jjmiller1811

It’s time for the GA community to have a serious conversation about attempting emergency landings on roads. The familiarity of marked pavement is certainly inviting in an emergency, and in some cases it is the only option. However, the hazards of roadway landings–signs, power lines, structures, traffic–should push them down to the bottom of the option list when other survivable surfaces exist (fields and an airport within gliding distance in the example above). Transfer of risk is a related topic. We (GA pilots) should not be transferring our risk to non-participants (drivers, pedestrians, building occupants) without careful consideration.

1 reply

yankeeflyer3

The Mooney accident above leaves me questioning why the pilot could not make the airport from 15000 ft when airport and surrounding terrain was 675ft???

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mattscrane

I wondered the same, and decided it was probably because he had already initiated a descent and was within 10nm of his destination. Normal descent planning for 10NM out would put you between 3000’ and 4000’ above touchdown (depending on which runway you’re going to use). Under those conditions, you wouldn’t be able to glide to the runway unless you had a very strong tailwind: at 4000’ with a 12:1 glide ratio, you wouldn’t make the airport.

marc2

Ditto the sentiment on transferring risk to non-participants. In some cases one cannot choose the landing site, although that’s vanishingly rare. OTOH, one can always manage fuel. Apparently the Mooney operator just couldn’t do that. This is a serious conversation we need (to have again) IMO. I have 87 gallons in the mains and 30 in tips. When the mains hit 20, I transfer the tips to the mains and refuel as soon as is practicable. Agonizingly simple, right ? But forced landings due to fuel starvation are still a big thing in GA. Go figure.

gliders

The Mooney crash report was hard to read, given that there is a private grass strip less than 5 miles west of the crash site. They must have passed almost directly overhead. Two public airports about 15 miles east of the crash site and 8 miles either side of the flight path.

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gliders

Correction, I mis-typed: Two public airports 15 miles WEST of the crash site…

Karrpilot

My take on the Mooney possibility of running out of gas is the have to get there syndrome. Myself, on a long distance cross country is to get fuel and a bathroom break. 2-3 hours tops. It’s also good to get out and stretch. My seintific term for it is the bladder method. Hasn’t let me down yet.

ifly

“…about 10 miles west of Peoria.” is literally 1000s of acres of farm land and this pilot headed for a road? Looks like the last of several poor decisions made during that flight.