I agree with everything you wrote; I'd simply like to point out that many of the two lane roads are narrower than the wingspan a typical Cessna wing. One of the recoveries I made was of an airplane that made a successful landing 10ish miles away from the airport but wasn't in a good position to repair and fly out due to the terrain and wires in the area. We had to maneuver the aircraft around road signs and some poles as it was towed back to the airport.
Soybean or cornfield emergency landing debate
- Thread starter Briar Rabbit
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I agree with everything you wrote; I'd simply like to point out that many of the two lane roads are narrower than the wingspan a typical Cessna wing. One of the recoveries I made was of an airplane that made a successful landing 10ish miles away from the airport but wasn't in a good position to repair and fly out due to the terrain and wires in the area. We had to maneuver the aircraft around road signs and some poles as it was towed back to the airport.
NoHeat
En-Route
In my primary training, my instructor asked me to point out the field below that I would choose. I chose soybeans because the plants are smaller. But he said corn would be better, for exactly the reason mentioned by several posters above: the beans will snag the landing gear and flip the plane. The resulting abrupt deceleration would be a lot more dangerous than the more gradual slowing down in the corn.
readytocopy995
Pre-takeoff checklist
I'd go for the corn, but that's because I'm from Nebraska and I don't want anything to do with an Iowa crop, even if it kills me
see corn wins again
see corn wins again
jnmeade
Cleared for Takeoff
Who says Cornhuskers aren't biased? 
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
I don't know which would be better as far as survivability, but the damage to the air frame would be the last thing on my mind. At that point, I would assume the plane belongs to the insurance company anyway.
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
The problem....dig a little deeper and take a look at injuries from those corn landings. It's not trivial. Many lived and were badly messed up. The guy in the red Bonanza doesn't fly anymore....
Me?....I'll take the dirt road next to the field.
Me?....I'll take the dirt road next to the field.
Zeldman
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I was thinking the same thing..
eman1200
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Bro do you even lift
just like if going into the trees, you gotta stall it juuuust above the corn stalks. it'll be like landing on a soft pillow.
Deelee
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If anyone has an idea better than the cornfield, I'm all ears...
Corn would be the ideal choice.... if you are flying a Husky...
Soy is better.... if you land in the corn, you get creamed...
Corn is better... if you have to cob-ble together an off-field landing....
Don't stalk me for saying this... but corn is better...
Amirite??? Amirite???
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Checkout_my_Six
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SkyDog58
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Canis Non Grata
Congratulations. You are now able to graduate from corny pun school. You may now move your tassel.
Checkout_my_Six
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Here's what a soybean landing looks like....they all look nasty.
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eman1200
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Bro do you even lift
man, they get all tore up in either field
455 Bravo Uniform
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I don’t think this was appreciated, so just tryin’ to get Skydog some pun-love.
Mxfarm
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Here's what a soybean landing looks like....they all look nasty.
Has to be more to this story, once beans get to this stage, 'shatter' for them is a good descriptor.
Checkout_my_Six
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Once the nose gear collapses....it gets ugly
Deelee
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Oh man!!! I just got it. Combine!! Yes!
SkyDog58
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I thought maybe everyone missed both the succotash reference and the combine reference. I was worried I had gone too far against the grain.
Briar Rabbit
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Unfortunately that was not an option for my cropduster friend. His airplane did fair better than the pictures. Good contributions to my post, thanks. And I did enjoy the puns!
The frustrating reality about the insurance owning it after a mishap like this is the insurance company wants to value our low time airplane with a new engine, Great avionices, G5's, new Garmin autopilot at about $50,000 less than it would sell for on the market today. So I can see how pilots that have a significant part of their wealth stuck in a nice bird would think twice about taking a risk to save it. But I do agree a airplane will not do you much good if you are in the hospital or worse the morgue.
40YearDream
Pre-takeoff checklist
During a checkout in a rental Warrior at an airport in Western Iowa, the instructor there told me corn was the better choice than beans. (Coming from Michigan, where most of the time the only choice is trees, Iowa looked like it was almost all emergency landing spots!)
Checkout_my_Six
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Jim Kickland
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i was at a FAA safety seminar years ago and this question was raised. the guy putting it on showed slides of probably 30 planes landing in corn and bean fields. Most all of the ones in the corn where right side up and the ones in the beans were all flipped over. This is a interesting question. great discussion
Tarheelpilot
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I’ve landed in alfalfa that was at about 10% bloom so it was about as tall as it ever would be for a landing. Reminded me a lot of a grass strip that needed mowing. We fixed the engine and I flew it out. I would not worry about alfalfa. In regards to beans or corn… well every singe ag plane I’ve seen go into corn was totaled. Leading edges beaten back almost to the spar, prop damage etc. most ag airplanes are big enough and that I did not worry to much about the crop flipping me over. I was more worried about being aligned with the rows. If given a choice between beans or corn I’m guessing I would go for beans but honestly if one takes a dump on you while you’re in the field working there is normally only one option.
midwestpa24
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I keep seeing photos of badly damaged aircraft in various types of crops. From looking at some of those photos, its pretty easy to see the damage was not the result of the crop, but more the result of the attitude the aircraft arrived in. If you don't land under control, wings level, at the lowest possible groundspeed, it isn't going to matter if its beans, corn, cotton, or pavement.
Mxfarm
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My favorite was the person aiming for the combine.... serious, how, why?
midwestpa24
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Maybe they were one of those people that can never hit what they are aiming at.
GaryM
Pattern Altitude
Maybe the pilot remembered the "Nothing Runs Like a Deere" ads, and just assumed it would move.
Briar Rabbit
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I checked with my local shop to price a pair of shoulder harnesses - $1,000 a piece, $2,000 for a pair for the front seats which also includes new lap belts. Labor and the STC will cost an additional $1,500. So $3,500 installed which is more expensive than I expected.
A friend I know carries two heavy foam pillows on the seats behind the pilot. He instructs his passengers in case of potential engine failure grab a pillow!
After reading the posts, discussions with CFI's and people I respect my thoughts on rank order of emergency off airport targets are;
1) Hay fields
2) Open roads with no powerlines (if it is a really nice road this may be #1)
3) Soybean fields only after they have been harvested and before spring tillage
4) Young crop fields, before the middle of June, or after harvest and in the case of corn in line with the crop rows (Beans are mostly drilled)
5) Open pastures
6) After July 1 and before harvest, Cornfields
7) Late growth on Soybeans if they have not been harvested
A friend I know carries two heavy foam pillows on the seats behind the pilot. He instructs his passengers in case of potential engine failure grab a pillow!
After reading the posts, discussions with CFI's and people I respect my thoughts on rank order of emergency off airport targets are;
1) Hay fields
2) Open roads with no powerlines (if it is a really nice road this may be #1)
3) Soybean fields only after they have been harvested and before spring tillage
4) Young crop fields, before the middle of June, or after harvest and in the case of corn in line with the crop rows (Beans are mostly drilled)
5) Open pastures
6) After July 1 and before harvest, Cornfields
7) Late growth on Soybeans if they have not been harvested
Mxfarm
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Deelee
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You didn't learn SOY HOLA during primary training?
Soybean fields only after they have been harvested and before spring tillage
Open roads with no powerlines (if it is a really nice road this may be #1)
Young crop fields, before the middle of June, or after harvest and in the case of corn in line with the crop rows (Beans are mostly drilled)
Hay fields
Open pastures
Late growth on Soybeans if they have not been harvested
After July 1 and before harvest, Cornfields
Mxfarm
Line Up and Wait
ROTFL
The-Flying-Lawyer
Pre-takeoff checklist
brcase
En-Route
I haven't been around Soy bean fields much. Have spent a lot of time working in Corn, Wheat, and Alfalfa fields.
Have landing my glider in short Alfalfa, Wheat, Bean Fields, and plowed Dirt. Have landed Cessna's in mowed Alfalfa fields, they can be nicer than some airports. The gliders big advantage is that it is so low to the ground there is almost zero chance of it flipping over, even in soft dirt.
What I look for more in a field is less what the crop is and more how tall is it.
Short crops are generally the best. Alfalfa is my favorite when recently mowed, But any crop shorter than about 8" tall is a likely fly the glider again tomorrow kind of field, even if the ground is soft.
Most 8" or shorter crops have a very good possibility of flying the airplane again tomorrow if the ground is solid enough for the gear to not dig in.
Some crops are pretty easy to tell if they are short or recently mowed. But if you can't tell then look for a field where you can see some dirt and some crop. If it is all crop then it is thick vegetation and likely tall. If it is all dirt then it has likely been recently tilled and has a good chance of being soft.
Roads kind of depend on where you are at, remote areas they often work well. More populated areas often almost guarantee fences, power poles, snow markers, or signs along the road.
As mentioned, saving the airplane is a low priority, but usually the less damage the airframe incurs the less damage the occupants will incur. Airplanes with poor top structure might be an exception if the plane flips over. Just don't try to save the airplane at the expense of increasing the risk to the occupants, they are priority number one.
Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
Have landing my glider in short Alfalfa, Wheat, Bean Fields, and plowed Dirt. Have landed Cessna's in mowed Alfalfa fields, they can be nicer than some airports. The gliders big advantage is that it is so low to the ground there is almost zero chance of it flipping over, even in soft dirt.
What I look for more in a field is less what the crop is and more how tall is it.
Short crops are generally the best. Alfalfa is my favorite when recently mowed, But any crop shorter than about 8" tall is a likely fly the glider again tomorrow kind of field, even if the ground is soft.
Most 8" or shorter crops have a very good possibility of flying the airplane again tomorrow if the ground is solid enough for the gear to not dig in.
Some crops are pretty easy to tell if they are short or recently mowed. But if you can't tell then look for a field where you can see some dirt and some crop. If it is all crop then it is thick vegetation and likely tall. If it is all dirt then it has likely been recently tilled and has a good chance of being soft.
Roads kind of depend on where you are at, remote areas they often work well. More populated areas often almost guarantee fences, power poles, snow markers, or signs along the road.
As mentioned, saving the airplane is a low priority, but usually the less damage the airframe incurs the less damage the occupants will incur. Airplanes with poor top structure might be an exception if the plane flips over. Just don't try to save the airplane at the expense of increasing the risk to the occupants, they are priority number one.
Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
I come from cattle country.
Ever run over a fresh semi liquefied cow pie with a main wheel on a high wing.??
And since this is a unplanned off airport landing, you do have the door unlatched, right.??
(some folks call this art...)
Ever run over a fresh semi liquefied cow pie with a main wheel on a high wing.??
And since this is a unplanned off airport landing, you do have the door unlatched, right.??
(some folks call this art...)
Mxfarm
Line Up and Wait
I come from cattle country.
Ever run over a fresh semi liquefied cow pie with a main wheel on a high wing.??
And since this is a unplanned off airport landing, you do have the door unlatched, right.??
(some folks call this art...)
some say it smells like money
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
some say it smells like money
I have fallen in it... and everyone told me I smelled like something but not money..
Mxfarm
Line Up and Wait
slapped up side the head in early spring w/a tail, money isn’t the first thought.
Swampfox201
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Todd W.
My 14 year old daughter and I making the $$. Calf survived the difficult birth and is doing well.
eman1200
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Bro do you even lift
See I would just take the flattest looking field as close to a road as possible. Second thought would be to look for a field that if I didn’t like as I got lower would have a backup field right next to it that I could switch to. At the same time I’m looking for power lines and if any road is a good option. Then I’m thinking about the beer I’m gonna drink after my successful landing (it couldn’t be an “off field landing” since I’m literally landing in a field).
Notice how I didn’t mention wondering about corn or soybeans or what time of the growing season was in play.