Video~Crash into cornfield by CT Monroe Michigan

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ussyorktown
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Video~Crash into cornfield by CT Monroe Michigan

Post by ussyorktown »

http://www.monroenews.com/news/2012/aug ... -injuries/
A small plane crashed on landing at a private airstrip Imagein Ida Township Sunday, sending its two occupants to the hospital with minor injuries and causing power outages in the area, reported Sgt. Jeff Kemp of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Wilbert Matthes, 84, of Ida and owner of the Matthes Evergreen Farm on Lulu Rd., piloted the single-engine experimental plane with co-pilot and grandson Ian Zawacki, 20, of Monroe. As the plane approached the landing strip at a private airport on Saum Rd. about 8:30 p.m., the landing gear caught on a power line, forcing the plane to nose-dive into a cornfield, Sgt. Kemp said. Mr. Matthes and Mr. Zawacki suffered minor injuries and were transported to Mercy Memorial Hospital as a precautionary measure. The power line became tangled in the wreckage and caused some power outage

MONROE, Mich. — A man who recorded video while the small plane piloted by his grandfather crashed as they tried to land in southeastern Michigan said he still can't believe what happened.

Ian Zawacki, 20 and his sister Lindsey Zawacki, 15, look over the damaged airplane Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, that crashed Sunday night while Ian was a passenger. Image

Sunday night's crash into a corn field happened in Monroe County, about 40 miles southwest of Detroit.

"I'm so lucky to be alive," Ian Zawacki, 20, of Monroe, told The Monroe Evening News (http://bit.ly/O5HTzt ). "God was looking over me and my grandpa."

The sheriff's department said the single-engine plane was piloted by Wilbert Matthes, 84, of Ida. He was hospitalized with a possible broken sternum. Zawacki, the co-pilot, recorded video of the attempted landing that was released by the sheriff's department.

They were trying to reach a small airport when a landing gear caught the power line north of the landing strip. Zawacki, who had minor injuries to his shins and shoulders, helped his grandfather escape from the wreckage.


Les Grodi, who witnessed the accident and owns the landing strip, said Matthes is a friend who has used the airport dozens of times.

"Everything was perfect but they were 10 feet too low," Grodi said. "The wing hit first. If it came down nose-first it would have been much worse."
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ussyorktown
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Post by ussyorktown »

Everything was perfect except he was ten feet too low.
How about, Everything was perfect if I only had a cup of gasoline more. I wouldn't have missed the airstrip.
Everything was perfect except that trim fell off the back part of the plane.
Everything was perfect except for that unexpected thunderstorm.

Reminds me of, "So other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?"
ct4me
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Post by ct4me »

Undoubtedly another irresponsible pilot who didn't file a flight plan...
Tim
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ussyorktown
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Post by ussyorktown »

Yeah. Flight plane was needed.
"Mayday Mayday Mayday."
Where are you?
"So see that spot about 10 feet north of the runway where the corn is knocked over?"

Yeah. That would have saved time for the rescue vehicles and wire repair-er.
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drseti
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Post by drseti »

Don't you folks think accident reports should maybe go in Safety Corner rather than Hangar Talk? I'm beginning to wonder why we bothered to set up the extra forum, since nobody seems to want to use it.
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ussyorktown
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Post by ussyorktown »

We are a simple people. I think we come here for entertainment. I learn a lot by having the general discussion because people wander all over the place.
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drseti
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Post by drseti »

ussyorktown wrote:I think we come here for entertainment.
Entertainment is good, and some of these threads are certainly entertaining. I just worry that if everything gets thrown into Hangar Talk, the other forums will become irrelevant (and any single thread will become impossible to find).
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
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ussyorktown
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Post by ussyorktown »

As a new guy, don't even know what I am looking for. So I just come to hangar talk. If it all veers into another forum, might I suggest that you then transfer it over the more appropriate forum for historical purposes (to find with a search)
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Post by drseti »

ussyorktown wrote:might I suggest that you then transfer it over the more appropriate forum for historical purposes (to find with a search)
Dan, I've been doing exactly that for the past couple of months, but it's becoming a full-time job.

The stated purpose of Hangar Talk, as listed on the top page of this site:
Constructive topics of interest related to aviation that do not match the other section descriptions below
We've set up all those other topic-specific forums for a reason. If you (and everyone else) could refrain from just dumping everything automatically into Hangar Talk, it would make my task much easier. Thanks.
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
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ussyorktown
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Post by ussyorktown »

I shall en-devour to comply.
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Post by Jack Tyler »

It's not about 'compliance', Dan. It's about all of us trying to make the forum's framework function as best it can.

I wonder how many other times this gentleman who 'caught the wire' has almost done the same thing but just missed. Sounds like an airstrip that might only be approached from one direction, with takeoffs going back out in the opposite direction.

If I were the Grandson, I would probably have reached the opposite impression: God was looking the other way...
Jack
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FastEddieB
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Post by FastEddieB »

Suggestion...

Go to the home page and click on "View Posts Since Last Visit".

http://sportpilottalk.com/search.php?search_id=newposts

That will show all new posts, regardless of forum.

It keeps the forums as a handy way to organize posts, but eliminates the possibility of missing an interesting post because its squirreled away in an inappropriate forum.

It really is the best way to view new posts, and every site I frequent has an equivalent that I use.
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CharlieTango
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Post by CharlieTango »

Comment on the video, steep approaches are a good idea, especially at a field where you are not familiar that might have wires to clear like in the video. A low approach here where you didn't see the towers or wires should be avoided.
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designrs
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Post by designrs »

Student pilot question here...
Are there any rules of thumb that help to visually judge clearance over obstacles on approach?
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drseti
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Post by drseti »

Look in your windshield for the apparent relative motion of any object on the ground, Richard. If it appears to be moving "down", you will over-fly it (hence, clear it). If it seems to be moving "up", you will undershoot it (touch down short of it). If it appears to be stationary, you are on a collision course with it. This is the same technique you can use to determine where you will touch down relative to the numbers, or threshold, or some other specified landing point on the runway.
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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