Local News Story this morning.

Well crap. I'd been hoping to fly that airplane. Doesn't sound like he bent it.

A round trip from Reid to Harris costs just over 20 gal in an Archer, and the club fills to the tabs. I hope it's not as stupid as forgetting to switch tanks.

The airplane has only been on the line a few weeks, and no one but me ever flies the PA28s.

I don't know the PIC, but he was scheduled for an hour earlier in the day. Sounds like he just checked out in it. And he didn't have the plane reserved after 9:30, so something went wrong with the planning.

That airplane was undergoing engine break in. Flying it over the mountains at night was not good judgment, and it might mean there was a mechanical problem.
 
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At least they didn't call it a Cessna......


But we all know any small airplane is really just a Cessna in training!
 
Looks like the firemen may have done more damage to the plane than the landing. Anyone notice they were pushing on the flaps,ailerons, and stabilator and rudder to move it. In addition to banging the left wingtip into the dirt bank. I would have been ****ed.
 
One wonders if just switching tanks might have stopped this from happening?
 
I didn't think the reporting was that bad. They didn't say anything grossly incorrect like they usually do and didn't even speculate on a root cause. They gave the list of events as told to them by the pilot and that's really it.
 
StinkBug said:
I didn't think the reporting was that bad. They didn't say anything grossly incorrect like they usually do and didn't even speculate on a root cause. They gave the list of events as told to them by the pilot and that's really it.
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The comments were largely positive too. Thought there'd be more "Gordon Tech-o" accusations getting tossed around on there.
 
Engine stops! Land plane, save all lives, walk away. Checklist complete!
 
Vaflier said:
Looks like the firemen may have done more damage to the plane than the landing. Anyone notice they were pushing on the flaps,ailerons, and stabilator and rudder to move it. In addition to banging the left wingtip into the dirt bank. I would have been ****ed.
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I was thinking the same thing!!!!
 
Vaflier said:
Looks like the firemen may have done more damage to the plane than the landing. Anyone notice they were pushing on the flaps,ailerons, and stabilator and rudder to move it. In addition to banging the left wingtip into the dirt bank. I would have been ****ed.
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true, but the FBO and insurance company are probably still grateful that it's not wrapped around a tree somewhere. I'm glad to see they walked away with no injuries. :yes:
 
Whats the old gag about dead sticking a plane in at night? At 100' turn on the landing light.. If you don't like what you see; turn it off again..
One excellent nugget of advice i was once given; should this ever happen to you; once everyone is safe and the aircraft secured, grab the most senior first responder you can find, open the file caps and have them witness the fuel in the tanks. Get their name & contact number. Fuel on Board is the first question the NTSB will ask in a situation like this...
 
neilki said:
Whats the old gag about dead sticking a plane in at night? At 100' turn on the landing light.. If you don't like what you see; turn it off again..
One excellent nugget of advice i was once given; should this ever happen to you; once everyone is safe and the aircraft secured, grab the most senior first responder you can find, open the file caps and have them witness the fuel in the tanks. Get their name & contact number. Fuel on Board is the first question the NTSB will ask in a situation like this...
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does not guarantee mismanagement didn't happen. I've sat and watched as a new Bonanza pilot set the fuel selector to 'off' while we were cruising at 6500'. I let the engine die before asking him to please pick one of the three suitable tanks for fuel.
 
The only thing I saw wrong with the reporting was this:

Grow was to have landed at Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, but his engine quit about 11 p.m. when he was several miles short of the runway. He radioed the airport tower and began concentrating at the task at hand.​

Reid-Hillview Tower closes at 10.
 
Hey, at least they didn't say he contacted the tower at South County, which was probably the closest airport.
 
I've always wondered what happens next in these situations but have never looked to find out.

Do they pull the wings and stick it on a truck? Is there any scenario were you could takeoff from the roadway (let's say it was fuel exhaustion) if deemed safe? How long does something like this typically put a plane out of business?
 
I heard that they trucked it off.
 
On THAT highway?

Maybe at 3AM, but I doubt it.

There is always traffic on 101.

If, on the other hand, he had landed on the golf course right next to where he touched down, that would be more likely. Of course, that would work better if he was flying in the daytime, which he really should have been anyway because that airplane has a new engine undergoing break-in.
 
Bonchie said:
I've always wondered what happens next in these situations but have never looked to find out.

Do they pull the wings and stick it on a truck? Is there any scenario were you could takeoff from the roadway (let's say it was fuel exhaustion) if deemed safe?
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Well, first there is an investigation done by the NTSB. Next the local police conduct a thorough investigation as well. After that is complete, the local EPA office comes in to make sure no lizards or bug-eye-yellow-bellied-sap-suckers were harmed as a result of the two previously mentioned investigations. After that, CalTrans comes out to do a road survey to accurately ascertain whether or not the surface of the roadway was in any way deformed from the previously mentioned investigations. Once that is complete, the NTSB fills out its reports. Once that is complete, the local police ask for the NTSB reports to fill out their reports. Once THAT is complete, the local EPA office asks the local police for the NTSB reports and the local police reports to fill out THEIR reports. After that, CalTrans checks for spelling errors and inappropriate use of the oxford comma. After that is completed, the PIC is asked to come to the local permit office to apply for a temporary-use permit to pull over at that particular portion of highway and retrieve the airplane. Once that permit is processed and approved, the now 92 year old pilot asks his great-grandchildren to drive him there so he can pick up that last piece of the airplane that has not yet deteriorated.


But that's just a cliffnotes version of events... :dunno:
 
Palmpilot said:
The only thing I saw wrong with the reporting was this:

Grow was to have landed at Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, but his engine quit about 11 p.m. when he was several miles short of the runway. He radioed the airport tower and began concentrating at the task at hand.​

Reid-Hillview Tower closes at 10.
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Article doesn't say the tower answered.
 
Also he could have been on flight following talking to a Center or Tracon. Most non-aviation folks don't have any idea there is another kind of ATC besides a "tower". When interviewed he may have said that he radioed, and they just assumed tower. Even still, that's far from the worst mistake I've seen in a plane crash news story.
 
StinkBug said:
Also he could have been on flight following talking to a Center or Tracon. Most non-aviation folks don't have any idea there is another kind of ATC besides a "tower". When interviewed he may have said that he radioed, and they just assumed tower. Even still, that's far from the worst mistake I've seen in a plane crash news story.
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Yeah, it's definitely very minor compared to what we often see.
 
Waitaminit…..

People report an unusual noise on takeoff, and the crew flies 3+ hours and lands at the destination? What?

Either they think these passengers are totally nuts or they don't take emergencies seriously. I can't come up with a good reason to continue on for a multi-hour flight over some pretty remote terrain and also roll emergency vehicles. Shouldn't they have turned back if it was important enough to roll the trucks?
 
Amen to that.

So far, I haven't been able to find any more info.
 
Well think about it, no alarms on the flight deck, no adverse behavior of the aircraft, nothing at all to show anything is wrong besides some PASSENGERS saying it made a strange noise. Because, you know, passengers are always the most knowledgeable source of information. Sounds like they couldn't find anything actually wrong, but took some precautions to be safe, but also probably to appease the passengers. Rolling the trucks doesn't cost anything, and they didn't declare so no real paperwork either.
 
It was either necessary to take precautions or it wasn't.

If trucks were needed, they were needed at Dallas, not San Jose.

If they were not needed, alerting emergency responders for show is irresponsible.

Taking "precautions" three hours after a fault is more than a little silly.
 
Bonchie said:
I've always wondered what happens next in these situations but have never looked to find out.

Do they pull the wings and stick it on a truck? Is there any scenario were you could takeoff from the roadway (let's say it was fuel exhaustion) if deemed safe? How long does something like this typically put a plane out of business?
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Yep!! Sometimes, sometimes not...

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=436_1224600793
 
MAKG1 said:
A round trip from Reid to Harris costs just over 20 gal in an Archer, and the club fills to the tabs. I hope it's not as stupid as forgetting to switch tanks.
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I had a chat with the manager this afternoon, and that is EXACTLY what happened. One tank was empty and the other full to the tabs.

No damage at all to the airplane, and the pilot is very lucky to be alive. There is a nearby electrical substation and a lot of transmission lines in the area, and he missed every one. The site was the Metcalf exit off 101 on the south side of San Jose.

No idea if the pilot is still allowed to rent.
 
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A Mad Dog making strange noises! And they called THAT an emergency. LOL
 
MAKG1 said:
I had a chat with the manager this afternoon, and that is EXACTLY what happened. One tank was empty and the other full to the tabs.
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Does the POH for that year say to take off on the fullest tank? Is switching tanks on the emergency procedures?
 
MAKG1 said:
I had a chat with the manager this afternoon, and that is EXACTLY what happened. One tank was empty and the other full to the tabs.

No damage at all to the airplane, and the pilot is very lucky to be alive. There is a nearby electrical substation and a lot of transmission lines in the area, and he missed every one. The site was the Metcalf exit off 101 on the south side of San Jose.

No idea if the pilot is still allowed to rent.
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Cessna pilot who didn't get a good checkout for low wing planes?
 
When I started flying a couple CFIs ran out of fuel in a Bo one night. They tried landing a freeway. Didn't end too well for them, RIP. Poor fuel management, but at least the pilot survived to learn the lesson.
 
MAKG1 said:
I had a chat with the manager this afternoon, and that is EXACTLY what happened. One tank was empty and the other full to the tabs.

No damage at all to the airplane, and the pilot is very lucky to be alive. There is a nearby electrical substation and a lot of transmission lines in the area, and he missed every one. The site was the Metcalf exit off 101 on the south side of San Jose.

No idea if the pilot is still allowed to rent.
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That's pretty amazing! I can't imagine having the engine die on me and not even try different tanks. So I'm going to guess he also didn't try the different mags, or basically do any troubleshooting at all other than just accept the engine was dead and now let's get down. :eek: He is very lucky it didn't turn out a whole lot worse.
 
narchee said:
That's pretty amazing! I can't imagine having the engine die on me and not even try different tanks. So I'm going to guess he also didn't try the different mags, or basically do any troubleshooting at all other than just accept the engine was dead and now let's get down. :eek: He is very lucky it didn't turn out a whole lot worse.
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Well the scuttlebutt is that he tried switching tanks, but didn't turn the boost pump on like the POH says. I'm not sure I believe that, though I suppose the lines could be vulnerable to vapor lock like that. It wasn't a particularly warm night as I remember, though.
 
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