Airplane Crash at Fairbanks Shown from 3 Onboard Cameras N334DH
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- Опубликовано: 16 май 2013
- This video is intended to show that you can walk away from a bad situation if you continue to fly the airplane until it stops. In this case the engine quit without warning at 200 feet above the ground and there were only 20 seconds for recognition, trouble-shooting, decision-making, and execution before ground contact.
Studies have shown that without at least 500 feet between the airplane and the ground at engine failure a complete turn-back is not possible and further an analysis by an Annapolis professor of aerodynamics concluded that in this case I had only a 90 degree arc on either side of the nose in which to turn and execute a landing. He figured that I used 85 degrees and had very little options left. As a learning point, he suggests making emergency turns at 45 degrees angle of bank in order to get the maximum amount of turn vs. altitude loss instead of the 28 degrees that I used if one needs to maximize the turn radius. Obviously this one put me where I needed to be.
To the Monday morning quarterbacks: Look carefully at the obstacles before deciding there was a better place to put the aircraft; there wasn't. Also, keep in mind that this is intended to show the short period of time after the engine failure, not the cause which has not been determined.
The NTSB was on scene within a few minutes of the crash because they were already at the airport where this happened writing up a report on a previous crash. The immediately checked fuel lines and tanks and found that the injected fuel lines were still pressurized and fuel was getting to the engine. The tanks were full and I had personally supervised refueling the evening before. The fuel was bright and clear and free from contaminants at pre-flight # 1 hour before the incident.
There was no "mud dauber" activity or any other build-up of outside sources. I had flown the airplane at least four hours for each of the previous five days, each after a thorough pre-flight inspection. All switches and selectors were in their proper positions upon landing, nothing half-way here or there. Ironically, I turned to the pilot not flying but occupying the right seat and told him to verify the position of every switch and selector because the FAA or the NTSB would surly ask; if not I joked that every pilot who saw the video would be full of ideas and it would be nice to be able to say with certaintay what was where.
I am an ATP rated in both airplanes and helicopters (single & multi-engine land and sea), am an instructor in (CFII/MEI Airplane & helicopter) and have 45 years of flying experience, many of it flying the far reaches of Alaska. My background includes retired military pilot (safety & instructor), former chief pilot for commercial 135 operations, for director of operations for same, and many years of aerial fire-fighting and other challenging flying jobs.
I hope this video is instructive in some way.
You would think after the first camera crashed the other two would manage to not make the same mistake.
No!!!! Gear fully down or up gives you maximum protection. Based on the last annual it takes 12 seconds to cycle the gear down in this 12 Volt airplane. It was 20 seconds from engine out at 200' AGL to on the ground. The gear would have been in transition and it would have been a disaster. Besides, I cleared the 6-8 foot berm just beyond the river by about 1 foot. With the gear down I would have clipped it and ended up upside down or worse. I walked away, isn't that good enough?
Having lost an engine at low altitude just beyond a runway, let me say this was a great example of not trying to turn back to the runway and finding a suitable surface for the situation. WELL DONE!!!
You handled that PERFECTLY. Anyone who says otherwise, has no idea what they're talking about. Good job, and glad everyone walked away.
Look behind the DC6 carefully and you'll see an 8 foot high cyclone fence & a berm and rough ground,not a pretty place to land. 20 seconds from engine failure to touchdown, mags, fuel, master, not nearly as important from 200 ft. AGL as flying the airplane. Door remained closed for structural integrity. I am here to fly tomorrow, I'm happy with my decision-making, and the outcome was as good as it could be under the circumstances. A lot went on in 20 seconds and I'm here to tell about it.
I’m not a pilot, but from what I saw it looked like a great landing with no injuries and minimal damage. Nicely done!
Until you turned toward that field, I saw no good options. Well done.
The engine @ 200 feet above the ground. The aircraft was clean; gear up, flaps up. When the engine quits you push the nose over to let the descent provide airflow over the wings to provide lift. Pitch controls speed which determines the distance you can glide within design paramaters. It's a tradeoff and you must know your own airplane's glide characteristics well in order to have the best outcome in this situation. I now own a twin-engine airplane, a Beech Baron.
I am a remote medic in Alaska and have been a passenger on countless flights to locations all over the state. Just want to give a big "thank you" to you and all the pilots that have transported me safely over the years, through a broad spectrum of weather and hazards. Your skill and professionalism is greatly appreciated.
Congratulations for your successful emergency/forced landing. Also, thank you for offering us the chance to feel and get an 'insider' POV of the forced landing situation happening at the 'worst' (i.e. most dangerous) phase of any flight, the take-off. It's at least intuitive to us, pilots, and I'll personally always keep it in my mind when I fly. Thank you and I wish you the best!
as a student pilot I can only thank people like you for sharing events like this to teach me a great lesson, although experience plays a huge part having good grounds of aeronautical decision making helps a lot and this is the perfect example.
Thank you for sharing
Oh My Gosh, I haven't flown in years (Former 182H owner) and I picked the same spot you did before you turned - but I thought for sure you were going to hit the bank of that canal and slide back into the water. Kudos to your skills and fortitude...
the first camera, was so impressive ! wow, congrats for this performance !
The first one, due to camera location, makes it look like a violent impact. Luckily the other two, especially last one, show the truth that it was a real greaser. WTG pilot, thanks for sharing 👍🏽
Non-Pilot here. The first video ends so abruptly that I thought the aircraft just impacted violently into the bank. I was relieved to see the other clips that indicate it was a much better outcome than I first thought. Thanks for sharing this.
You handled a difficult situation in a very professional manner and walked away to fly another day. Picked the best place to land with only a few seconds to decide. Well done. Thank you for sharing.
You can quickly tell you are a very experienced pilot. You only had a split second or two to make the decision that you made and it probably saved your life. Great job!
Thank you for the video and also the very informative description.
Great job, Dale, excellent work bringing her down. This is most pilot's nightmare and you showed us how it was possible. Glad you and your passenger walked away.
Your list of credentials is impressive. Thanks for sharing this video. I took a lot away from this. You executed this perfectly.