L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

[crispy critter]

Does anyone know the pilot or plane that crash landed in a parking lot in Ft Myers yesterday morning(tuesday)? The news interview said he was Douglous Jenkins. My hat's off to him for a job well done. He was not injured at all and his passenger has minor cuts to the forehead but both of them walked away.....shoulder harnesses are a great investment. Mr. Jenkins stated in the news interview that he thought he might have lost a piece of the prop but is unsure. He stated the engine started shaking violently just after he leveled off and pulled the throttle back. He also said it could have been an internal engine problem but the NTSB would be able to determine what the actual cause was as part of thier investigation. The pics show the airplane to be torn up pretty bad but IMHO not completly beyond repair if one is determined enough. The airplane was an L2 and looked like a nice one....at least no one was seriously hurt,that's the important part.

[ClipWing_T]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Man , She looked like a nice bird . http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....40422/1075Good that all are Ok too .

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

"Maintain cabin volume and sacrifice all aircraft component parts in the deceleration...DO IT! Before you start sacrificing blood, skin, and brains." In any crash, this little mantra should jump into your brain as you head for the eventual stop. However most pilots are saying to themselves... "this is gonna hurt." Stop it... remember maintain cabin volume, instead.

"Maintain cabin volume"... repeat it and you'll continue to work the problem beyond the beginning sequence of any crash and all the way to the end of the crash sequence. It's amazing what you can do even after you start smacking stuff and stuff starts smacking you back. Just like we fly these things all the way into the barn... we can and should remember to remain Pilot in Command all the way through any crash sequence. I'd suggest this pilot did pretty good. In a crash landing... work on making it more landing and less crashing and things will go better all the way around.

With regards; ED OBRIEN

[ClipWing_T]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Ed, You are correct sir . Save yourself first because you can
always get another plane.I should have posted :Thank the Lord
the pilots are OK ! ! and THEN .....That was a nice bird ! ...

Mike

[barnstmr]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Kevin Stated

IMHO not completly beyond repair if one is determined enough.

Kevin... you certainly hold the determination award. A plane would have to be pretty bad off for you to give up hope.

Mr. Jenkins... sorry to hear of your misfortune. Glad everyone is OK. Hang in there... and glean encouragement from those like Kevin.

[crispy critter]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Kevin Stated


Kevin... you certainly hold the determination award. A plane would have to be pretty bad off for you to give up hope.

Mr. Jenkins... sorry to hear of your misfortune. Glad everyone is OK. Hang in there... and glean encouragement from those like Kevin.

Terry,
Just take a look back at my photo gallery and what I started with on Crispy. Shit.....I just remembered I am now starting all over again with her. Oh well,at least it will keep me focused on something and out of trouble
P.S. Tell Mr. Jenkins to bring that old bird on up to me and I'll put it back together for him.....I like a good challenge

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

One of my instructors told me when you see that you are going to land someplace not intended for airplanes you should tell yourself you sure hope the INSURANCE COMPANIES airplane comes out OK, then proceed to bust it up as slowly as possible leaving the cockpit for last. Same concept except he said the plane isn't yours any more as soon at the emergency starts. It's hard to NOT try and protect something we all love as much as our Taylorcrafts.
As for the condition of the L-2. Looks IMMINENTLY repairable to me! As soon as the FAA releases it, drag it into a workshop and get started. Always think about how many parts came out undamaged, not how broken others are. ANYTHING on a Taylorcraft can be brought back, except the pilot.
GOOD off field landing in tough conditions. Yell for help, you will get plenty from this group and be back in the air before you know it.
Hank

[Ragwing nut]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

I have fixed worse wrecks than that. Not to say I am ready to do it again anytime soon. Looks like it was a nice bird.

Mike

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

There doesn't appear to have been a fire in this accident. Given the wings being torn and obviously the fuel lines likely ruptured or popped... that's a good and nearly inexplicable thing.
I would pose that either there wasn't much fuel to begin with. OR, that the pilot was going slow enough... to not cause a lot of sparking. To the L2's credit... we never have very much gas on board... 14 gallons and we're soaking wet to the brim... so while we L2 drivers complain about no range, little fuel can be a fortunate thing too. And, being that we're mostly fabric and wood... we don't spark much.
I'm not planning a crash... but it's nice to know I'm not sitting in a naplam bomb. I'd hate to maintain cabin volume so I'm very aware of myself going from medium-rare to well-done.
With regards;
ED OBRIEN

[Jim Herpst]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

I believe that plane was for sale a couple of years back. I believe it was purchased over in Daytona FL from a guy at Spruce Creek Airport. I do remember talking to the owner about the plane. If its the same one then I THINK it had an electrical system and an 85 hp. Yes it was a nice plane. It looks like if the fuselage is not screwed up too bad it could be salvaged with another ........

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

I hate to reflect a cynical attitude, but on the sale price of the wreck... if the man in this crash is married... his wife is pressuring him to sell. Discount the crash damage and offer minus 10 percent due to spousal pressure to sell at any price. If he has small children discount the damage price offer 20 percent less. (due to extra spousal pressure) If he's had an accident before discount it at least 30 percent as he'll be going through a divorce soon and he'll need the money to pay his lawyer.
With regards;
ED OBRIEN

[btbell]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Interesting video interview with the pilot...

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/oct/23/small_plane_incident_edison_mall/

[Forrest Barber]

Re: L2 Crash in Fort Myers,fl.

Finally made it back to the forumn, Ohio weather broke and I FLEW a lot. I had a lot of calls from folks around here that wanted to know IF I had seen the TAylorcraft that made the National news. missed it completely.
Eating pizza afterward that is a true believer......YES I know Doug Jenkins TF# 477 , Cape Coral, Fl , N52730 a fine L-2M . Doug was a well known barrister and local Judge in a neighboring County.
He retired to Florida and has been having a ball. Visits each time he is back in Ohio for a visit. Glad it all worked out, I too have crashed, tried to hit the softest thing I could find at the slowest speed possible keeping the cabin intact. I will call Doug soon . Glad it all worked out and apparently no one hurt.