a hangar, wingtip-first. The owners simply did a fabric repair and called it good without looking inside. The fabric was the only thing keeping the wing square.

I once ferried a 172, and during the subsequent inspection we found the lower wing strut bolts had no nuts on them and they were gradually backing out. The forward stabilizer spar was cracked all the way through; only the stab skin was keeping it straight. That spar cracks when you force the stab down to lift the nose to turn the airplane on the ground.

I flew a Champ that was later found to have one wing strut corroded most of the way through.

There's an angel that follows me around.

Dan

Wheeew............... I thought Dan was going on an auto engine conversion rant...

 

[Old Geek]

Does it have to be aviation-related?

 

[wickedsprint]

Towed gliders with an airplane in the 1970s. Later bought the airplane, took it apart to restore it, and found that the aft spar in one wing was cracked through the strut attach point, and that five of the eight drag/antidrag wires were broken.

The spar had been cracked 20 years before when the wind blew the airplane over on its back while tied down, and the negative load on the wingtips cracked it from the top down. The crack tended to close under positive G and the airplane flew that way for years without it failing. Another similar airplane that I was asked to look at for prospective buyers had an identical turnover event in its logbook; I asked the owner if those spars had been thoroughly inspected; he said it was OK. I wasn't reassured and refused to touch it, and another guy bought it and the wing failed a couple of years later when he buzzed someone and pulled up. The investigators found that silly crack that had been there since the turnover.

The drag and antidrag wires broke when the wind tore the airplane away from its tiedowns and blew it up against a hangar, wingtip-first. The owners simply did a fabric repair and called it good without looking inside. The fabric was the only thing keeping the wing square.

I once ferried a 172, and during the subsequent inspection we found the lower wing strut bolts had no nuts on them and they were gradually backing out. The forward stabilizer spar was cracked all the way through; only the stab skin was keeping it straight. That spar cracks when you force the stab down to lift the nose to turn the airplane on the ground.

I flew a Champ that was later found to have one wing strut corroded most of the way through.

There's an angel that follows me around.

Dan

You win.

 

[kmead]

Level westbound at 10,500 ft, VFR over Ohio in a Cessna310L, No flight following. I looked down at my map then back up to have another Cessna 310 fill the whole windshield. It was so close and fast but I could even see the pilot sitting in his seat. I passed right behind him and hit his wake. He was descending through my altitude and continued on northbound. I don't think he ever saw me. The event didn't hit me until I got on the ground how close it really was. Out of the 5 souls on our 310 only my father saw it all happen. Everybody else was asleep, maybe I was.

 

[catmandu]

I was really thinking about personal GA experience, not commercial.

Sorry, but to be honest I have not had one of 'those' moments yet in a GA airplane (knocking the wood in his head). Now, you want to talk about those airframes in your avatar, there were a couple of 'Eff ME!' scenarios.

 

[N521MA]

My last close encounter was on my very first solo XC from Republic to East Hampton airport. Everything was fine, standard departure out to the shoreline and east bound direct to East Hampton. I was very focused at everything that was going on, but generally a peaceful flight; I was finally going somewhere by myself and no one to yup in my ear every few minutes.... You know - the usual CFI torture

East Hampton uses CTAF; tower is seasonable and was closed at that time. 15 miles out I announced myself on CTAF and asked for advisories - radio is silent. I repeat myself again - still no response. At this point I start freaking out a bit; its my first time out of the TF, flight plan on my knees, clueless how to use flight following and radio remains to be silent while I am already about 4-5 miles from the airport and ready to join left base for northbound runway. I make another nervous attempt to announce myself and finally somebody says "cherokee, you are on the old frequency, switch to ###.#". That was an amazing relief as I started hearing all the planes I saw in the TF!!!

I announced myself again, this time on the right frequency and joined short final. Run through the checklist for the last time, all looks good, time to land and rwy numbers are nicely planted on my windshield. Then.... Out of the f.. blew, an enormous sikorsky overflies my aircraft, at a much faster speed and lands in the middle of my runway!!!! Now I freaking out, saying ok, this guy will taxi off any second now, but he is not moving and I see the doors start opening on both sides!!!! I remember thinking, there is no way I have enough rwy to land before him so I immediately punch for go-around but I guess I moved to full throttle too fast and my engine starts to choke up while I am still sinking...OMG, I am going to die on my first XC, I said to myself and then next thing I know my engine is back to 100% power and I safely climbed away for a second try.

As I landed, I taxied to the planned FBO and saw the line guy running to me. At this point I was already shacking and now thought that I did something wrong and they will be yelling at me as well. As they finally got to my plane - first question was are you ok??? I said, I think I am but WTF just happened??? I didn't hear this guy coming in, nor did I see him on final... He just overflew me and landed in my path!!!! Line guys said, no one heard him coming in, they were on the wrong frequency and were surprised why it was so quite on the radio.... So why did he over fly me and land in on my rwy, I asked again. The guy looked at me, shook his shoulders and said "ahhh, I guess because he can"

One solo xc I will never forget!

 

[greghughes]

My fourth or fifth lesson as a new student just starting on the private pilot training - It was a successful day of traffic patterns and landings that built my confidence a bit. It was an exciting day at the time - everything was new and complicated in a fresh-new-student-pilot sort of way.

Then came the real excitement.

We departed from the traffic pattern at the airport where we'd been practicing pattern work (KHIO) and headed back to Twin Oaks (7S3), the airport I was training out of. I entered the traffic pattern at the proper altitude (1000 ft. AGL) and angle. I turned to the downwind leg and flew to abeam the numbers, where I reduced power and configured the C150's flaps at 10 degrees.

We'd announced what we were doing on the radio (45 entry and then a left downwind for runway two-zero) as we entered the pattern. Twin Oaks is a standard left-pattern airport. I was descending slightly on the downwind and about to call out my turn to the left base leg when all of a sudden a dark Robinson R-22 helicopter appeared at exactly our flight level, headed literally straight at us head-on, and closing fast. My instructor grabbed the controls and instantly pulled a hard and fast right turn and steered the airplane toward the ground. The helicopter, which was no more than 200 feet from us (at best), also did a hard right turn at the last second (thank goodness) and we just missed each other. I could see the eyes of the pilot and the passenger as they went by. Both looked quite surprised.

It doesn't really get much closer than that. That helicopter, flying through the area on its way back to Hillsboro, was doing the equivalent of flying the wrong way on a one-way street. He was right at the traffic pattern altitude, on a Saturday at a busy GA airport. Honestly I have no idea why anyone would do that. What I do know is that some rather terse phone calls were made once we landed (My instructor of course kept control of the plane after the helicopter incident and got us safely down onto the runway). Later I found out the helicopter flight was an intro flight for a prospective student and that one of the senior helicopter CFIs from a large flight school at the airport where I'd just been practicing was the PIC. Just goes to show complacency can get anyone.

I'm certainly glad my instructor was a well-trained and proficient pilot and got us out of the way on time. I also experienced first hand why it's so important to know where you are, what your surroundings are, and how to get out of a dangerous situation the right way.

My instructor must have asked me ten times, starting on final and several times after we landed, if I was okay. I think he was afraid I wouldn't come back for more lessons after that. But hey, I worked as a cop for close to a decade. I'm used to seeing unpredictable, dangerous situations for what they are - and once they're over learning from them and simply making sure not to repeat them, or to do whatever I can to be ready for the next time something happens that I can't control. But most importantly, it's not worth freaking out over something that's already happened. Horses are there to be ridden, but they don't always behave the way we think they will. When they throw you off it's almost always best to get back on that horse and ride again.

Anyhow, don't fly helicopters through published airport traffic patterns, especially against traffic. It could ruin someone's whole day.

 

[redtail]

East Hampton uses CTAF; tower is seasonable and was closed at that time.

That was quite a hair raising first solo XC
But when did East Hampton get a control tower

Returning to Republic (KFRG) from Block Island (KBID) two winters ago, I got a low oil pressure indication on the G1000 MFD. I was at 4500 and on flight following and just happened to be over KHTO, so I told tracon that I'd be making a precautionary landing at "Hampton" airport. Meant to say East Hampton.

Well I tuned to the CTAF and announced my position and intentions, pulled the power back and entered the pattern. The airport was practically empty with no one in the pattern so I never did hear anyone on the frequency (umm, wonder if I was on the right freq)

It got my attention but not enough to be an "I shouldn't be alive moment".

The engine never ran rough, I had plenty of altitude and a nice runway beneath me. Turned out to be a faulty indication.

 

[MSPAviator]

I nearly got creamed by an idiot in a Piper Tripacer with no radio flying straight in to KHCD as I was turning base to final.

 

[Ted]

I took off without a functioning autopilot.

 

[tmyers]

OMG Ted, your such a thrill seeker.

Other than my fair share of nose and main gear flats my flying has been relatively calm. Well there was the engine out in the Baron but that all ended well so again no real hair raising stories to tell.

I have however made some pilot comments that my pax didn't understand and have cause a bit of stress in them.

 

[Ted]

I suppose the only one for me was landing at night in a thunderstorm. That was a chain of bad ideas, mostly from lack of experience at the time. Rain so hard I couldn't see where the runway was when I was right over it, and forget about seeing the taxiways once off it.

Ironically, it wasn't the hardest landing I've done before or since.

 

[ebykowsky]

I took off without a functioning autopilot.

Most airline drivers wouldn't dare! We GAers are truly hardcore.

A little bit of me wants to have one of these intense scary moments, and the sane 9/10ths of me says "no way in hell!"

 

[ebykowsky]

Does telling my mom I just soloed without her knowing count as I shouldn't be alive?

 

[Ted]

Does telling my mom I just soloed without her knowing count as I shouldn't be alive?

My mom said not to tell her if I starteed flying lessons. So I told her sometime after my first solo.

 

[Skylane81E]

I took off without a functioning autopilot.

Not sure how you survived!

 

[wickedsprint]

Anyhow, don't fly helicopters through published airport traffic patterns, especially against traffic. It could ruin someone's whole day.

I would counter not to fly ANY aircraft in an un predictable manner...

 

[Alexb2000]

I'm taking my wife up for her first flight in a rented 172. All is well on pre-flight, runup, etc.

So as I rotate I feel a catch in the controls. The wind is gusting a little and as I make small corrections I feel resistance. I am thinking... Oh S, I have some kind of control problem here. Not wanting to say anything and scare my wife I continue the climb out, but now I can feel a lot of pressure on the ailerons and we're in an uncommanded yaw. In my mind I'm trying to figure out what controls are working, what my chances are with inop controls, all while remembering the Alaska Air incident.

So, I am about to radio the tower for an immediate return, when I look over and see my wife holding the yoke and working the rudder.

I say, "What are you doing?"

She says, "I'm saving us!"

I say, "but you don't know how to fly!"

She says, "oh yeah"

That day I learned to always check the front seat passenger when anything goes wrong.

 

[N801BH]

I'm taking my wife up for her first flight in a rented 172. All is well on pre-flight, runup, etc.

So as I rotate I feel a catch in the controls. The wind is gusting a little and as I make small corrections I feel resistance. I am thinking... Oh S, I have some kind of control problem here. Not wanting to say anything and scare my wife I continue the climb out, but now I can feel a lot of pressure on the ailerons and we're in an uncommanded yaw. In my mind I'm trying to figure out what controls are working, what my chances are with inop controls, all while remembering the Alaska Air incident.

So, I am about to radio the tower for an immediate return, when I look over and see my wife holding the yoke and working the rudder.

I say, "What are you doing?"


She says, "I'm saving us!"

I say, "but you don't know how to fly!"

She says, "oh yeah"

That day I learned to always check the front seat passenger when anything goes wrong.

Easy to fix that issue in two words.............. BACK SEAT

 

[KeithASanford]

I'm taking my wife up for her first flight in a rented 172. All is well on pre-flight, runup, etc.

So as I rotate I feel a catch in the controls. The wind is gusting a little and as I make small corrections I feel resistance. I am thinking... Oh S, I have some kind of control problem here. Not wanting to say anything and scare my wife I continue the climb out, but now I can feel a lot of pressure on the ailerons and we're in an uncommanded yaw. In my mind I'm trying to figure out what controls are working, what my chances are with inop controls, all while remembering the Alaska Air incident.

So, I am about to radio the tower for an immediate return, when I look over and see my wife holding the yoke and working the rudder.

I say, "What are you doing?"

She says, "I'm saving us!"

I say, "but you don't know how to fly!"

She says, "oh yeah"

That day I learned to always check the front seat passenger when anything goes wrong.

Lol, great story!

 

[redtail]

I'm taking my wife up for her first flight in a rented 172. All is well on pre-flight, runup, etc.

So as I rotate I feel a catch in the controls. The wind is gusting a little and as I make small corrections I feel resistance. I am thinking... Oh S, I have some kind of control problem here. Not wanting to say anything and scare my wife I continue the climb out, but now I can feel a lot of pressure on the ailerons and we're in an uncommanded yaw. In my mind I'm trying to figure out what controls are working, what my chances are with inop controls, all while remembering the Alaska Air incident.

So, I am about to radio the tower for an immediate return, when I look over and see my wife holding the yoke and working the rudder.

I say, "What are you doing?"

She says, "I'm saving us!"

I say, "but you don't know how to fly!"

She says, "oh yeah"

That day I learned to always check the front seat passenger when anything goes wrong.

"saving us"! from what
I can't even imagine a non-pilot passenger doing that to me. What the.. was she trying to do!? Did you let her know how dangerous it was for her to be on the controls? WoW!

 

[DavidWhite]

"saving us"! from what
I can't even imagine a non-pilot passenger doing that to me. What the.. was she trying to do!? Did you let her know how dangerous it was for her to be on the controls? WoW!

Most non-pilot passengers don't even want to touch the controls. I've found the easiest thing to do is just turn the autopilot on and let them think they're flying. They scare themselves any other way.

 

[azure]

Most non-pilot passengers don't even want to touch the controls. I've found the easiest thing to do is just turn the autopilot on and let them think they're flying. They scare themselves any other way.

Bad idea in some cases -- most non-pilots who want to fly tend to overcontrol. If they feel resistance in the yoke, they might fight the A/P and cause damage. The flying club I belonged to gave up on fixing the A/P in the last 182 they owned because of pilots doing just that -- with predictable results.

 

[Ted]

Also bad to fool passengers in most cases like that. There are exceptions.

When taking an in-law flying, I let him think he was taxiing the plane with the yoke and pointed us towards a parked plane over 100 feet away, then said "Whatre you doing?!" After letting this go on about 5 seconds, I stopped and said "You steer with your feet."

Two years later, he's still laughing his ass off. But that only works on certain people.

 

[GCA319]

Most non-pilot passengers don't even want to touch the controls. I've found the easiest thing to do is just turn the autopilot on and let them think they're flying. They scare themselves any other way.

But it's funny when they scare themselves...I remember when I took my ex. up for her first small airplane ride and let her work the controls for awhile. Judging by her shrieks you would have thought we had just penetrated a level 5 and the wings were coming off .

 

[GCA319]

Bad idea in some cases -- most non-pilots who want to fly tend to overcontrol. If they feel resistance in the yoke, they might fight the A/P and cause damage. The flying club I belonged to gave up on fixing the A/P in the last 182 they owned because of pilots doing just that -- with predictable results.

Actually, an entire Airbus fell out of the sky in Russia quite a few years ago due to the captain's 15 YEAR OLD SON fighting the autopilot and killed everyone on board.

 

[GCA319]

I nearly got creamed by an idiot in a Piper Tripacer with no radio flying straight in to KHCD as I was turning base to final.

Yikes...While I think flying NORDO is unsafe and stupid, it is perfectly legal, so if you're going to do it, atleast fly a standard pattern so I know where to look for you.

 

[Dan Thomas]

It doesn't really get much closer than that. That helicopter, flying through the area on its way back to Hillsboro, was doing the equivalent of flying the wrong way on a one-way street. He was right at the traffic pattern altitude, on a Saturday at a busy GA airport. Honestly I have no idea why anyone would do that.......Anyhow, don't fly helicopters through published airport traffic patterns, especially against traffic. It could ruin someone's whole day.

I have seen that sort of dumb stuff by heli pilots way too many times. I have no idea why they do it more often than fixed-wingers, either; they get the same training in air law that the rest of us do. Maybe they just get used to flying wherever they want to?

Dan

 

[bluerooster]

Nothing too major ever happens to me.

Took Th' Ol' Lady and sep daughter out just boring holes in the sky in a rented 172, Ol' Lady in back seat. About 45 min into the flight, I noticed that I was having to fight the rudder pedals, as the tail was wagging back and forth. I look back to find Th' Ol' Lady sliding back and forth on the well Armor all'd rear seat, and getting great enjoyment from it.

Only other time I can think of was while I was out just playin' 'round in the pattern.
I was calling every turn, and pretty much letting everyone know what I was doing.
When just close to touchdown, a couple RV drivers decide they don't want to wait on the Cherokee anymore, and start their back taxi. I even heard them call their intentions on the radio, so I know they heard me call the turn to final, and I fly a tight pattern. So with about 500 feet between us, I made the go-around from the flare. As I was climbing out, I could hear those two goobers on CTAF discussing the guy in the Cherokee taking off while they were back taxiing. I shoulda just landed and let the insurance company, and FAA sort it out. But I didn't want to bend my new (to me) Cherokee 180.