Plane down near Chicago

ScottM

ScottM

Taxi to Parking
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iBazinga!
I drive past this intersection almost every day, it is also not too far from the site of the Brown's Fried Chicken Massacre.

I heard about this landing from one of my scuba students who is a paramedic. She responded to the incident.

What could have been a Friday night plane crash turned into somewhat of a circus after a small aircraft ran out of fuel and made an emergency landing near a busy Palatine intersection.
No one was hurt when the Piper Cherokee Cruiser plane made its way down onto Northwest Highway and Quentin Road, in front of Brandts restaurant, just before 8 p.m.
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http://www.dailyherald.com/news/cookstory.asp?id=312166&cc=c&tc=&t=

The guy says he was heading to Mike's airport, C81 and ran out of fuel. There are plenty of places to stop for fuel before you get to C81 he must not have been doing a good job managing his fuel for that to happen.

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Well, at least they walked away...
However,...

As Bruce would say, "Sigh".
 
At least he put it down decently.

When I approach my home airport from the south I have to go under the class bravo and transition through a class delta. This puts me at about 1,600 feet above the city. I often look around trying to figure out where I would go if the engine quit.

The options really do suck. There are lots of roads which are about the only option but I do have to wonder if I'd actually get it down on the road without smoking a power line, car, or poll.

The other option would be the lakes. When they are frozen in the winter they'd be a decent place or perhaps during the summer. But there are times of the year where I just wouldn't want to try it.
 
I don't recognize the plane. At least the plane is intact. I don't think I'd ever aim for a road due to concern for wires, but there it's getting to the point in a lot of areas where any former open field is now a strip mall.

He was probably 6-10 minutes from Schaumburg, 12-17 minutes from C81.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...49,-88.062973&spn=0.307672,0.752563&z=11&om=1

From the ground I've noted a lot of reasonably viable fields just a bit further out from where this was. We have a lot of forest preserve areas in Lake County.

This pilot will need to look at his schedule to find a an open slot for the 709 ride.
 
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709 ride it is.
He was just west of PWK, Just north of 0C6. Both caps are still visible. Musta believed in fumes.
 
I go under a 1600 MSL shelf of Class B a lot at the south approach to SEA, over the City of Federal Way at just a little over 1000 AGL (1500 MSL). I would not like having to use a city street. Some other options are a golf course fairway, or a beach; but you do not have a lot of time to pick someplace at that altitude. A freeway or highway timed right has been used around here a couple of times successfully, with few wires or signs or trees or light poles to deal with. Seems like he was lucky here. Don't know if you can assume it was skill, under the circumstances.
 
Dwight B. Van Zanen said:
I go under a 1600 MSL shelf of Class B a lot at the south approach to SEA, over the City of Federal Way at just a little over 1000 AGL (1500 MSL). I would not like having to use a city street. Some other options are a golf course fairway, or a beach; but you do not have a lot of time to pick someplace at that altitude. A freeway or highway timed right has been used around here a couple of times successfully, with few wires or signs or trees or light poles to deal with. Seems like he was lucky here. Don't know if you can assume it was skill, under the circumstances.
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You're right. The low altitude trumps a lot of second guessing. I go at 2700 when I can get that high. At 1000FPM descent at 90MPH best glide, that would give me maybe a minute and half and maybe 3 miles IF I reacted and started looking immediately. I wouldn't count on doing everything right.

It's got to be an awful feeling where at some point the best you can do is get as slow as possible and hang on...maybe put your fingers in your ears. :dunno:
 
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mikea said:
It's got be an awful feeling where at some point the best you can do is get as slow as possible and hang on...maybe put your fingers in your ears. :dunno:
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Fingers would probably be better placed on the yoke to keep on flying it until it's not moving anymore.
 
Silly nimrod is from Texas, GKY to be specific.

Fuel exhaustion.

Doctor Bruce, wanna say it?
 
bbchien said:
.....sigh. More of a whimper, really.
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Yes, *sigh*. I was returning from Nantucket today, and had enough to make it with 30 mins. fuel to spare. I stopped short and took on 20 gallons. It was the thought of the collective *sigh* that made stopping a no brainer....

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
Yes, *sigh*. I was returning from Nantucket today, and had enough to make it with 30 mins. fuel to spare. I stopped short and took on 20 gallons. It was the thought of the collective *sigh* that made stopping a no brainer....-Skip
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Yes. Always say, "Imagine how the NTSB report will begin: "this x-hundred hour pilot departed from KACK overflyling multiple useable airport at which fuel was available....."

Or, this "Multiengine CFI, ATP rated, with more than 2500 hours in type, did not update his fuel planning after running into unforecast headwinds...."

It usually results in the proper perspective.
 
bbchien said:
Yes. Always say, "Imagine how the NTSB report will begin: "this x-hundred hour pilot departed from KACK overflyling multiple useable airport at which fuel was available....."

Or, this "Multiengine CFI, ATP rated, with more than 2500 hours in type, did not update his fuel planning after running into unforecast headwinds...."

It usually results in the proper perspective.
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That kind of phrase and "Why did he pass so many perfectly good airports?" is EXACTLY why I stopped on the way back from fuelless Amana. I want to start the day full or with the mains at the tabs, which is 4 or 5 and a half hours of flying. My butt can't last that long.
 
bbchien said:
Yes. Always say, "Imagine how the NTSB report will begin: "this x-hundred hour pilot departed from KACK overflyling multiple useable airport at which fuel was available....."

Or, this "Multiengine CFI, ATP rated, with more than 2500 hours in type, did not update his fuel planning after running into unforecast headwinds...."

It usually results in the proper perspective.
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Even worse, imagine all your friends on PoA never letting you live it down. :D It's like landing the club's Arrow gear up. I could pay the $1000, but the embarrassment would kill me.
 
jesse said:
Fingers would probably be better placed on the yoke to keep on flying it until it's not moving anymore.
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Can't do that all the way down. My plan is to open the door and take off the belts so I can jump out at low altitude before the crash.
 
Just drove by there this morning. Of course no sign of a "plane crash" ;)

But something probably really worked in his favor. Rt 14 was closed for part of the night on both Saturday and Sunday and there was a detour around the very area he landed. It was closed for roadwork so thee may have been little car traffic at all. For the first time I paid attention to the wires around the road there. Lots of cables to dodge. He was lucky, but then the stupid usually are.
 
:D :D
smigaldi said:
Anyone know where they trailed the plane off to??
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A friend of mine had to put a plane down on a highway because of weather, and no IR. The next day the State Patrol supervised as he flew it off the same highway. Could it be...? No, I guess not.
 
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mikea said:
Can't do that all the way down. My plan is to open the door and take off the belts so I can jump out at low altitude before the crash.
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I am hoping you are kidding.

I think you'd be better off flying the airplane until it comes to a stop. I'd much rather have some protection around me versus jumping out at 80 mph and 15 feet.

One of them gives you a chance. The other one will kill you dead.
 
Gotta post those little smile faces when it is a joke, right? Otherwise people think you are nuts.
 
Dwight B. Van Zanen said:
:D :D
A friend of mine had to put a plane down on a highway because of weather, and no IR. The next day the State Patrol supervised as he flew it off the same highway. Could it be...? No, I guess not.
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I recall reading his story in Avweb. I believe it was in Oregon.
 
smigaldi said:
Anyone know where they trailed the plane off to??
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Scott, It is still there (at Brandt's Cafe-s/w corner)Accident report says " substantial damage" (to right wing)
 

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KennyFlys said:
I recall reading his story in Avweb. I believe it was in Oregon.
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Could have happened in Oregon too. This happened in Washington on State Route 410, the road up to Mt. Ranier. Made the local news here but I was not aware of Avweb getting it.
 
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Dwight B. Van Zanen said:
Could have happened in Oregon too. This happened in Washington on State Route 410, the road up to Mt. Ranier. Made the local news here but I was not aware of Avweb getting it.
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It probably was Washington. I was certain it was in the Pacific Northwest.
 
jpflys said:
Scott, It is still there (at Brandt's Cafe-s/w corner)Accident report says " substantial damage" (to right wing)
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Great photo! Did you take that ? What does the sign say ? I can make out of it.
 
jpflys said:
Scott, It is still there (at Brandt's Cafe-s/w corner)Accident report says " substantial damage" (to right wing)
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It looks fixable. The worse case is if a wing rib got dented.
 
jdwatson said:
Great photo! Did you take that ? What does the sign say ? I can make out of it.
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Looks like:

Do NOT touch this airplane.

It is a Federal offense to interfere with this aircraft
 
Does'nt look like a lot of damage. Probably hard to convince the FAA it has to be flown out to a place to open up wing. they'll most likely want him to take wings and trailer out.
 
Some friends of mine had to put their plane down on the road in UP of Michigan when they had a magneto problem. Up there, as you can imagine, traffic wasn't much of a problem. Flew a mechanic up, replaced the magneto, then another friend flew it back to Chicago. When you consider the terrain around there (think trees, trees, and more trees), it's lucky they were able to find a stretch of straight road to use. Of course, soon afret they touch down, a trooper drives up saying "do you need a license to fly that thing" and "you can't land here". (Ed, you'd better educate them about license vs. certificate! :))
 
KennyFlys said:
It probably was Washington. I was certain it was in the Pacific Northwest.
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Another guy about a year ago put one down on State Route 18 with a mechanical problem, also Washington southeast of Seattle. Don't know what. 18 is a BUSY highway! Fit into the flow of traffic apparently. In that case it was close enough to the drag strip (Evergreen Raceway-the old S.I.R.) and they towed it there for the takeoff after repairs.
 
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