Cessna Ditched in Alki Beach, WA

A rental/trainer out of Alternate Air at Boeing Field. It'll be interesting to read the preliminary report.
 
Looks like he did the best he could but hate to see it flip like that.
 
He might not have had flaps down, but looks to me from the still photo and video that he was going right about stall speed when he touched down, pretty gently. Looks like a great job to me, hope he's OK. My limited knowledge tells me the flaps were probably electric, and I won't second guess his decision on up/down, especially not knowing what was wrong with the plane.
 
My only question is why not get closer to shore?
I don’t see any obstacles or people but I wasn’t behind the yolk
 
47PILOT said:
My only question is why not get closer to shore?
I don’t see any obstacles or people but I wasn’t behind the yolk
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That's a very popular beach, and we've got very hot weather in Seattle lately with a lot of folks heading for the water. Interviewed the pilot on the news, he said he was working to avoid people. Did it perfectly as far as I'm concerned...far enough out not to endanger anyone, close enough for some to swim out to assist him afterwards.

Ron Wanttaja
 
47PILOT said:
My only question is why not get closer to shore?
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There were a bunch of people on the beach. A video of the ditching is out there and the guy filming the event with his phone is standing on the beach.... he films the aircraft going in to the water, flipping... not very far from where he is standing with his phone... then stands there and continues filming...
 
Deelee said:
There were a bunch of people on the beach. A video of the ditching is out there and the guy filming the event with his phone is standing on the beach.... he films the aircraft going in to the water, flipping... not very far from where he is standing with his phone... then stands there and continues filming...
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I fear more ppl don’t help than do in general. I experienced it a week or two ago- turned out no big deal but looked like it may have been for a minute or two. I was with family, and no one helped till I started barking orders. I was shocked -absolutely shocked by everyone’s inaction and frankly was livid but couldn’t act on that- just dealt with it head on and did what had to be done.

watched a show last night on a shark attack- two couples on board and after the victim got on board the back of the boat minus an arm…. The other couple huddled at front of boat in fear. Seriously? Rather see someone bleed out than help? I don’t get it!

I think the general personality make up of pilots makes that seem foreign to us. Pilots aren’t the only ones w that trait but I think as a general rule more of us take action in a bad situation than the general public.
 
Huckster79 said:
I fear more ppl don’t help than do in general. I experienced it a week or two ago- turned out no big deal but looked like it may have been for a minute or two. I was with family, and no one helped till I started barking orders. I was shocked -absolutely shocked by everyone’s inaction and frankly was livid but couldn’t act on that- just dealt with it head on and did what had to be done.
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I've noticed this too. I thought that maybe I was just old and cranky, but nope. There seems to be a general lack of community today, with too little empathy for others. It's sad really.
 
I suspect a lot of people just wait for someone to take the lead. That may not account for the couple cowering in fear, though.
 
Palmpilot said:
I suspect a lot of people just wait for someone to take the lead. That may not account for the couple cowering in fear, though.
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Pretty much it, I think. With multiple people watching, most are going to think, "Surely SOMEONE is more qualified than me, to help!" And most of them are going to be frozen, not believing it's actually happening right in front of them. It's easy enough to think in advance, "I'll immediately leap forward to help," but it's much different in real life.

Was involved in a training accident as a CAP cadet... about a dozen of us around. A ladder fell with the instructor on it, and we all just froze. The instructor finally screaming, "GET MOVING, YOU BASTARDS!" finally got us going.

Ten years ago, I was at a restaurant when a woman fainted. Stood there for a second or so, thinking, "Someone has to be more qualified," then jerked forward and started to run to her. Someone else got there, and I backed away.

And I can understand those hiding behind their cameras. That makes it just a tad less real, they're not seeing a disaster, they're seeing a disaster on their phone. They're isolated. But yes, there are some %$#%s out there thinking of Youtube hits.

Personally, I think those with a fire/police or military background would be more likely to immediately step forward. But, of course, the percentage of veterans in the population is very low.

Ron Wanttaja
 
I knew a chap who ditched his Ercoupe in the PNW some years back. He and his son got out of the plane OK. While they were swimming to shore they were hampered by the News Chopper filming them. The downwash was making it hard to swim.
 
wanttaja said:
Pretty much it, I think. With multiple people watching, most are going to think, "Surely SOMEONE is more qualified than me, to help!" And most of them are going to be frozen, not believing it's actually happening right in front of them. It's easy enough to think in advance, "I'll immediately leap forward to help," but it's much different in real life.

Was involved in a training accident as a CAP cadet... about a dozen of us around. A ladder fell with the instructor on it, and we all just froze. The instructor finally screaming, "GET MOVING, YOU BASTARDS!" finally got us going.

Ten years ago, I was at a restaurant when a woman fainted. Stood there for a second or so, thinking, "Someone has to be more qualified," then jerked forward and started to run to her. Someone else got there, and I backed away.

And I can understand those hiding behind their cameras. That makes it just a tad less real, they're not seeing a disaster, they're seeing a disaster on their phone. They're isolated. But yes, there are some %$#%s out there thinking of Youtube hits.

Personally, I think those with a fire/police or military background would be more likely to immediately step forward. But, of course, the percentage of veterans in the population is very low.

Ron Wanttaja
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yes - well put. I’ve read that you are more likely to get help the less people are around due to the assumption others likely are more qualified.

in my little ordeal everyone was great helping as long as I barked orders.

my guess is this isn’t a new human phenomenon.
 
Mikey B said:
I recall my CPR instructor telling us, as you go to help, single out one bystander and say "You, call 911!" rather than "Someone call 911" because everyone will figure someone else will do it.
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When I had an automobile accident a few years ago, I just noticed one bystander who showed up. I had my smart phone in my hand, and he asked if I had already called 911. I said "I think you could do it faster," so he took care of it. I was pretty shook up, because the other vehicle had rolled over on its side.
 
This thread reminds me the the Roy Halladay Icon crash. People going over, filming, shouting expletives, but not jumping in to see if they can actually do something.
 
The general rule of thumb is don't talk to the reporters, but he really did great.
 
Another reason to install shoulder harnesses in your airplane. Without the shoulder harness, the outcome of this crash may have been tragically different.
 
Palmpilot said:
He mentions the importance of the shoulder strap in this TV report. He also recommends carrying a knife to cut the straps if needed to get out quickly.

https://www.king5.com/video/news/lo...tory/281-72099cb8-fc69-47f0-8900-a2ff8534d066
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I watched the other video interview of the pilot in which he mentioned that he struggled with the seat belt and harness, but he didn't explicitly say whether or not the buckles were jammed. If they were jammed, do we know what type of buckles they were and what caused them to jam? I guess it could be human nature to think that a seat belt or shoulder harness buckle was jammed when we needed to get free in a real hurry ... sorta like, in a single, the engine seems to start making suspicious noises when we head offshore.

On another note, that Cessna 152 that he is using as a prop in the video you linked, is just about the rattiest looking C-152 I've ever seen. I've seen denizens of the salvage yard that looked better. I know that some folks say that cosmetic appearances aren't important; however, when it comes to aircraft, I believe that a shoddy appearance is often an indicator of a cavalier approach toward maintenance (just my opinion).
 
Rich Holt said:
There seems to be a general lack of community today, with too little empathy for others. It's sad really.
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People are the same as they've always been. This is not a new phenomenon.
 
Many years ago when I became a volunteer firefighter, I heard a speech about what makes a volunteer. Imagine you see a car on the side of the road with a flat tire. Out of dozens, if not hundreds of cars, how many would keep driving on and not stop? Then one person stops to help. That person is the type of person that makes a volunteer.

Granted in today's world, there is a little more danger in stopping on the side of the road to help a stranger, but the sentiment remains.

Not looking to pat myself on the back, but I've changed a few flat tires over the years. I guess the speaker was right?
 
midwestpa24 said:
Many years ago when I became a volunteer firefighter, I heard a speech about what makes a volunteer. Imagine you see a car on the side of the road with a flat tire. Out of dozens, if not hundreds of cars, how many would keep driving on and not stop? Then one person stops to help. That person is the type of person that makes a volunteer.

Granted in today's world, there is a little more danger in stopping on the side of the road to help a stranger, but the sentiment remains.

Not looking to pat myself on the back, but I've changed a few flat tires over the years. I guess the speaker was right?
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Eh I dunno about that one.
I've helped change plenty of tires as well but if there's a grown ass man on the side of the road with a flat he's on his own :D
 
I've helped a couple women change tires. And I make them help.
Don't know if it helps them later or not but I got a kick out of it. Have done the same with my step daughter.
 
I've never stopped to help anyone change a tired, but I have been the first person to stop to assist in a couple of minor accidents or people stranded in traffic. And I've had the favor returned. When I went down on my bike in a turn, before I even figured out what had happened and had the engine shut down a guy had stopped to help. There are good folks still around. And I think some just don't stop because they don't know what to do or are scared more than they don't care.
 
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