Off Airport Landing Austin Exec

2 accidents in Austin within a week? Glad they made it out safe.
 
Hold the phone... didn't @BigBadLou purchase a white and green Cardinal?
 
Good job ,always nice when you have no injuries,and can use the plane again.
 
Does plowing through a corn field count as a prop strike? If so, that airplane is toast. Maybe that's why he was so chipper in the interview. :D
 
Lindberg said:
Three-mile wide pattern?
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As someone who has dealt with the FAA after a crash, I can give some advice here. If you have an accident, simply do one thing... shut up. Don't talk to the press! Why would you do this? Nothing good can come from it and it just gives the FAA more info to go on.

Don't talk to the police. Tell them you understand they have very limited training in aviation and you will make a report directly to the NTSB. The State Troopers here asked me a lot of questions like, "Where is the tower?" I was at a small grass field and the trooper got mad at me when I told him there wasn't one. He demanded to speak to the tower that gave me permission to fly.

I also recommend talking to an aviation attorney before giving an interview to the FAA. Be careful what you answer. They will act like your friend and start a casual conversation with you, but they're not your friends and they're writing down or recording what you're saying. Don't guess on what went wrong, you're not a mechanic. You were in shock after the accident and don't remember anything (don't say you hit your head!). Long story, but I can tell you they misquoted me and used the info against me. Very frustrating.
 
Just took off from KEDC yesterday and I think I recognize that field - though not from so close up.
 
Lowflynjack said:
You were in shock after the accident and don't remember anything (don't say you hit your head!). Long story, but I can tell you they misquoted me and used the info against me. Very frustrating.
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Some people have a track record of doing that... and I totally, 100% believe Jack.
 
After my accident the FAA was no issue. Very cooperative, professional and no attempt to stick it to me. The NTSB guy was the exact opposite. After about six months of dealing with that guys bs I finally reminded him the NTSB's opinion didn't to much matter since they were not a regulatory agency and basically told him to **** up a rope.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
After my accident the FAA was no issue. Very cooperative, professional and no attempt to stick it to me.
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I think it's our local guy, but many of us have had a bad time with them. I was told they didn't have the funding to go after the mechanic (in California) who not only put in the wrong part, ordered it knowing it was bad, and kept the bag it came in saying "Not For Use on Aircraft". They instead decided I was close to being overweight even though they never even met my passenger and had no clue how much he weighed. I had to take 8 hours of W&B training to make them happy. At first I told them I wasn't going to take it and would just see them in court. I was then told, "I see three options here: 1. You take the training and I close the case. 2. I suspend your license until you take the training. 3. I take your license and make you retake your test. Your choice." I smiled and told him I would take training and I sure hoped he didn't crash on the way home. I've never heard a positive comment about this guy.

Ultimately the NTSB decided it was carb ice and told me I should pull the carb heat the whole time I'm taxiing out. Leave it on during run-up, and only turn it off when lined up on the centerline of the runway. I thanked them for the advice, but not a chance I'm going to suck that much dirt into my engine.
 
Lowflynjack said:
I think it's our local guy, but many of us have had a bad time with them. I was told they didn't have the funding to go after the mechanic (in California) who not only put in the wrong part, ordered it knowing it was bad, and kept the bag it came in saying "Not For Use on Aircraft". They instead decided I was close to being overweight even though they never even met my passenger and had no clue how much he weighed. I had to take 8 hours of W&B training to make them happy. At first I told them I wasn't going to take it and would just see them in court. I was then told, "I see three options here: 1. You take the training and I close the case. 2. I suspend your license until you take the training. 3. I take your license and make you retake your test. Your choice." I smiled and told him I would take training and I sure hoped he didn't crash on the way home. I've never heard a positive comment about this guy.

Ultimately the NTSB decided it was carb ice and told me I should pull the carb heat the whole time I'm taxiing out. Leave it on during run-up, and only turn it off when lined up on the centerline of the runway. I thanked them for the advice, but not a chance I'm going to suck that much dirt into my engine.
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Good story Jack. A shame one has to go thru crap like that with OUR government. Sorry you had to experienced that. Surprised at the NTSB's behavior, and their advice contrary to the manufacturers or common sense.
 
mscard88 said:
Good story Jack. A shame one has to go thru crap like that with OUR government. Sorry you had to experienced that. Surprised at the NTSB's behavior, and their advice contrary to the manufacturers or common sense.
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The NTSB Investigator told me there are a lot of accidents where they never determine the cause. They're thinking more and more it's carb ice since the evidence would melt. I could see advising on last burst of carb heat after you line up on the runway, but if you do that, I wouldn't take your hand off of the carb heat knob so that it's not accidentally left on.
 
Lowflynjack said:
He probably wanted to do touch-n-goes there! :)


Nope! Lou's isn't green. It's this beauty.
25649627132_0d8769be01_b.jpg
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I think this is the first time I've ever used these words together, that is one good looking Cardinal!
 
LOL
No, not my Cardinal. :)
This is a retract so no carb or carb heat, it should be the IO-360. (correct me if I'm wrong)

I overflew yesterday, saw the bird in the cornfield. VERY glad that the pilot did FTDA and landed safely.

This is my home turf so I know it well. The pilot was on left base when the engine quit. The stupid cow reporter called it 3.5 miles. Probably because Google showed 3.5 miles of DRIVING directions to the airport. *shrug*

Again, glad the pilot is safe. And btw, he's wearing an Aggie shirt which is local. Not sure whether he studied here and then moved to LA or what his history is. But the Aggie shirt will be a fuel for the fire that is about to ensue ...
Alright, Aggie haters, start your Aggie jokes! :D
 
BigBadLou said:
LOL
No, not my Cardinal. :)
This is a retract so no carb or carb heat, it should be the IO-360. (correct me if I'm wrong)

I overflew yesterday, saw the bird in the cornfield. VERY glad that the pilot did FTDA and landed safely.

This is my home turf so I know it well. The pilot was on left base when the engine quit. The stupid cow reporter called it 3.5 miles. Probably because Google showed 3.5 miles of DRIVING directions to the airport. *shrug*

Again, glad the pilot is safe. And btw, he's wearing an Aggie shirt which is local. Not sure whether he studied here and then moved to LA or what his history is. But the Aggie shirt will be a fuel for the fire that is about to ensue ...
Alright, Aggie haters, start your Aggie jokes! :D
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No jokes from me - I love A&M and its long tradition of excellence and service.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, "A&M" means Texas A&M University, the Agricultural and Mechanical Branch of the University of Texas at Brazos County, Texas (in the town now known as "College Station").
 
SCCutler said:
No jokes from me - I love A&M and its long tradition of excellence and service.
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That's cuz yer an Aggie! :P :D

The best joke so far I've seen is the Aggie logo itself. It reads "ATM" but is pronounced "ANM". I know why but it's still a great joke that proves that Aggies can't even read their own dang logo. ;) :D :devil: (ducks and hides)
 
Folks,
After spending too many days over the past two weeks helping friends pull wet sheetrock/carpet/flooring out of their flooded homes here in Baton Rouge, I decided to spend a few minutes after breakfast perusing the internet and happened upon your very enjoyable site. To my surprise, I see that my mishap in Pflugerville a few weeks ago was a topic that had been discussed.
First things first - I graduated from Paris High School in 1970 and enrolled at TAMU that fall where I was a member of the Corps. Although I did not graduate from A&M, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that school. I also hold the University of Texas in high esteem - although this may be the first time I have ever acknowledged that in public! My uncle flew a glider loaded with mortar ammo into a field in Normandy on D-Day, and had a very bad crash after a German machine gun shot out his air tanks used to deploy the spoilers. After 6 months in the hospital, he was discharged and enrolled in Univ. of Texas where he became a yell leader for the UT football team. Family lore always reported that when asked why a decorated combat veteran wanted to be a yell leader, his response was something like "have you seen the girls there?"
On the day of the accident I was enroute to Pflugerville to meet with a University of Texas Electrical Engineer who has "PhD" behind his name, so I wore my Aggie shirt to see what kind of sense of humor he had. Turns out he not only has a great sense of humor, but he took the entire day off to assist me with aircraft recovery, meeting with the landowner whose cornfield I trashed out, and taking care of the business reason I had come to KEDC that day.
Once the FSDO team from KSAT arrived that afternoon and completed their interview, they and their mechanic went to the landing (crash?) site to pull the cowl on the plane. Turns out that the throttle cable failed at the point where it connects to the fuel servo. It allowed me to retard the power, but would not re-open the throttle when needed.
I have over 2,000 hrs.in that plane, and have undergone a lot of re-current/IFR/safety training in it, but I do not recall ever putting the gear down, flaps 10, and pulling the power off to see the sink rate at any given airspeed. I recommend you go to altitude and run that experiment, because I had the plane trimmed to the speed required by the book, but that plane came out of the sky like a brick.
Also, like many of you, I was taught that once in the landing pattern you should be able to pull the power and land safely. You can throw that rule out of the window when landing at an uncontrolled field and you extend your downwind leg to let another plane on the ground take off in front of you, for that is why I was as far from KEDC as I was when I realized that I had no power. Returning to KEDC was not an option.
I received a message before lunch that day from the FSDO team that they were enroute and that I was not to do anything to alter the condition of the airplane before they arrived. I pulled my logbook, pilots' certificate, and medical to have them ready to show to the team. I also made sure I could show them dates of IPCs, BFRs, etc. without having to fumble around. They asked to see all of that and being able to produce that helped keep the interview moving and, I think, helped convey a picture of a prepared pilot. I
The interview was clearly not a friendly visit, but the FSDO team was professional in their questioning. I just remembered what we have all heard at various seminars to listen to the question, and just answer the question asked in as direct a manner as possible. I used "yes" or "no" a lot, and they did not seem to be bothered by those responses.
While I love to follow groups like yours, I very seldom post anything. Discovering this thread made me want to fill in some gaps on what happened that day. I look forward to reading your posts in the future. Should you ever find yourself in Baton Rouge, please give me a call at 225-335-6344, or email at [email protected].
 
Cajun Aggie 74 said:
Folks,
After spending too many days over the past two weeks helping friends pull wet sheetrock/carpet/flooring out of their flooded homes here in Baton Rouge, I decided to spend a few minutes after breakfast perusing the internet and happened upon your very enjoyable site. To my surprise, I see that my mishap in Pflugerville a few weeks ago was a topic that had been discussed.
First things first - I graduated from Paris High School in 1970 and enrolled at TAMU that fall where I was a member of the Corps. Although I did not graduate from A&M, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that school. I also hold the University of Texas in high esteem - although this may be the first time I have ever acknowledged that in public! My uncle flew a glider loaded with mortar ammo into a field in Normandy on D-Day, and had a very bad crash after a German machine gun shot out his air tanks used to deploy the spoilers. After 6 months in the hospital, he was discharged and enrolled in Univ. of Texas where he became a yell leader for the UT football team. Family lore always reported that when asked why a decorated combat veteran wanted to be a yell leader, his response was something like "have you seen the girls there?"
On the day of the accident I was enroute to Pflugerville to meet with a University of Texas Electrical Engineer who has "PhD" behind his name, so I wore my Aggie shirt to see what kind of sense of humor he had. Turns out he not only has a great sense of humor, but he took the entire day off to assist me with aircraft recovery, meeting with the landowner whose cornfield I trashed out, and taking care of the business reason I had come to KEDC that day.
Once the FSDO team from KSAT arrived that afternoon and completed their interview, they and their mechanic went to the landing (crash?) site to pull the cowl on the plane. Turns out that the throttle cable failed at the point where it connects to the fuel servo. It allowed me to retard the power, but would not re-open the throttle when needed.
I have over 2,000 hrs.in that plane, and have undergone a lot of re-current/IFR/safety training in it, but I do not recall ever putting the gear down, flaps 10, and pulling the power off to see the sink rate at any given airspeed. I recommend you go to altitude and run that experiment, because I had the plane trimmed to the speed required by the book, but that plane came out of the sky like a brick.
Also, like many of you, I was taught that once in the landing pattern you should be able to pull the power and land safely. You can throw that rule out of the window when landing at an uncontrolled field and you extend your downwind leg to let another plane on the ground take off in front of you, for that is why I was as far from KEDC as I was when I realized that I had no power. Returning to KEDC was not an option.
I received a message before lunch that day from the FSDO team that they were enroute and that I was not to do anything to alter the condition of the airplane before they arrived. I pulled my logbook, pilots' certificate, and medical to have them ready to show to the team. I also made sure I could show them dates of IPCs, BFRs, etc. without having to fumble around. They asked to see all of that and being able to produce that helped keep the interview moving and, I think, helped convey a picture of a prepared pilot. I
The interview was clearly not a friendly visit, but the FSDO team was professional in their questioning. I just remembered what we have all heard at various seminars to listen to the question, and just answer the question asked in as direct a manner as possible. I used "yes" or "no" a lot, and they did not seem to be bothered by those responses.
While I love to follow groups like yours, I very seldom post anything. Discovering this thread made me want to fill in some gaps on what happened that day. I look forward to reading your posts in the future. Should you ever find yourself in Baton Rouge, please give me a call at 225-335-6344, or email at [email protected].
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Welcome to POA and thanks for the update.
 
Hey, Mike - thanks for taking the time to check in here with the real story...good job (with the landing, and the aftermath) & glad you're safe. Let us know what happens to your bird. @Cajun Aggie 74
 
Welcome to POA Mike. I graduate from A&M in 1980.
Thanks for the update. Glad it all worked out for you.
Are you repairing your plane or getting another one?
 
Since you could say that the plane "plowed up" the cornfield, the location name is a little bit ironic. Pflug is plow in German.

(It is also a German surname).
 
Mike,
Welcome to POA! It's reassuring to hear that you walked away from the landing... Your brief discussion above is also a good reminder to make sure our paperwork is organized and readily available.

Interestingly enough; the two airports I fly into the most are EDC and BTR.

Thanks again for following up with all of us "curious minds."

Ted
 
Mike, glad to see you here and thank you for the writeup.
I was the fellow C77R who circled overhead to check out whether you're in one piece .... a few hours later.

It was good to see a pilot who did his job - you flew the airplane to the landing, you did not give up or panic. That is always great news.
We saw your airplane a day or two later at KEDC sitting there in the grass, waiting for repairs. It looked pretty immaculate, as if nothing had happened. The only telltale signs of an off-airport landing were a few pieces of corn leaves stuck in tight places. Oh wait, your vertical stab took a beating. I hope they could repair it easily and sent you on your merry way.

If you ever find yourself in our neck of woods again, give us a heads up and we'll take you out for a beer.
 
Welcome to the Joint. How's the plane? Is it going to fly again? Hope so. I used to own a Cardinal and my first thought was "damn" another Cardinal bites the dust. Then, I hope the pilots OK. Lol. Thanks for sharing your story.
 
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