Even knowing he made it OK, I felt a feeling of relief when he said, “thank God” in reference to seeing the airport. I’ve flown over the Rockies a number of times in my 63 P172D, but rather than direct, I have to fly the passes, because getting much above 14,000’ is a real strain, even with the increased power of my 180hp Lycoming. Having had a total engine failure myself soon after I bought my airplane almost 20 years ago, I tend to spend more time looking for places to set down than many pilots do. Yes, the rocks are inhospitable, but there are a surprising number of survivable landing sites-might not be able to use the airplane again, but that’s secondary to survival.
But he's too busy slaughtering 2740 innocent children from starvation, hunger-related diseases and contaminated water, EVERY DAY to bother with a silly pilot...@@eltomas3634
@@eltomas3634 - Old habits are hard to break. Doesn't mean they suddenly believe in god. Chance favors the prepared. Glad it all worked out well for him.
He is the 1-in-X of the statistics on engine outs over comparable terrain. As the “1” it was 100% survivable. As for all the others in singles, sadly, it doesn’t end well.
@@rustyneuron This guy had brass balls to handle the emergency and then take a video. I think I would have made the airport but wouldn't be thinking about videos.
Yeah, you are right, but I think it was him verbalizing that he had decided not to make another turn away from the threshold to get rid of more altitude. He was still high (1,000 feet) on final, so he made his decision to quit playing sailplane and announced it.
Flying a single engine plane over the Colorado Rockies is always a chancy proposition, even in the summer and with an operable engine. He was very lucky.
So is driving I-70 over the Rockies. You can get hit by another car during a snowstorm. You can collide with deer and elk. Get hit by a runaway truck. Fall asleep from the low oxygen at altitude. Be shoved down a mountainside in an avalanche. Hit by a rockslide. It's all just various risks mitigated by common sense, careful driving, good conditions, preparation, planning, training, "cockpit cool," and choosing when not to travel. Good pilots and drivers do this all the time. I've done both many times in my single engine airplane and my Subaru. Luck is sometimes a factor when all else isn't working.
We were being vectored for the approach when this happened. We had just overflown the airport and it was completely overcast. In the time he went from our right to left a hole opened up. We shot the approach and missed minutes after he landed. N4EA. This was a miracle for sure.
Wow! Aspen isn't a great place to land with a working engine. Great initial call. A very rare example of someone who follows FAA procedure for emergency communications. I bet he was on top of the world when he stepped out of the aircraft... unless he was already working out what it was going to cost to fix.
I know very little about flying but always assumed dead stick meant control stick wouldn't react to inputs. I learn something new from every video. Thanks
The control stick works fine and you can control the aircraft but the engine doesn't work. Dead stick means the propeller blades are not moving. I made a dead stick into an airport many years ago due to a carburetor problem. Both the aircraft and me survived with no damage.
The relief in his voice when he saw Aspen was tangible! We've flown over this terrain in the past (in a normally aspirated 210). Without that nearby runway, the odds of a happy ending were slim. Well done!
Evening, Commercial pilot from Reno, NV here. Thanks for posting this. The "positive outcome" videos do a great job of showing that not every MAYDAY ends in tragedy. Keep it up, it's good for moralle.
Always good to hear of these successful outcomes and the teamwork involved to get them down safely, wallets can't fix dead people but they can fix dead planes. Well done to everyone involved.
You know, we hear so much about airplane crashes that shouldn't have happened. I'm sure this guy may still be looking for his seat cushion because of the pucker factor, but he handled it so well. He did exactly what he needed to do. He flew the airplane, he communicated the issue and he continued to fly the airplane, enough so that he could pull that 'Bob Hoover' style of landing and taxi. He did it perfectly right! Congrats, Chris, job well done!
Reminds me of my step-Dad's experience back in the late-70's in his 1961 Cessna 210A (with wing struts) when he had an engine crankshaft break on a low-time 2nd engine enroute from Eastern Oregon to So Cal. He was over northern Nevada at the time with slightly friendlier terrain. The engine did not seize, but he had to land immediately. Found a nearly abandon air strip, made a good landing. Family met up with him, drove home, loaded up his re-built original engine, drove back out and installed it himself (not quite like Charles Bronson's movie) with son's help, flew it home. Being a diesel mechanic with a passion for flying, just another fun adventure for him. I definitely miss him. He often flew this airplane all over the country to repair broken trucks for the trucking company he worked for. Kind of a fitting return of favor that his pickup truck was used to drive out to fix the airplane this time around.
In the case of an engine failure you do.not. "have to get down as soon as possible", you want to stay up as long as possible in order to prepare for landing. You are coming down, that's a mathematical certainty; the more you hurry down the less time you have to configure, prepare yourself, adjust your ground track, etc... As a DPE, I commonly observe ASEL commercial applicants blending the steep spiral and engine failure maneuvers. The first task is to locate a safe place to land that's as close as possible - obvious here, get at best glide speed - minimizes descent rate and maximizes time aloft, and go through your flow and emergency checklist - all apparently done properly in this case. Awesome job by this pilot under scary circumstances.
Great outcome. One thing I learnt from a previous engine failure (Someone else) was that when the engine is ceased, hitting the starter - "just to see" -is a REALLY BAD idea. Especially IFR or if you rely on electrical power as the current draw from the starter when it's stalled is very high and your battery will deplete very quickly. Something I hadn't previously thought of.
Wow! Having flown fairly extensively in this mountainous area years ago in a partnership owned Rockwell 112TC single engine Turbo Commander, I can fully appreciate the pucker factor this pilot experienced when his engine seized! He was incredibly lucky it occurred exactly where it did within easy gliding altitude/ distance of Aspen, and without weather being a complicating factor. I also strongly concur with his decision to extend the gear earlier rather than later, because with a seized engine, he was limited to the remaining battery power with which to extend the complicated and power draining gear extension process. The terrain along this portion of his route from Boulder to Montrose is probably the most inhospitable to a situation like this in the high Rockies. Lady luck smiled and a competent pilot prevailed against Murphy. Well done!
When I moved to Colorado I took a mountain flying course. One of lessons taught you to always be looking for a valley where you could set it down. I flew between Aspen and Gunnison once and there were no valleys until past Crested Butte. I vowed never to fly over that are again. Another area like that is the Sawtooths north of Boise. I NEVER flew in or out of Aspen without getting kicked around with gusty winds so he was definitely was blessed with those conditions that day.
Just what I was thinking. This should be standard practice in single engined aeroplanes. The guy in the video did well but the airport being there shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him!
Remember that there was a cloud deck right over the airport. Mountain valleys are frequently covered with low clouds in the early morning hours if the wind is calm or light. Also he was flying a route that he had routinely flown before (I think). Sometimes routine can lead to complacency. In any case God was surely with him that day.
One thing that was drilled into my private pilot training was engine out landings. It was something that happened to my instructor early in his training so he had me do more than 3 of my first 40 hours doing patterns where he would randomly pull the engine to idle and I'd have to dead-stick it. Sometimes he'd do that where he knew there was a little GA airport nearby but I'd have to look for it. Thank God I was in Ohio and not in the mountains!
I don't know why but this reminded me of something 40 years ago in driver's ed. There was a driveway going downhill at the high school that ended with a big cul de sac with no curbs in a grass field . Thr instructor had a creative bent and he said drive 20 mph and see if you can make the turn around it without using the brake. Then with no warning when almost there he reached over and shut off the engine. With no power steering I ended up in the grass obviously...it was great education know what it felt like. He also had us slam on the brakes and drive in a fast circle with rear wheel drive car in a snowy parking lot. Once I was in a stick shift car with a cocky gearhead and the instructor made him back down a boat ramp and said he'd fail if he let the tires get in the water lol. I don't imagine much of that kind of thing happens today. I was also lucky that my dad taught me to be aware at all times where I would go if that car coming towards me came over the center line. His older brother was a pilot, maybe he had been indoctrinated to think like a one. Good memories!
@@GlamorganManor I drove professionally for 40 years in a high wind area with ice and snow. Tractor trailer rigs would tip over routinely from the wind. I would always drive with a margin for the oncoming rig to miss me if they blew over. Also, I would drive with two tires on the edge of the road if the road was icy and the margin was dry.
I imprinted on aviation early as my dad became a private pilot and bought a 182 Skylane while I was in middle school. We took a trip to Salem, Oregon from Phoenix Field, Fair Oaks. On the way back just over the mountains the engine sputtered and stopped. My sis and I in the backseat looked at each other eyes wide. Dad fiddled with knobs and got the engine going again telling mom in the passenger seat "turned it to the other tank and it started right up. I've got enough altitude to glide to Fair Oaks, let's see how she goes." Mom asked, "do you know what's wrong?" Dad said, " not really, but something is up with the fuel tank gauges." My mom said, "Land it, Phil". It took quite a while to come down from that altitude and land (I believe it was Marysville), and Dad was grumpy about it. It had never dawned on me until today, that my dad's (currently 93 years old) WILLINGNESS to accept the risk that he would be able to overcome any issue that arose midair was a sign that he was not a safe pilot. Once on the ground, he discovered that the fuel jockey had not replaced the cap on one of the tanks back in Salem. The fuel had escaped over time, but the fuel liner had buckled up against the float and was reading full for that tank. Dad thought it odd but continued to use that tank because of the full reading until it had completely run dry. The engine started back up after he switched to the other tank. Within 5 years, dad needed cash for a down payment on a commercial building and it was bye-bye Skylane. Even though I hated to see her go, I have a new understanding that it was probably for the best.
Good story... I'll never understand how some men will take such risks with their whole family on board. Over confidence and poor risk assessment are not good attributes for a pilot!
Good for that wife telling him to land! There is no margin for safety in a plane. You must always be very conservative in your judgment. It's no place to take chances with your safety. Even more so when you have three passengers.
Chris stayed cool and did everything right. Fly the plane, Mayday, used ATC as his copilot and cruised right in. Where the engine packed it in was lucky and he made the best of it. Good job, Chris and ATC.
Beautiful job!! And to get it onto 33 with all the terrain down there, even better. I’ve been in and out of Aspen more than 1,000 times in Dornier 328 turbo props, Learjets and Challengers. That airport is no joke. Beautifully done!!
@@stevedaniels3064 I never got to fly the jet version, all of my 328 time was in the turbo prop. Awesome airplane!! I was lucky enough to go to school for the airplane at the factory at Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany.
I had a catastrophic engine failure over the North Atlantic leaving Santa Maria Azores. I too also did a dead stick landing and had I been another five minutes out I would have been in the drink. The Cessna 172 I was flying a ferry flight to Germany.
I smiled through the whole thing. We once lost a top cylinder on a round engine at about 8,000 AGL. It windmilled and that piston going up and down was mesmerizing to watch. No airport, just a 1 month old plowed field. Turned out OK. Oil everywhere.
for us glider pilots every landing is a dead stick landing ;-) but when i fly motorplanes i can't get that "where can i put it down if i can't continue" out of my head
@@tyyamnitz8408"First, take a deep breath ... " --- Never mind ; you're @ 14K' in a non- pressurized cabin ... 100% "Gripping" For me, i'm so conditioned to expect awful outcomes when i hear Juan's theme music, i was really praising the Lord at the conclusion.
So many of these tapes are listening to those who didn’t make it. I’m so happy to hear one that is an absolute win between ATC and aviator. Single pilot resource management is a real challenge when things go outside the norm and he knew how to ask questions and delegate outside the cockpit.
Text book case of keeping your wits about you and concentrating on the business at hand to get on the ground in one piece and still alive. Masterful piece of flying. That is extremely challenging terrain to fly in with a fully functional airplane. Not exactly forgiving when you're dead stick with one shot at the runway. Not very many flat spots out there to set it down if you can't find an airport. I fly out in that area all the time as I have a summer home in Telluride and fly into Telluride Regional & will also land at Montrose when the weather doesn't allow a landing at Telluride. I fly my Cessna Conquest II from Florida to Telluride and back 9 or 10 times a year and always say my prayers that I don't have an emergency over those mountains. He was incredibly fortunate to be so close to Aspen when his engine grenaded. Well done! And great explanation & coverage, Juan. Look forward to you interviewing him on the channel.
Great to hear a happy ending to this story. Flying at 16,000 feet gives a lot of altitude to work with, but only if you are past the mountains. He had incredible luck with the timing of failure.
Nice job getting her down safely! I've personally experienced a engine out during a checkride. Trim for best glide, head on a swivel looking for suitable landing spot, gentle (very gentle) turn to line up, then attempted to and successfully re-started the engine. Yeah. Passed that checkride with flying colors!
I flew over the rockies at 10,500' regularly from Calgary to Invermere and often to Vancouver all the while keeping an eye out for potential landing spots. I recall being nervous practicing power-out orbits over a field with dead stick landings in a Skylane. I was just as nervous watching this video that combined both situations. Whew!
This should be standard practice in single engined aeroplanes. The guy in the video did well but the airport being there should t have come as a surprise to him!
Happy tears to hear this man made it out ok. Definitely choked up hearing him say MAYDAY x3... I always tear up hearing these tragic stories but this time around this pilot was able to make it home. Ty lord🙏🏼❤
I saw Bob Hoover a couple of times. One time in Anoka County Airport Minnesota in the 70's. He tore the tailwheel off his plane on his demo. Anyone else there?
“oh for god’s sakes I do”…, (not a pilot), but that statement alone brought tears to my 60yrs young eyes…. Awesome outcome..! Great report Juan, look forward to the interview video. Thank you sir.
Fuel remaining in minutes is a required question in emergencies for what should be obvious reasons, but the important part that is often missed is “fuel remaining in pounds”… gives the fire department an idea of what they need might be up against.
Nice work Captain! I should think that it would be no surprise to see ZERO on the oil pressure gauge since the engine had seized. I have always encouraged my students to practice real live "COORDINATED" S-turns on final to get rid of the excess altitude if it's necessary.
'fuel remaining?" "at the current rate of consumption infinite. (I'll show myself out).. But a good no kablamo story, will be interested in the chat with him.
⚠️Absolutely. Engine failure is not an event in my books. I fly power and gliders. We train for power failure from day 1 of training. It is 2nd nature to lower the nose and look for somewhere to land ASAP. We have a foot in every field below 1000ft. If 20hrs gliding was compulsory before powered training I am convinced 1000's of lives would be saved
When flying into KASE in a Cessna T-206, I would fly over Independence Pass (VFR) at 16,500, and pull the power back (not to idle) and glide down into the Roaring Fork Valley to a landing on runway 15 without touching the power. I realize that is a lot different than "engine out" but it was still a good practice session. I had a stuck throttle in a Cessna 182 back in the late 70"s and that is something to teach flight students, also. Really glad this engine out worked to the benefit of the owner; other than paying for a new engine.
We used fly with a modified super cub towing a sailplane on a tow rope from Waverly west private glider port near Wellington Colorado towing a glider to Steamboat springs airport. Then back again a week later. If soaring was good sometimes released from tow a flew airplane back to waverly. I recall our old tow plane pilot used to be a Luftwaffa dive bomber pilot. The glider pet owner used to fly the tow plane to his girlfriends hours, landing on highway 287 and tacied up her driveway. The good ole days before GPS and glass cockpits using paper maps, eyesight and compass... They used to have mountain wave FAA Window. I forget who but a man in a pressure suite rode a mountain wave in a 1-34 glider painters like a Coke can to 44,000 or so feet altitude with no engine!! It was so cold some of the paint cracked in areas... My highest flight in a glider was about 15,000 feet, climbing in thermal lift at 500fpm plus most the way up, had oxygen in a schwitzer 1-26 as a student pilot. Worked at the glider at the time, was paid in flight hours, that was 1976 through 1980...great memories. My dad was partners several pilots with a Cessna T-210 and P-210 sadly one of the partners a prominent doctor in Colorado flew while on instruments trying to land into a small mountain back east, killing several, pilot error flew below terrain. Same guy flew it at top speed into a big haul storm, most the plane gas to be reskinned.
Wow…awesome job….reminds me of a flight with my mom and dad going to see my brother at OSU in 68…..Killbuck Ohio..very hilly terrain..47 Bonanza , fuel strainer became clogged with dirt…not enough power to sustain flight…dad put it into a 800’ cow pasture over high tension wires…a church steeple and trees…we were ok…farmer was flabbergasted as to why an airplane was in his field….great job dad….and I am here to tell the tale…😅
I have flown between the Front Range (Rocky Mtn. Regional and Centennial) and many airports in SW Colorado in a Turbo 310 and a 414 - I don't go direct because those birds don't have enough performance after an engine failure to stay above all of the rocks, and in the case of the 310, oxygen is a hassle. You can get there following the drainage and have a lot more options. I never did it at night in the 310, and only once, from Rifle to Centennial at night in the 414 - Max continuous power circling over the lights in the valley with the landing lights on until the altimeter wound up to 15,000, then turned on course...I was so worried the windshield was going to fill with a view of trees and rocks that I never did it again. The turbos got hot enough to look like we had lightbulbs inside the cowl.
Wonderful Job! Always a good idea to be mindful of your en-route alternates (location, runway direction/length and weather) when flying over such challenging terrain!
I was flying over the Rockies in my Cessna 172. I was in a long cruise climb when my engine stopped. Tried everything. Eventually switched to just one tank and the engine restarted. Reported it and shortly a placard was issued: "Use a single tank above 5000 ft." to avoid vapor lock.
Juan, Thanks for reporting this near miss for Chris in his T-210. How ironic that he was on his way to Montrose to visit Western Skyways. A great job by the controller to get Chris the help that he desperately needed in this emergency, another professional helping GA pilots in distress, Bravo! Juan really appreciated the young Mr. Leck put on a great Hangar 107 safety seminar featuring yourself and Mike Patey. I have never seen Mike that distressed as he was while talking about the loss of his 4 close aviation friends, very sad for Mike and his community in Spanish Forks!
I did a dead stick landing many years ago coming over the Swiss alps going into Samedan..Similar setup. I did a full side slip to get rid of altitude that time. Was a Cessna 150.
Great review. The only thing I disagree with is the "need to get down fast". There was no need to rush getting down, the more time the better to assess the situation. The speed brakes were only needed if he was high on final.
Lucky pilot. I had an engine that would not produce power above an idle and made an emergency landing at McMinnvile, OR. It was during the solar eclipse and we were VFR on top. I was able to circle through a small break in the overcast to land. Know the drill well, and lucked out that day.
As a Colorado resident and friend of several owners of single engine piston powered aircraft, losing power over the big bumps is the nightmare scenario everyone talks about. I'm glad this one went as smoothly as it did!
Have flown many hours in a turbo 210. Great bird, especially ability to fly high over very inhospitable terrain like Chris had. Whew. Great result. Thanks Juan for another educational and interesting episode.
Great report as always Juan. Couple of minor corrections. That first scenic photograph is when he's right over the top of Aspen. You can see the ski area ahead (Highlands I think) and the big peaks with the tilted stratigraphy are the Maroon Bells. Winds were at 050 at 5 so an 80 degree crosswind for Rwy 33 - albeit a minor crosswind.
I spent a lot of time in mapping aircraft. And was onboard an ‘off field’ landing. (Airframe lost, no injuries). I hear this and my heart is pounding. Omg. When he heard airport 4 mi, good weather, it was a whole different ballgame.
Thanks for all your timely videos, Juan. Congrats to Chris on the safe landing. Really enjoyed your Aviation Safety video. I'm proud to be a member of your Patreon crew! 🫡
I could feel the relief in his voice when he got Aspen in sight. His engine picked a perfect spot to quit! Sucks he had to drop a load of cash for a new engine, but hopefully his new engine will give him many more years of safe flying!
i learned to fly in the front range area back in the mid 1960`s and did my share of flying up and down the foot hills west of bouder,in single engine cessna`s,and let me tell I promised God that i would never fly into some of those areas again they were death traps ,with nothing to land into but trees and rocks!! Great video Juan, looking forward too your chat with this luck pilot!!!
Great to see one of these engine failure videos with a happy ending - perfectly and calmly executed too! I don't worry about engine failure much anymore since changing from flying planes to cruising sailboats. In fact there is nothing better than the sound of the engine stopping shortly after departure (that and having a bathroom onboard).
Very lucky with the location, as you say Juan and it's the first time I've heard a US pilot use Mayday instead of that execrable phrase "declaring an emergency". He did very well.
We dont want to use mayday because it causes a whole bunch of people to wait on you. Im not saying you shouldnt use mayday, im just saying people think theyre being more courteous by not using mayday.
@@MichaelOfRohan Really? When the internationally recognised phrase is Mayday, you'd expect everyone else to give way so you can sort out your emergency as expeditiously as possible. Being coureteous isn't part of that equation.
Great job, in multiple aspects- particularly getting the GEAR down early, being he had “ runway assured” with ample altitude. The gear down early ( ALTITUDE PERMITTING) provides a better site picture of his descent path to the runway/ intending landing point, and gauging his landing point . Cool head, good job. Kudos to ATC as well.
That relief in his voice when he realized how close aspen was , kinda choked me up a bit actually
Yeah, me too.
AGREE!
That is maybe the best aircraft to atc transmission I have ever heard. :)
Same!
Even knowing he made it OK, I felt a feeling of relief when he said, “thank God” in reference to seeing the airport.
I’ve flown over the Rockies a number of times in my 63 P172D, but rather than direct, I have to fly the passes, because getting much above 14,000’ is a real strain, even with the increased power of my 180hp Lycoming. Having had a total engine failure myself soon after I bought my airplane almost 20 years ago, I tend to spend more time looking for places to set down than many pilots do. Yes, the rocks are inhospitable, but there are a surprising number of survivable landing sites-might not be able to use the airplane again, but that’s secondary to survival.
"Oh for God sakes I do" was the best part! The absolute relief in that man's voice!
Yeah, i caught that too.
He saw his life un-flash before his eyes and suddenly thought, “I could conceivably walk away from this…”
Yes!!!
A dead stick situation will have even the most stubborn Atheists talking to God all of the sudden.
But he's too busy slaughtering 2740 innocent children from starvation, hunger-related diseases and contaminated water, EVERY DAY to bother with a silly pilot...@@eltomas3634
@@eltomas3634 - Old habits are hard to break. Doesn't mean they suddenly believe in god. Chance favors the prepared. Glad it all worked out well for him.
Engine failure 4NM from an airport, in the middle of high mountains, that sure is lucky timing 🙂
yeah very lucky!!
He is the 1-in-X of the statistics on engine outs over comparable terrain. As the “1”
it was 100% survivable. As for all the others in singles, sadly, it doesn’t end well.
Yep. Actually lived to share those pictures.
@@rustyneuron
This guy had brass balls to handle the emergency and then take a video. I think I would have made the airport but wouldn't be thinking about videos.
If he was "lucky" his engine would not have failed. He was unlucky to have a failure. but no so unlucky as to not have an airport handy.
I get a little choked up listening to him say “This is my shot. I’m going for it.” Glad to hear everything turned out fine for Chris.
Yeah, you are right, but I think it was him verbalizing that he had decided not to make another turn away from the threshold to get rid of more altitude. He was still high (1,000 feet) on final, so he made his decision to quit playing sailplane and announced it.
Flying a single engine plane over the Colorado Rockies is always a chancy proposition, even in the summer and with an operable engine. He was very lucky.
So is driving I-70 over the Rockies. You can get hit by another car during a snowstorm. You can collide with deer and elk. Get hit by a runaway truck. Fall asleep from the low oxygen at altitude. Be shoved down a mountainside in an avalanche. Hit by a rockslide. It's all just various risks mitigated by common sense, careful driving, good conditions, preparation, planning, training, "cockpit cool," and choosing when not to travel. Good pilots and drivers do this all the time. I've done both many times in my single engine airplane and my Subaru. Luck is sometimes a factor when all else isn't working.
@@tigerflyer4285 True, theres dangers in everything but the consequences are much more extreme if youre thousands of feet off the ground
We were being vectored for the approach when this happened. We had just overflown the airport and it was completely overcast. In the time he went from our right to left a hole opened up. We shot the approach and missed minutes after he landed. N4EA. This was a miracle for sure.
Wow, the plot thickens, as did the cloud cover! He did everything right, but he is one very lucky man!
Wow! Aspen isn't a great place to land with a working engine. Great initial call. A very rare example of someone who follows FAA procedure for emergency communications. I bet he was on top of the world when he stepped out of the aircraft... unless he was already working out what it was going to cost to fix.
I know very little about flying but always assumed dead stick meant control stick wouldn't react to inputs. I learn something new from every video. Thanks
The control stick works fine and you can control the aircraft but the engine doesn't work. Dead stick means the propeller blades are not moving. I made a dead stick into an airport many years ago due to a carburetor problem. Both the aircraft and me survived with no damage.
The guy should have hopped right out of the plane and bought a lotto ticket, his lucky day for sure.
@@silasmarner7586dead stick not desk stick ;)
Never lost all four cylinders, but I did lose one cylinder in a rotorcraft once. Fan kept turning, but a lot of vibration.
I just simulated this in FS 2020 and all went well. @@donadams8345
As a pilot, that gave me chills. Sure glad everything turned out alright. Thanks Juan. Another great video.
Same. Things really could have gone pear shaped for him.
It always gives me a warm fussy feeling to hear professional pilotage, especially "Mayday mayday mayday" instead of "we have an emergency".
The relief in his voice when he saw Aspen was tangible! We've flown over this terrain in the past (in a normally aspirated 210). Without that nearby runway, the odds of a happy ending were slim. Well done!
Evening, Commercial pilot from Reno, NV here. Thanks for posting this. The "positive outcome" videos do a great job of showing that not every MAYDAY ends in tragedy. Keep it up, it's good for moralle.
Always good to hear of these successful outcomes and the teamwork involved to get them down safely, wallets can't fix dead people but they can fix dead planes. Well done to everyone involved.
Big shout to the controller .
Real professional ...
Guys on the money
You know, we hear so much about airplane crashes that shouldn't have happened. I'm sure this guy may still be looking for his seat cushion because of the pucker factor, but he handled it so well. He did exactly what he needed to do. He flew the airplane, he communicated the issue and he continued to fly the airplane, enough so that he could pull that 'Bob Hoover' style of landing and taxi. He did it perfectly right! Congrats, Chris, job well done!
My brother flies A 210T in that area. I took a big gulp of air when I heard 210T dead stick into Aspen. Glad you made it Chris! Well done!
Reminds me of my step-Dad's experience back in the late-70's in his 1961 Cessna 210A (with wing struts) when he had an engine crankshaft break on a low-time 2nd engine enroute from Eastern Oregon to So Cal. He was over northern Nevada at the time with slightly friendlier terrain. The engine did not seize, but he had to land immediately. Found a nearly abandon air strip, made a good landing. Family met up with him, drove home, loaded up his re-built original engine, drove back out and installed it himself (not quite like Charles Bronson's movie) with son's help, flew it home. Being a diesel mechanic with a passion for flying, just another fun adventure for him. I definitely miss him.
He often flew this airplane all over the country to repair broken trucks for the trucking company he worked for. Kind of a fitting return of favor that his pickup truck was used to drive out to fix the airplane this time around.
In the case of an engine failure you do.not. "have to get down as soon as possible", you want to stay up as long as possible in order to prepare for landing. You are coming down, that's a mathematical certainty; the more you hurry down the less time you have to configure, prepare yourself, adjust your ground track, etc... As a DPE, I commonly observe ASEL commercial applicants blending the steep spiral and engine failure maneuvers. The first task is to locate a safe place to land that's as close as possible - obvious here, get at best glide speed - minimizes descent rate and maximizes time aloft, and go through your flow and emergency checklist - all apparently done properly in this case. Awesome job by this pilot under scary circumstances.
Chris sounded so calm and collected and 100% focused on what needed to be done. Not many Plan B options to choose from!
Great outcome. One thing I learnt from a previous engine failure (Someone else) was that when the engine is ceased, hitting the starter - "just to see" -is a REALLY BAD idea. Especially IFR or if you rely on electrical power as the current draw from the starter when it's stalled is very high and your battery will deplete very quickly. Something I hadn't previously thought of.
Aspen, very tricky on a good day. Cool, calm, collected. I would fly with this guy. all the best.
Wow! Having flown fairly extensively in this mountainous area years ago in a partnership owned Rockwell 112TC single engine Turbo Commander, I can fully appreciate the pucker factor this pilot experienced when his engine seized! He was incredibly lucky it occurred exactly where it did within easy gliding altitude/ distance of Aspen, and without weather being a complicating factor. I also strongly concur with his decision to extend the gear earlier rather than later, because with a seized engine, he was limited to the remaining battery power with which to extend the complicated and power draining gear extension process. The terrain along this portion of his route from Boulder to Montrose is probably the most inhospitable to a situation like this in the high Rockies. Lady luck smiled and a competent pilot prevailed against Murphy. Well done!
Yea right. Great pilot, and the engine stopped at the best time. Whew!
When I moved to Colorado I took a mountain flying course. One of lessons taught you to always be looking for a valley where you could set it down. I flew between Aspen and Gunnison once and there were no valleys until past Crested Butte. I vowed never to fly over that are again. Another area like that is the Sawtooths north of Boise. I NEVER flew in or out of Aspen without getting kicked around with gusty winds so he was definitely was blessed with those conditions that day.
Just what I was thinking. This should be standard practice in single engined aeroplanes. The guy in the video did well but the airport being there shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him!
Remember that there was a cloud deck right over the airport. Mountain valleys are frequently covered with low clouds in the early morning hours if the wind is calm or light. Also he was flying a route that he had routinely flown before (I think). Sometimes routine can lead to complacency. In any case God was surely with him that day.
One thing that was drilled into my private pilot training was engine out landings. It was something that happened to my instructor early in his training so he had me do more than 3 of my first 40 hours doing patterns where he would randomly pull the engine to idle and I'd have to dead-stick it. Sometimes he'd do that where he knew there was a little GA airport nearby but I'd have to look for it. Thank God I was in Ohio and not in the mountains!
I don't know why but this reminded me of something 40 years ago in driver's ed. There was a driveway going downhill at the high school that ended with a big cul de sac with no curbs in a grass field . Thr instructor had a creative bent and he said drive 20 mph and see if you can make the turn around it without using the brake. Then with no warning when almost there he reached over and shut off the engine. With no power steering I ended up in the grass obviously...it was great education know what it felt like. He also had us slam on the brakes and drive in a fast circle with rear wheel drive car in a snowy parking lot. Once I was in a stick shift car with a cocky gearhead and the instructor made him back down a boat ramp and said he'd fail if he let the tires get in the water lol. I don't imagine much of that kind of thing happens today. I was also lucky that my dad taught me to be aware at all times where I would go if that car coming towards me came over the center line. His older brother was a pilot, maybe he had been indoctrinated to think like a one. Good memories!
@@GlamorganManor I drove professionally for 40 years in a high wind area with ice and snow. Tractor trailer rigs would tip over routinely from the wind. I would always drive with a margin for the oncoming rig to miss me if they blew over. Also, I would drive with two tires on the edge of the road if the road was icy and the margin was dry.
3 in 40 hrs!!!!
I'm an instructor.. Everyone gets between 5 and 10 before going solo.
3 is not enough..
I imprinted on aviation early as my dad became a private pilot and bought a 182 Skylane while I was in middle school. We took a trip to Salem, Oregon from Phoenix Field, Fair Oaks. On the way back just over the mountains the engine sputtered and stopped. My sis and I in the backseat looked at each other eyes wide. Dad fiddled with knobs and got the engine going again telling mom in the passenger seat "turned it to the other tank and it started right up. I've got enough altitude to glide to Fair Oaks, let's see how she goes." Mom asked, "do you know what's wrong?" Dad said, " not really, but something is up with the fuel tank gauges." My mom said, "Land it, Phil". It took quite a while to come down from that altitude and land (I believe it was Marysville), and Dad was grumpy about it. It had never dawned on me until today, that my dad's (currently 93 years old) WILLINGNESS to accept the risk that he would be able to overcome any issue that arose midair was a sign that he was not a safe pilot. Once on the ground, he discovered that the fuel jockey had not replaced the cap on one of the tanks back in Salem. The fuel had escaped over time, but the fuel liner had buckled up against the float and was reading full for that tank. Dad thought it odd but continued to use that tank because of the full reading until it had completely run dry. The engine started back up after he switched to the other tank. Within 5 years, dad needed cash for a down payment on a commercial building and it was bye-bye Skylane. Even though I hated to see her go, I have a new understanding that it was probably for the best.
We lived 1/4 mile to the north of Phoenix field. Spent many a day on my bike watching airplanes.
Insightful. Sounds like selling the plane dodged a bullet for your dad and any passengers.
Good story... I'll never understand how some men will take such risks with their whole family on board. Over confidence and poor risk assessment are not good attributes for a pilot!
Good for that wife telling him to land! There is no margin for safety in a plane. You must always be very conservative in your judgment. It's no place to take chances with your safety. Even more so when you have three passengers.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Chris stayed cool and did everything right. Fly the plane, Mayday, used ATC as his copilot and cruised right in. Where the engine packed it in was lucky and he made the best of it. Good job, Chris and ATC.
I think the reply of 8,000' runway relaxed him somewhat! Very lucky man and how this all happened at the location it did is almost a miracle.
Beautiful job!! And to get it onto 33 with all the terrain down there, even better. I’ve been in and out of Aspen more than 1,000 times in Dornier 328 turbo props, Learjets and Challengers. That airport is no joke. Beautifully done!!
My first type was in a DO-228, not a jet but a fun plane to fly.
@@stevedaniels3064 I never got to fly the jet version, all of my 328 time was in the turbo prop. Awesome airplane!! I was lucky enough to go to school for the airplane at the factory at Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany.
I had a catastrophic engine failure over the North Atlantic leaving Santa Maria Azores. I too also did a dead stick landing and had I been another five minutes out I would have been in the drink. The Cessna 172 I was flying a ferry flight to Germany.
Juan, he is blessed with the fact that the worst thing that happened was he had to write a check for a new engine. Nice to see a happy ending
With almost billions of videoclips on RUclips, yours are the ones that I enjoy most by now.
I smiled through the whole thing. We once lost a top cylinder on a round engine at about 8,000 AGL. It windmilled and that piston going up and down was mesmerizing to watch. No airport, just a 1 month old plowed field. Turned out OK. Oil everywhere.
for us glider pilots every landing is a dead stick landing ;-) but when i fly motorplanes i can't get that "where can i put it down if i can't continue" out of my head
Hagerman pass is one of the least forgiving passes in the Colorado Rockies… he’s very lucky, as there are nearly no options to land.
Beautiful hiking in the summer, though.
LOL, I drove over it in a rental, said 'Scenic Drive' from Basalt to Leadville on my map, oh yeah, it sure was. :)
Not lucky, Blessed!
What would you even do in that situation
@@tyyamnitz8408"First, take a deep breath ... " --- Never mind ; you're @ 14K' in a non- pressurized cabin ... 100% "Gripping"
For me, i'm so conditioned to expect awful outcomes when i hear Juan's theme music, i was really praising the Lord at the conclusion.
So many of these tapes are listening to those who didn’t make it. I’m so happy to hear one that is an absolute win between ATC and aviator. Single pilot resource management is a real challenge when things go outside the norm and he knew how to ask questions and delegate outside the cockpit.
You hear the anxiety in his voice but he doesn’t let it overwhelm him. Very healthy response
Heard
Text book case of keeping your wits about you and concentrating on the business at hand to get on the ground in one piece and still alive. Masterful piece of flying. That is extremely challenging terrain to fly in with a fully functional airplane. Not exactly forgiving when you're dead stick with one shot at the runway. Not very many flat spots out there to set it down if you can't find an airport. I fly out in that area all the time as I have a summer home in Telluride and fly into Telluride Regional & will also land at Montrose when the weather doesn't allow a landing at Telluride. I fly my Cessna Conquest II from Florida to Telluride and back 9 or 10 times a year and always say my prayers that I don't have an emergency over those mountains. He was incredibly fortunate to be so close to Aspen when his engine grenaded. Well done! And great explanation & coverage, Juan. Look forward to you interviewing him on the channel.
Appreciate the Bob Hoover reference, having seen his routine in the Shrike at Reno many years ago. Very glad he made it safely!
Great to hear a happy ending to this story. Flying at 16,000 feet gives a lot of altitude to work with, but only if you are past the mountains. He had incredible luck with the timing of failure.
Paper! IFR chart on the seat! I want to meet this pilot.
Nice job getting her down safely! I've personally experienced a engine out during a checkride. Trim for best glide, head on a swivel looking for suitable landing spot, gentle (very gentle) turn to line up, then attempted to and successfully re-started the engine. Yeah. Passed that checkride with flying colors!
I flew over the rockies at 10,500' regularly from Calgary to Invermere and often to Vancouver all the while keeping an eye out for potential landing spots. I recall being nervous practicing power-out orbits over a field with dead stick landings in a Skylane. I was just as nervous watching this video that combined both situations. Whew!
This should be standard practice in single engined aeroplanes. The guy in the video did well but the airport being there should t have come as a surprise to him!
so much relief in his voice when he learned where the airport was.
Happy tears to hear this man made it out ok. Definitely choked up hearing him say MAYDAY x3... I always tear up hearing these tragic stories but this time around this pilot was able to make it home. Ty lord🙏🏼❤
I saw Bob Hoover a couple of times. One time in Anoka County Airport Minnesota in the 70's. He tore the tailwheel off his plane on his demo. Anyone else there?
Aspen Dead Stick..! Outstanding job Pilot Chris. 😮
And, he pulled a Hoover in front of all the High-Rollers.
2:24 I see the Maroon Bells, two mountains west of Aspen. So Aspen would have been beneath his cowl.
With that much altitude, he did some wide "S" turns and kept the airport no more than a 90 degree turn. Pilot did a fantastic job!
Amazing job! I’m now a retired pilot, but always thought of doing some hours of glider. It can save your life.
Gilimi glider did it! First time with a commercial airplane too
nice to hear good news for a change!
“oh for god’s sakes I do”…, (not a pilot), but that statement alone brought tears to my 60yrs young eyes…. Awesome outcome..!
Great report Juan, look forward to the interview video.
Thank you sir.
Great airmanship, awesome outcome 👏
Thanks Juan for the happy ending video 😊
"I'm a sailplane for the moment"
Fuel remaining in minutes is a required question in emergencies for what should be obvious reasons, but the important part that is often missed is “fuel remaining in pounds”… gives the fire department an idea of what they need might be up against.
Yet the standard phraseology is "fuel in minutes "
Much of the .65 needs to be overhauled. Our whole system can be replaced with an IPad, Foreflight and an Ads-b receiver.
So thankful that Chris was able to make this landing. Very emotional after all the bad news lately.
With the engine seized can’t feather the prop. Awesome job
Wow, I never though of that
It’s better that the prop froze in one position. There’s a lot of drag with a windmilling prop.
No feathering prop on a 210
Nice work Captain! I should think that it would be no surprise to see ZERO on the oil pressure gauge since the engine had seized. I have always encouraged my students to practice real live "COORDINATED" S-turns on final to get rid of the excess altitude if it's necessary.
'fuel remaining?" "at the current rate of consumption infinite. (I'll show myself out).. But a good no kablamo story, will be interested in the chat with him.
Obligatory glider pilot in the comments, inviting all of you to come fly gliders with us. :-) Its fun, and it just might save your life someday!
Where are you based out of?
Hi, from another DG-300 owner, D-1891 here :)
Always thought gliders were pointless, not a dig at the hobby, just an observation. This changes things.
@@vihai the DG-300 Acro sure is a fun little plane!
⚠️Absolutely.
Engine failure is not an event in my books.
I fly power and gliders.
We train for power failure from day 1 of training.
It is 2nd nature to lower the nose and look for somewhere to land ASAP.
We have a foot in every field below 1000ft.
If 20hrs gliding was compulsory before powered training I am convinced 1000's of lives would be saved
He's almost directly over Aspen when he took that photo. The two peaks in the distance are Maroon Bells. You can see Maroon Lake just below them.
Great job. I fly a 210T and can't imagine how he must have felt when that engine. It's not like a 210 is known for glide performance.
What a tremendous job by this man. He had an angel on board this day!
When flying into KASE in a Cessna T-206, I would fly over Independence Pass (VFR) at 16,500, and pull the power back (not to idle) and glide down into the Roaring Fork Valley to a landing on runway 15 without touching the power. I realize that is a lot different than "engine out" but it was still a good practice session. I had a stuck throttle in a Cessna 182 back in the late 70"s and that is something to teach flight students, also. Really glad this engine out worked to the benefit of the owner; other than paying for a new engine.
Note to self : in case of engine failure in the mountains do it near an airport! (By the way Juan, the scruffy “Top Gun” look 1:14 suits you well!👍🏼)
Nice job, I flew a 78 Turbo 210 for about eight years. Great to hear a happy ending.
We used fly with a modified super cub towing a sailplane on a tow rope from Waverly west private glider port near Wellington Colorado towing a glider to Steamboat springs airport. Then back again a week later. If soaring was good sometimes released from tow a flew airplane back to waverly. I recall our old tow plane pilot used to be a Luftwaffa dive bomber pilot. The glider pet owner used to fly the tow plane to his girlfriends hours, landing on highway 287 and tacied up her driveway. The good ole days before GPS and glass cockpits using paper maps, eyesight and compass...
They used to have mountain wave FAA Window. I forget who but a man in a pressure suite rode a mountain wave in a 1-34 glider painters like a Coke can to 44,000 or so feet altitude with no engine!! It was so cold some of the paint cracked in areas...
My highest flight in a glider was about 15,000 feet, climbing in thermal lift at 500fpm plus most the way up, had oxygen in a schwitzer 1-26 as a student pilot. Worked at the glider at the time, was paid in flight hours, that was 1976 through 1980...great memories.
My dad was partners several pilots with a Cessna T-210 and P-210 sadly one of the partners a prominent doctor in Colorado flew while on instruments trying to land into a small mountain back east, killing several, pilot error flew below terrain. Same guy flew it at top speed into a big haul storm, most the plane gas to be reskinned.
Should get a lotto ticket on the strength of that. Beautiful flying and airmanship well done that man.
Wow…awesome job….reminds me of a flight with my mom and dad going to see my brother at OSU in 68…..Killbuck Ohio..very hilly terrain..47 Bonanza , fuel strainer became clogged with dirt…not enough power to sustain flight…dad put it into a 800’ cow pasture over high tension wires…a church steeple and trees…we were ok…farmer was flabbergasted as to why an airplane was in his field….great job dad….and I am here to tell the tale…😅
Nice to have successful emergency outcomes. Another reason to fly during the day and VFR over the Rockies single engine
I have flown between the Front Range (Rocky Mtn. Regional and Centennial) and many airports in SW Colorado in a Turbo 310 and a 414 - I don't go direct because those birds don't have enough performance after an engine failure to stay above all of the rocks, and in the case of the 310, oxygen is a hassle. You can get there following the drainage and have a lot more options. I never did it at night in the 310, and only once, from Rifle to Centennial at night in the 414 - Max continuous power circling over the lights in the valley with the landing lights on until the altimeter wound up to 15,000, then turned on course...I was so worried the windshield was going to fill with a view of trees and rocks that I never did it again. The turbos got hot enough to look like we had lightbulbs inside the cowl.
Wonderful Job! Always a good idea to be mindful of your en-route alternates (location, runway direction/length and weather) when flying over such challenging terrain!
I was flying over the Rockies in my Cessna 172. I was in a long cruise climb when my engine stopped. Tried everything. Eventually switched to just one tank and the engine restarted.
Reported it and shortly a placard was issued: "Use a single tank above 5000 ft." to avoid vapor lock.
Nice job Chris. What a horrible situation and you nailed it. EDIT: Would love to know a follow up of what happened to that engine!
Nothing makes my day more than hearing a successful emergency landing like this. Great job by the pilot and controller!
Juan, Thanks for reporting this near miss for Chris in his T-210. How ironic that he was on his way to Montrose to visit Western Skyways. A great job by the controller to get Chris the help that he desperately needed in this emergency, another professional helping GA pilots in distress, Bravo! Juan really appreciated the young Mr. Leck put on a great Hangar 107 safety seminar featuring yourself and Mike Patey. I have never seen Mike that distressed as he was while talking about the loss of his 4 close aviation friends, very sad for Mike and his community in Spanish Forks!
I did a dead stick landing many years ago coming over the Swiss alps going into Samedan..Similar setup. I did a full side slip to get rid of altitude that time. Was a Cessna 150.
How lucky can you get being right next to Aspen after passing the high terrain. Job well done.A great finish.
The "Just like Bob Hoover" comment got a big chuckle from me. I was lucky enough to see Bob perform at Oshkosh and Sun and Fun many years ago.
Its always great to see an Excellent outcome in a situation like this.
Great review. The only thing I disagree with is the "need to get down fast". There was no need to rush getting down, the more time the better to assess the situation. The speed brakes were only needed if he was high on final.
As impressive as the 205 dead stick landing into Hillsboro Oregon last year, great job captain
I have flown in this mountains- into Gunnison, Colorado..actually.
Always use flight following kids. 😎
So glad to hear about a happy ending!
Congratulations on your award, Juan!
😅
Lucky pilot.
I had an engine that would not produce power above an idle and made an emergency landing at McMinnvile, OR. It was during the solar eclipse and we were VFR on top. I was able to circle through a small break in the overcast to land. Know the drill well, and lucked out that day.
this driver got tremendous aeronautical skills ❤, saludos
As a Colorado resident and friend of several owners of single engine piston powered aircraft, losing power over the big bumps is the nightmare scenario everyone talks about. I'm glad this one went as smoothly as it did!
Have flown many hours in a turbo 210. Great bird, especially ability to fly high over very inhospitable terrain like Chris had. Whew. Great result. Thanks Juan for another educational and interesting episode.
Great report as always Juan. Couple of minor corrections. That first scenic photograph is when he's right over the top of Aspen. You can see the ski area ahead (Highlands I think) and the big peaks with the tilted stratigraphy are the Maroon Bells. Winds were at 050 at 5 so an 80 degree crosswind for Rwy 33 - albeit a minor crosswind.
Great Airmanship Chris! Thanks Juan for your informed commentary.
I spent a lot of time in mapping aircraft. And was onboard an ‘off field’ landing. (Airframe lost, no injuries).
I hear this and my heart is pounding. Omg. When he heard airport 4 mi, good weather, it was a whole different ballgame.
Thanks for all your timely videos, Juan. Congrats to Chris on the safe landing. Really enjoyed your Aviation Safety video. I'm proud to be a member of your Patreon crew! 🫡
Another great day, a pilot escapes a situation that is best explained, by another pilot. Thanks.
I could feel the relief in his voice when he got Aspen in sight. His engine picked a perfect spot to quit! Sucks he had to drop a load of cash for a new engine, but hopefully his new engine will give him many more years of safe flying!
You could hear the relief in the pilot’s voice when he spotted the Aspen airport.
i learned to fly in the front range area back in the mid 1960`s and did my share of flying up and down the foot hills west of bouder,in single engine cessna`s,and let me tell I promised God that i would never fly into some of those areas again they were death traps ,with nothing to land into but trees and rocks!! Great video Juan, looking forward too your chat with this luck pilot!!!
Great to see one of these engine failure videos with a happy ending - perfectly and calmly executed too! I don't worry about engine failure much anymore since changing from flying planes to cruising sailboats. In fact there is nothing better than the sound of the engine stopping shortly after departure (that and having a bathroom onboard).
Very lucky with the location, as you say Juan and it's the first time I've heard a US pilot use Mayday instead of that execrable phrase "declaring an emergency". He did very well.
We dont want to use mayday because it causes a whole bunch of people to wait on you. Im not saying you shouldnt use mayday, im just saying people think theyre being more courteous by not using mayday.
@@MichaelOfRohan Really? When the internationally recognised phrase is Mayday, you'd expect everyone else to give way so you can sort out your emergency as expeditiously as possible. Being coureteous isn't part of that equation.
Good outcome. Good story. Nod to the pilot for doing it the way you train to do it, and one for the controller. Pro work right there.
Glad to have a positive outcome! Aviating at its best!
Great job, in multiple aspects- particularly getting the GEAR down early, being he had “ runway assured” with ample altitude. The gear down early ( ALTITUDE PERMITTING) provides a better site picture of his descent path to the runway/ intending landing point, and gauging his landing point . Cool head, good job. Kudos to ATC as well.
This one got to me. A few miles either side of Aspen and this would’ve been much different. Miraculous. Great job all!