Dave Krall CFII
Final Approach
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2005
- Messages
- 5,022
- Location
- Seattle WA
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Display name:
Dave Krall CFII SEL SES, Cmcl HELI
What appears open, may soon also appear congested:
One time after a long weekend of bagging a few do-able backcountry airstrip trailheads, a T182RG engine went TU coming out of the Bitterroot mountains -over their outlying high foothills, thankfully. It descended quickly out of scattered virga at ~4000AGL. Even at best glide, due to high GW combined with high DA, we were looking right at short final in no time, not even time to be too frightful, busy with radio, checklist and configuration.
Straight ahead touchdown was looking feasible even as I made out small, old fashioned powerlines running perpendicular to and above a country road on my short final and I thought, "No problem we'll just glide in ground effect right under them." Then I saw the road dipped out of sight close to our right and I thought again, "Somebody may drive a car up over there and into our flightpath at the last second, S...!"
So I jammed the nose down hard while banking hard right in the glide and coming into ground effect for the low level turn, changing direction about 100 degrees right and leveling the wings as we came down in a little dry swale thick with about 18 inches of tangled bean vines. The mains touched first OK but, the nose wheel was sheared off by the vines! The nose then of course went waaay down, throwing some sleeping bags and gear out the already opened doors as we skidded to a dusty stop and jumped quickly out and clear, expletives slicing the sweltering summer air.
Of course with Murphy there was no car coming but, I didn't know that in the air and for some pilots, even though not technically congested, there is a strong desire to do no harm to others hence, the last minute turn.
Gotta fly out there again soon and check out that landing site scenario. There was a crop duster strip farther on but no way would ever have made it, didn't even see it.
One time after a long weekend of bagging a few do-able backcountry airstrip trailheads, a T182RG engine went TU coming out of the Bitterroot mountains -over their outlying high foothills, thankfully. It descended quickly out of scattered virga at ~4000AGL. Even at best glide, due to high GW combined with high DA, we were looking right at short final in no time, not even time to be too frightful, busy with radio, checklist and configuration.
Straight ahead touchdown was looking feasible even as I made out small, old fashioned powerlines running perpendicular to and above a country road on my short final and I thought, "No problem we'll just glide in ground effect right under them." Then I saw the road dipped out of sight close to our right and I thought again, "Somebody may drive a car up over there and into our flightpath at the last second, S...!"
So I jammed the nose down hard while banking hard right in the glide and coming into ground effect for the low level turn, changing direction about 100 degrees right and leveling the wings as we came down in a little dry swale thick with about 18 inches of tangled bean vines. The mains touched first OK but, the nose wheel was sheared off by the vines! The nose then of course went waaay down, throwing some sleeping bags and gear out the already opened doors as we skidded to a dusty stop and jumped quickly out and clear, expletives slicing the sweltering summer air.
Of course with Murphy there was no car coming but, I didn't know that in the air and for some pilots, even though not technically congested, there is a strong desire to do no harm to others hence, the last minute turn.
Gotta fly out there again soon and check out that landing site scenario. There was a crop duster strip farther on but no way would ever have made it, didn't even see it.
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