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Re:

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:08 am
by designrs
ussyorktown wrote:Fear not. I shall never be mentioned in a NTSB report.
(posted July 6th, 2012)

Really?? Crash was September 2nd, 2013.
Looks like it was just under 1 year 2 months.

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:19 am
by drseti
My wife says the crash and lawsuit were probably his retirement plan all along.

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:39 am
by CharlieTango
"Oh for the love of Pete. I landed short of the runway, flying at 40 knots and about 20 feet above the dirt/sand and the plane lost all lift and dropped. Not a scratch on me."

Maybe if he was flying at 60kts instead of below stall speed he would have made the field instead of being just short.

In fact since he had fuel maybe he just stalled with fuel on board and impacted the ground short of the runway?

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:43 am
by designrs
CharlieTango wrote:"Oh for the love of Pete. I landed short of the runway, flying at 40 knots and about 20 feet above the dirt/sand and the plane lost all lift and dropped. Not a scratch on me."
Please post the link from which this quote was taken.

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:48 am
by comperini
designrs wrote:Please post the link from which this quote was taken.
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Plane-cra ... 76231.html

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:55 am
by drseti
I wonder, was that 40 kts IAS, or 40 kts groundspeed on the iPad? :wink:

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:02 pm
by dstclair

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:14 pm
by drseti
NTSB preliminary wrote:Estimating that he had sufficient fuel for approximately 30 more minutes of flight, he departed for Sisters
So, by his own statement, he took off without taking on more fuel, with only landing reserves remaining. How's that going to play out in court?

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 12:18 pm
by CharlieTango
As he approached the airport the engine "sputtered" and then stopped producing power, and he performed a forced landing into a field.

or

"Oh for the love of Pete. I landed short of the runway, flying at 40 knots and about 20 feet above the dirt/sand and the plane lost all lift and dropped. Not a scratch on me."

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:53 pm
by MrMorden
drseti wrote:
NTSB preliminary wrote:Estimating that he had sufficient fuel for approximately 30 more minutes of flight, he departed for Sisters
So, by his own statement, he took off without taking on more fuel, with only landing reserves remaining. How's that going to play out in court?
We discussed that in another forum. He basically admits to starting flight in an unsafe condition, by objective legal standards of the FAA, and encountered exactly the kind of problem said unsafe behavior is likely to result in.

This whole thing looks like an exercise in "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks".

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:52 pm
by CTLSi
......

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:51 pm
by designrs
drseti wrote:So, by his own statement, he took off without taking on more fuel, with only landing reserves remaining. How's that going to play out in court?
Really! The FAA 30 minute minimum reserve is so small in a LSA burning 5 GPH or less. That would be what 2 to 2.5 gallons of fuel? (I feel like it's basically the fuel in the fuel lines +/- a gallon or so.) To to take off with that low amount of fuel and burn down below legal reserve would just be insane!

The only time I have every flown a plane down to even 5 gallons (the point at which my flying is finished) is when doing pattern work, where the airport is almost always in gliding distance.

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:23 pm
by designrs
Modified paraphrasing from another forum:

"I would caution members to be very careful about how they describe certain people or a specific person's abilities. Especially a person who may appear to be frequently suing people. Such person may be able to do that a lot cheaper and easier than others can defend themselves. At the very least, make it clear that you are giving an opinion of the person or hypothetical circumstance rather than a statement of fact."

Speaking hypothetically or in generalities might be advantageous.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

Re: Heads up Air speed display on your iPad for .99 cents

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:54 am
by FastEddieB
Though unlikely to have been heeded in this particular case, this is yet another good time to mention the concept of "Most Conservative Action".

I'm always on the alert for when the word "probably" sneaks into my thinking.

In this case, a pilot appears to have been concerned enough to make a precautionary landing. I don't know if he carried a fuel stick or not, but I'll bet that when all was said and done, he looked at his fuel situation and determined he could "probably" make it the rest of the way. Another pilot here recently had a very similar incident, leading to so little fuel that highway landing options were being considered towards the end.

Anyway, when you admit that something is only "probable", you're admitting to the fact that an unfavorable outcome, while improbable, is possible. Fly enough hours and one of these apparently improbable events may bite you one day.

In my flying career I've had two memorable low fuel situations, one in the distant past, one not so much. I've never run out, but I can at least empathize with the psychological traps that can lead to empty tanks. I may post more on this to a more appropriate thread, or start a new one.

Re:

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 7:04 am
by FastEddieB
ussyorktown wrote:Fear not. I shall never be mentioned in a NTSB report.
And to further emphasize...

This, to me, was a huge warning flag that maybe I should have commented on more forcefully.

One of the five "Hazardous Attitudes" is "Invulnerability". Does anyone here NOT see that attitude in the above post?

I'm closing in on 6,600 hours of flight time, including a fair amount of tailwheel instruction, which can be very tricky at times. NO accidents and NO violations to date.

BUT...

...I'm fully aware that my very next flight could end up in an NTSB database. Possibly with a number following the word "Fatal". I try to improve my odds with conscientious maintenance, not flying after drinking, and doing my best to keep the "Most Conservative Action" philosophy in mind. Those sorts of things. But still...

Anyway, let's all be careful out there, and recognize our limitations.