I Crashed My Plane!
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- On Memorial Day 2024, I had an incident in N918LN. Luckily, I wasn't injured, and no property or people were hurt. I explain what happened and hopefully help others to avoid the mistake I made. I reported the entire event to the FAA and NTSB as required. All of the investigation is complete, and they are aware I was putting this video out.
NTSB Report: aviation-safet...
Support those who support me, check out the links below.
Avionics @GRTAvionics grtavionics.com/
Engine @WWFlycorvair flycorvair.net/
Oil Additives @aslcamguard7129 aslcamguard.com/
Aircraft @zenithac zenithair.net/
“I fucked up and here’s how”
Honesty is the best policy
I admire the honesty of this man when he admits that it all happened because of a mistake he made. I mean, sharing the story with all of us so everyone can learn from it is a truly nice act.
Being honest shouldn't always be praised.
He made a stu*id mistake.
@@Wings_of_foam Maybe he should put the camera down and focus on flying properly. And maybe buying some insurance.
@@usefulcommunication4516 That would be a great start!
@@Wings_of_foam “Being honest shouldn’t always be praised.” 😂 I think someone’s due for an IRS audit.
@@Wings_of_foamand here ladies and gents we have a super human who has never made a mistake in his life. Wanker
Note to self: accept no phone calls when performing pre takeoff checklists.
Note to self....own a plane that can carry enough gas.
Just a PPL, but I was always told; if you are interrupted or distracted for ANY reason during a checklist run though (on the ground, or if sufficient time in the air, and if not go around if it isn’t an emergency) - go back and start again!
@@theonlywoody2shoes This. If you get interrupted you start again. Checklists are written in blood for a reason.
Or if anything interrupts you, or you feel your "flow" has been disturbed or something feels off, start the entire checklist (and maybe the one before) over again..
@@gringoloco8576 Problem was not how much gas the plane can carry.
You are a smart pilot. You didn't turn to go back, landed flat and survived. Lesson learned, lived to fly another day!
many have done the math regarding landing straight ahead, or turn back or pull the CAPS. mostly depends on altitude...
@@FLYBOY123456789 Exactly this, there is no solution that fits every situation equally as good. It depends on height.
CAPS also depends on what your landing possibilities are.
@@FLYBOY123456789does it have CAPS?
@@FLYBOY123456789 A pilot was killed after using CAPS in a Cirrus just recently. Used the chute instead of just landing on a hard but flat surface. Plane angled forward too much on impact.
A good policy I found is if you get distracted by ANYTHING during your checks, start over from the beginning. The extra couple of minutes in this case would have averted the crash.
Man! I'm happy to hear that you are ok. Thank you for your humility and willingness to share with everyone.
It's very unfortunate it didn't restart but the good news is you kept flying the plane and are here to talk about it. Thanks for the honesty.
Those shoulder restraints saved you from a lot of facial and head trauma. Always fill your tanks if for no other reason than to keep moisture out.
Also do it to avoid insurance companies from declining to ever insure the accident pilot ever again. Most, if not all, insurers will decline to insure a pilot who was in a pilot caused accident within the last three to five years. (Don't ask me how I know - fortunately a pilot's current insurer may continue carrying the pilot if only to recoup the payout, so when time to renew stick with the same insurer. Letting the existing insurance lapse would be a big mistake.) If the cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion due to pilot error the pilot may never again secure aviation insurance. Or so I have read.
@@jimml1938Lmao, if they are refusing to insure you, then it was a huge problem and you shouldn’t be flying.
@@adamr9215 It was a taxi accident in which the tip of the left wing of a C-150 slid over the top of a pickup truck. Cost to repair was about $10k (a roof protrusion on the pickup cut into the forward wing skin and bent a stringer.) Misjudged the distance needed to clear the truck during a right turn from the spot where the FBO had parked the plane. I then made the mistake of letting my coverage lapse several months later. When I went to buy a plane I discovered many underwriters don't insure anyone who has had a pilot-caused accident in the last three years. Hence my warning post. In the end I got reinsured with AIG via AssuredPartners at about the same premiums I had before the accident (same hull value and liability coverage.)
@@adamr9215 My previous response was deleted. One last attempt: The accident I had was a taxi accident during a turn that damaged a wing that cost about $10k to repair. Several insurers informed me they would not sell a new insurance policy to a pilot who had an accident in the previous three years that was due to pilot error, regardless of the claim amount.
What he said..the last thing before you turn your back on your aircraft, is re-fill the tanks.
1. Glad you are ok!
2. Huge points for sharing the errors you made. This is how we learn.
Good luck on the rebuild.
Glad you’re ok. I always set my phone on airplane mode when I fly to avoid distractions. Lessoned learned. Plane easy to repair, your well being priceless. keep posting videos of your progress.
ironic isn't it lol
We can clearly see in the beginning of the video you are Outstanding In Your Field, so is a real surprise you crashed. Jokes aside, glad you're okay.
😂
How important and how useful are these kind of testimonies for the safety of all of us.
Thank you.
Listen to Juan Brown, "turn the phone off when you get out of the car at the airport". Concentrate on flying. Glad your safe and survived the crash landing.
in this case the phone was my legal charts. I have it bluetooth connected and get traffic alerts from the ADS-B signal.
Hi Larry, I'm glad your okay and didn't suffer injuries. Any landing that everyone walks away from without injury is a good landing. The machine can be rebuilt or replaced. Thank you for sharing. I've enjoyed your channel for several years. Sincerely, Will
No humans are perfect. Glad you made it down safe! The important thing you are still alive, and you can fly again! Sir, your honesty is astounding, not a lot of people are willing to admit their own faults. Amazing job, sir. God Bless. 🙏🏾
Great job committing to your crash and not getting distracted and losing control of the plane.
Having said that….why would ever leave a tank completely empty in an airplane? That makes no sense. Obvious checklist discipline was the final hole in the cheese….but you reduced your redundancy and increased your risk in one small decision to leave zero fuel in a tank. Again great job on the landing tho…..many lesser pilots have died over smaller issues than yours. Thank goodness you had ample flat clear terrain in every direction.
Great work. Fact that you landed safely without stalling it is the real credit to your airmanship. Every one makes mistakes
I rarely comment on RUclips videos, but this sir, is an incredibly valuable lesson for all pilots and even day to day life. Incidents/accidents are a sequence of events that, at the time get lost, but if the line up in a perfect storm, they can lead to things like this. I’m extremely glad you’re okay and taking this as a learning experience, and sharing it with the community by being honest with only facts. Cheers to you.
Well done for flying the aircraft all of the way into the crash and being man enough to share your mistake, learn and move on. As a retired military and airline pilot, this is the attitude that sorts the Pro's from the Wannabe's. Don't do it again!! 😅 - Just maybe consider a kneepad or clipboard stowage arrangement that reduces loose items in the cockpit - in case. Glad you're okay!
Four point harness for the win!!! After seeing your video I believe I'll be installing a set. Thanks for sharing, great message we can all learn from. You'll have it all fixed up in no time. If you need a ride to the Zenith Homecoming my right seat is open! Take care buddy!
"A very important but expensive lesson". So true, and one you won't forget. Could have easily been a mistake for which you paid your life. Glad you are OK and thanks for passing your experience on.
Happy to see you got out of that incident unscathed. Unfortunate about the damage but your life is more important.
Sorry for you problem. Thanks for the report. Two weeks ago I got distracted and forgot to lean on takeoff and nearly paid dearly for it.
I am glad you didn’t kill or hurt yourself. Everything else is recoverable with time and efforts
Thank you for sharing this and helping make GA flying safer. This confirms to me that it's a good idea to restart the checklist if being distracted etc., I'll need to try and remember that.
Glad you're alive brother. Fly safe!
You did extremely well during the emergency to handle that plane and try to get that engine started. You kept your nerve and did not aggressively manoeuvre. It would have been super w as y to get destructed trying to start the engine than stall spin to your death.
A learning experience but you’re with us today so thank God!
It takes courage to admit a mistake like that, hats off to you sir
I was just thinking this morning that I hadn't seen any of your videos for a while, now I know why :( Glad to see you could walk away and have something to rebuild, lessons for all of us even that they would never happen to us, of course!!!! Thanks for your honesty, and good luck with the rebuild
Thank you for your honesty as it can only help others. I'm glad you weren't hurt and sorry I just found you on RUclips and found this video. New subscriber because of this video. :)
Amazing honesty here! I'll follow you to see your plane get up in the air again.
In 2007 I put one in a field. It was a 601HD. I blew an oil cooler hose that I should have changed out so I know the feeling. Thanks for the video. Best wishes to you!
WELL DONE CAPT! Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable and honest about things that happen daily.
Thank you for sharing this experience, man!!! You are alive and not damaged at all!!! You family is happy! Enjoy your live!!!
Glad you are OK. That's the important thing. I do think with accidents it's important to review every thing because most accidents are the swiss cheese model - they are a result of more that one error. I would suggest here that the first error was taking off with a tank with no fuel in it - and secondly if there was knowledge that there was no fuel in it and that was planned - that the pilot should have put a piece of duct tape over the tank switch. I have made that mistake, but fortunately not that low to the ground. Again, glad all is reasonably well.
Your not human if we don’t make mistakes. Learning from other’s only make us better. Glad your okay and able to rebuild your pride and joy.
Thank you very much for your testimony which can help us all to consider that we must always be focused on our checklists and start again at the beginning if we are distracted during it.
So many accidents due to empty tanks!
It's sad for your plane, good luck with the repair!
Hi, first time visiting your channel. Glad you made it out alive, knew what you did wrong and reflected. I know its hard to present to a wider audience when you made a big screw up but hopefully others can learn from your mistakes.
Glad to see you are ok ..a plane can be replaced my friend but you can not and your family would never be able to replace you
Well done with the landing and for sharing your experience so others can learn.
I often wonder if similar situations occur when pilots are taxiing out, working through a checklist and getting interruptions making and receiving radio calls.
As a new student pilot, videos like this have me really creating a strong mental foundation around the absolutely importance of staying engaged, avoiding complacency, and prioritizing checklists because any mishap can lead to a crash. Thank you for sharing this.
Man that is the one thing we pilots all have in our minds every time we fly and pray never happens. Glad you’re ok. Planes can be fixed. BTW I hope you plan to do a shock test on the engine. If the prop impacted the ground you’ll make to make really sure that there was no shock damage to the rods in the engine.
I’m no expert but I believe it’s this kind of attitude that will enable you to tell us this story. Thank you for sharing! 👍🙏👏
Thanks for sharing the story and your humility. I notice you forgot your mandatory parachute and selfie stick though ;)
😂
HEY I'VE SLEPT IN THAT HANGAR!! MY dude my heart stops watching that video! Beyond lucky man....beyond. I need to get you a challenge coin and induct you into the ENGINE OUT CLUB--- EOC -- for real when it's time give me a call and I'll come out and help rebuild it. This is one of the most scary things to happen to a pilot, it will forever change your pilotary. Beyond thankful you are safe man, I know your family and the Zenith family are blessed to keep you around. Either way thanks for always being a beacon in our zenith world and for me an amazing friend. Be safe and ill catch you in the sky soon man!
I did not learn the lesson that distractions can be fatal until it happened to me. While rock climbing, I was tying a rope into my harness, looked down and saw my shoe laces were untied. It's a natural instinct to see your shoes untied and to stop and tie them up so that's what I did. Because of that I forgot to continue to tie the rope into my harness and began to climb with a half-tied knot. I was lucky because after climbing a few metres, my rope detached from my harness and I noticed that immediately and climbed back down. If the rope hadn't detatched itself naturally, I would have surely taken a ground fall.
Now I make sure to let nothing distract me from tying my knot. If something urgent comes up, I untie it so I can retie it fully when I'm no longer distracted. I believe pilots need to be trained in dealing with distractions. Maybe instructors need to notice when it happens and ensure the pilot starts their checklist again from item 1.
I love how honest and open you were! Could you post the entire video from the time you hit the throttle for take-off through the crash? Seeing how you responded to each thing that happened would be interesting and educational. Thanks for considering!
Dude!! I literally just found your channel, but I just wanted to say as a fellow aviator and former airplane owner, I appreciate your transparency and your honesty! I should have said first of all super stoked that your well and you weren’t hurt or at least it doesn’t look like you were four minutes into your video. Good for you my brother aloha
Thank you for sharing. Many people wouldn’t. Our community is better for it. Thank you for educating us!
It has become too common to interrupt everything one is doing, just because the phone is ringing. If it's important, they'll call again or send a text message. And you can call back later when you have free time. Besides, what is more rude? Not picking up the phone or ending the conversation with the person right in front of you to answer the call? Answering is not mandatory, everyone, and it certainly doesn't supersede any safety concerns. Glad the damage is only material.
That’s a tough lesson, but I’m thankful we all can learn from you. Thanks for being so clear. Phones are wonderful most of the time.
Much wisdom comes from making mistakes. Education is expensive. When we share our mistakes, we share our wisdom. Many thanks for the video.
Glad you're OK, Larry! Rebuild and keep flying.
Thank God you’re ok brother. I friend posted that someone crash their plane at Co19 today. Crazy to this.
Any accident you walk away from is a learning experience and you will be a better pilot from now on. Expensive educations should always provide high quality learning.
That sucks! Glad you're OK!
Big props for being truthful.
Those damn devices we've all become so dependent on!
I'm saddened to see these videos but I appreciate the sharing so that we can all learn. Thank you and speedy a rebuild.
hang in there brother, we all have days like this. it will make you stronger
That sucks...... We have all made mistakes, I have been fortunate that they did not result in an accident. Glad that you are okay
So glad your ok. Thanks for being honest. Hopefully it will help many more people avoid this.
This is a good 'heads up' warning for builders/owners- there's got to be a low fuel warning indicator that can be installed to warn distracted pilots. Glad you are OK.
I have two wing tanks. I put some micro switches on my fuel selector valve. If the valve is in the off position, the fuel gauge reads empty and lights a warning light. When a tank is selected, the fuel gauge reads the level of the selected tank. If the level is too low, a warning light turns on. If a broken/lose wire prevents the computer from seeing the signal from the fuel level sender, warning light turns on.
You're not the only pilot to do this same thing! A friend of mine was doing his pre-flight and the phone rang, Sadly he left the left engine nose plug in place. When he started it up he ingested the plug! Very costly on a Garret turbo prop! So glad you're OK!
Maybe, just maybe not the best timing to be pitching avionics for a sponsor company. Accidents of course happen but the sales pitch just seemed odd. Sorry this happened to you…..full tanks as often as you can I think is good advice.
Guess you missed him say they are helping sponsor the rebuild?
So thankful you are safe!!! Good luck with the rebuild!!! I hope you post the entire process...very interesting.
Thank you, THANK YOU for positing this. It takes courage, but it saves lives posting this kind of content.
I used to take a lot of friends to fly in my Ultralight, down under Brazil, but at the same day I got a field land like yours, that was the same day day I lost all those friends... none of them even tried to help me took the wings off and load it onto the truck.... Bless you cause you are Ok and didnt got hurt... you will be flying very soon... Best wish to you Cmte...
you owned up to this...a given...that you keep it positive and bounce back makes you a winner in my eyes.
Setbacks are tough. You're obviously making a sincere effort to keep perspective, maintain a positive attitude & put a brave face on the situation, but... I know setbacks are tough.
You'll certainly be putting your skills to good use, which is all any of us can ever really hope for, so there's that. Keep the spirit.
P.S. I'm working on a CH-601S that was unfinished by the original owner.
Great retrospective! Your video will now be a mental item on my checklist every time I do pre-takeoff check for green. Thanks!
Glad you're safe, well done on the landing! You will build to fly another day! God bless you.
respect for your honesty, all the best to you
Thanks for sharing man! So glad to see you are okay.
This man is definitely not a politician. He spoke the truth all the way from start to finish. The best and most important thing is he lived to tell the story. This is a win-win for him and his family. The plane will be rebuilt and able to be airborne again. Just find the parts and remove and replace. Respect to this man for being a stand up individual.
We all will look forward to the rebuild video(s) of this bird. Like a Phoenix, it will rise again and do what it does best.
Stay safe and learn from this very important and valuable lesson.
👍 ✈️
Thanks for posting this video I am really glad you are okay!
First off happy you are safe, secondly we learn the most from our mistakes not the successes. While this is expensive you may of just helped other pilots who become distracted avoid this same mistake
Man, that’s why “fuel set to fullest tank” is on my checklist 3 times before I take off.
* After walk-around (initial Master-On / fuel gauge verification)
* After run-up.
* Before calling Tower / Takeoff.
Sharing with the community - It helps me to “number” my critical checklist items. I have a fifteen point pre-takeoff checklist that takes about 15 seconds to do (unless I need to address something on my list). These are specific to my plane, and are in a natural, ergonomic order. Kind of a “reverse 7” with an added “top to bottom radio stack” check.
I developed this BECAUSE… I took off one day lean as hell, with my family in the plane.
1) Trim (aft)
2) Flaps (10)
3) Prop (fwd)
4) Mixture (fwd)
5) Fuel pump (On)
6) Landing Lights (On)
7) Beacon (On)
8) Pitot Heat (as needed)
9) Fuel (Set to Fullest)
10) Instruments (green)
11) GPS (set)
12) Transponder s(set)
13) Radios (Tower Set / Departure Backup)
14) Autopilot (alt & hdg)
15) CALL TOWER
I will literally count out loud “one, two, three” etc., as I control each item.
It works for me.
Bonus: as I apply power, it’s “everything ON, everything FORWARD, everything GREEN!”
Thank you for the video/lesson! Glad you are okay.
Started flying long before cell phones. When I fly it’s turned off and in my flight bag. Glad you are ok and have learned another tidbit for your tool box. Keep flying and keep thinking.
Well, one thing I know is we’re all humans and we make mistakes. I appreciate your honesty and sharing your story. I hope your able to fly again soon. Take care and safe flying!
Real bummer man, you have a beautiful, great sounding plane. Hope you get it back in the air soon!
It would help if you had either a tick box system or a metal box with signs on it so when your doing pre flight etc you press the switch down only when that check is complete, also don’t answer the phone till your finished. You know as a pilot it’s very easy to get killed if you miss something. I’m the same with my checks on my motorcycle before I ride. Very glade your alright it must have shuck you up a lot . Bless you in your rebuild 😊
I remember how I learned not to stop a checklist in the middle. And thank god wasn’t as bad as your story. I was doing the start up checklist, and suddenly a heavy rain started. And decided to wait 10 minutes to pass. And when I continued the checklist to turn on the airplane, I continue where I stopped, but skipped the point where i stopped. Mixture full rich. And of course, the plane didn’t start. So i only had to go through the shame of feeling like a dumbass not being able to turn on the plane. But it taught me a lesson, if a checklist is not finished, and something stops you. Start over.
I’m glad that you’re ok.
I’m glad to see & hear in your voice that you are ok. I appreciate you sharing. I’m in the learning process & learned something from you today.
Amazing Video all around. Also - great piloting. not trying to turn back to field, apparently already committed to a landing in the field if necessary when trying to restart the engine, stop that in time and land safely. And the biggest part, a pilot that reflects on his errors and shares them with others is so important!
As we all should learn in training, there is no room for Ego in flying.
Hey, you walked away and that is all that counts! Good on you for not getting slow, in a turn and into a possible stall/spin scenario. Question from the outfield, during the final phase of the landing, (and temporal distortion can come to play), did you see the road to your left? Or did you automatically center on landing in the wheat field? To bad the field had a crop, then most likely it would've been an uneventful landing. Thanks, and nice job.
he said he didn't see it.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your analysis, it's incredibly useful for all other pilots to learn from!
Based on this example and many others, I am seriously considering adding as the first item on my checklist "I will only accept any following item on this checklist by explicit and positive confirmation", just so as to prime myself for consciously going through each item. Not an absolute guarantee, but I imagine it can only have a positive net effect because it favours being aware that getting distracted is possible when going through the checklist.
I hope you will get your plane up and running soon with minimal costs.
I'm just glad you're not another trevor jacobs
I'm always criticized for this and Juan Brown removed my comment about a pilot who didn't consider the airfield he was flying into when his engine quit. But imagine if what happened to you happened after you'd taken off from an airfield that was completely surrounded by homes and businesses. The outcome could have been very different if you'd tried to mix it up with traffic on a busy highway. Not enough pilots consider the outcome of an engine failure and how little time you have to decision make and react in an SEP in a crowded city. Glad you're ok man and only bent the aircraft slightly.
Very glad this worked out well, all things considering what could have happened. Thank you for sharing a difficult story.
Pressure switch on the fuel line pulling power from the fuel pump an powering a light an buzzer. So if fuel pressure is lost while the fuel pump has power, it alarms. It would also self test every time you turn it on, as the fuel pump builds pressure.
very helpful and thankyou for sharing everything. i hope you get you plane up and running asap! good luck and fly safe!
I make a point to have at least 1/2 tank full in each of the tank. During preflight I have decided to start and fly on which of the tank until it's down to X amount.
This way, I don't have to mess around with the tank until it is ready to be switched in flight. For a short flight, I make a of not to bother with switching the tank. Too many steps can lead you to get distracted and forget where you are. Even on long XC, I don't switch tank until I am down to a predetermined amount and fly the rest of the trip on the other tank. I keep it simple.
As part of the rebuild, check your fuel system (or change it!) so you can restart should this situation occur again!
Turn the music off after the intro. Fade it out. You walked away, that's the main thing. There was a fuel selector accident recently and that pilot was killed.
Oh wow. Glad you're ok.
Gongradulations for your honesty.Its also a great lesson for all of us that we are flying!👍🥂
Of all the things to forget when running the pre-takeoff checklist. Glad everyone is alive and uninjured, and the farmer didn't mind too much about some of his crops being obliterated
In 1973 a friend of mine allowed me to dry-rent his Cessna 150 to get my pilots license. With that completed, I moved to Chicago and continued my flying experiences. Many decades after I left, my friend went out for a pleasure flight. Because for all those years after I left, he had been the only person flying the plane, he removed "'fuel check" from his check list. On the evening prior to that particular day, some thieves came onto the field and stole the gas from his plane. When he took his pleasure flight, he made it about a mile after departure when the engine quit. He attempted a restart while announcing his "return" but unfortunately couldn't make the runway. The ensuing crash totaled the plane however he survived without injury. My takeaway ... never amend a checklist unless its for added equipment. The checklist items are critical items and should always be marked..
The lesson here I feel like is less to check your checklists, but to check fuel before takeoff. If unsure if you will have enough fuel, fill it up. Checklists are without a doubt important, but the preflight would have caught this earlier. I am impressed and thankful for your honesty, but fuel level should be adressed before you turn the engine, not in the run up. Even if one tank had enough fuel, before the engine turns, you need to ensure that you are in the correct tank for a short flight. I am thrilled you are okay, and I'm glad this was simply an expensive learning moment, as your life is worth more than any amount of money. However, the amount of comments I've seen talking about checklists is concerning. Do not take off without checking fuel and ensuring the correct tank is selected. Please do not be distracted in the cockpit, but also start your "emergency" or "flying" mindset before you rotate. Good luck with aviation to anyone reading this, and please, check your fuel before your taxi. Tailwinds.