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Had a close call and one that pilots dread last Friday evening. I had an emergency landing. We were lucky enough to walk away unscratched! An FAA investigation is currently underway, but the preliminary investigation shows a pc of the leading edge may have departed from the prop inflight. The irony of this whole situation is that I was introducing a 15year old neighbor kid to flying and spent most of the 1 hr flight reinforcing safety and safe flying. We had just aborted a landing at a friend’s grass strip as I was not comfortable with a 50’ wide runway with 9’ corn flanking both sides. I had trimmed the plane for a gentle climb (about 75mph) as it was hot and I was watching oil temp closely. At about 1 1/2miles south of the grass strip and at about 800-1000AGL, the engine instantly started shaking so violently, that I thought it would depart the airframe. I immediately throttled back to idle and the vibration while still extensive was “tolerable”. Less than 30 seconds before this happened, I had just explained the dangers of low level flying and we had both tightened up our harnesses. As some of you know the pre-wars with the flap lever down below your knees is not accessible with the harness snug. You have to leave the shoulder harness loose until you are finished trimming. I calmly told Sam that we were going to make an emergency landing and explained that we were going for a bean field that was 1/4mile east. I had to instantly slip off 300-400’ to make the field. The bean field although far less than ideal was the best of (3) very poor landing choices….my other options were a half mile long flat wheat field full of 1500# round bales and a 20 degree side hill with a tractor mowing dead center. I dropped in over the beans and held the plane off as long as possible. At about 10ft off the deck, what I thought was an irrigation ditch came into view perpendicular and directly ahead less than 200ft away. If I remember anything, it was the fear of slamming into the ditch perpendicular to our travel. I gunned the engine( I had left it idling as I wanted some power if needed at landing) for a few second to gain another 20ft or so. As soon as I knew I could get past the ditch I started the nose back down but I had lost enough airspeed that I stalled at about 20-30ft. We came down real fast and from contact with the beans to full stop was less than 40 feet! The plane basically landed nose and LH gear first then cartwheeled up on the RH wingtip. We teetered on the nose for a second or two and then dropped back on the tail in an upright position. As soon as we stopped, I hit the mags and we bailed out my door. We were shaken but completely unscathed. The good Lord and good training were on my side this time!
As pilots, we always wonder how we will react in this situation. I have told myself a hundred times to try to stay calm and fly the plane down if this ever happened to me……that is exactly what I did. In hindsight, I shocked myself at how calm I actually did stay during the descent. The plane is totaled but can be rebuilt…..my old bones are another story.
As pilots, we always wonder how we will react in this situation. I have told myself a hundred times to try to stay calm and fly the plane down if this ever happened to me……that is exactly what I did. In hindsight, I shocked myself at how calm I actually did stay during the descent. The plane is totaled but can be rebuilt…..my old bones are another story.
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