Piper Lance Emergency Landing in Strip Center Parking Lot -Indianapolis

Great job. Flying for 30 years, CFI instructing for 20 years..
Experience pays off.
 
FlyingElvii said:
AMAZING job to get it down where he did, no other options in that area.
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The guy did a good job.

Google maps shows a huge park on the other side of the highway that almost looks like an airport and more than few fields. Unless he was just flying low, there were many other options.
 
bflynn said:
The guy did a good job.

Google maps shows a huge park on the other side of the highway that almost looks like an airport and more than few fields. Unless he was just flying low, there were many other options.
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There's always someone that says "I coulda done a better job of handling the emergency".
 
bflynn said:
The guy did a good job.

Google maps shows a huge park on the other side of the highway that almost looks like an airport and more than few fields. Unless he was just flying low, there were many other options.
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He was under the IND shelf, likely close to 1,000agl, 200 feet below it, going into Eagle Creek. Not sure about SuperPilot, but in the pics, you can clearly see that 40ft obstacle between him and those fields, called an Interstate.
 
3393RP said:
There's always someone that says "I coulda done a better job of handling the emergency".
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I didn’t say that at all. Go back and read it again. I would expect you to quote my word if I wrote that.

The pilot did a good job.

It is factually incorrect that the only choice was a parking lot. There was a park ~700 ft to the west. It is understandable to make a rapid choice and the pilot saw something that worked for him and took it.
 
I saw an interview with the pilot on the local news. He said he was going for the nearby road but then had to avoid traffic. Not a lot of options at that point. That area is under the class C shelf so not a lot of altitude at the time of the engine failure. Great job for the pilot.
 
FlyingElvii said:
He was under the IND shelf, likely close to 1,000agl, 200 feet below it, going into Eagle Creek. Not sure about SuperPilot, but in the pics, you can clearly see that 40ft obstacle between him and those fields, called an Interstate.
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Yeah but with all those extra lanes they added to 465 a few years back, that interstate had to have looked tempting. Hate to see all that pavement not be put to a good use. ;)
 
SkyDog58 said:
Yeah but with all those extra lanes they added to 465 a few years back, that interstate had to have looked tempting. Hate to see all that pavement not be put to a good use. ;)
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I was thinking the same thing since he was so close to 465. Had to look a lot wider than the drive aisle for a strip mall parking lot and I wouldn't guess it to be too busy on a Sunday. Although the story also said he was initially considering Zionsville Road, so he may not have had the glide distance to make it to the interstate and make the 90 degree turn needed to land north/south. Pretty amazing that no cars or light poles were damaged. And it looks like the only problem he encountered was the curb at the end of the parking lot which apparently took out the landing gear.

Just an awesome job by this pilot. Love to see a happy ending like this!
 
SkyDog58 said:
Yeah but with all those extra lanes they added to 465 a few years back, that interstate had to have looked tempting. Hate to see all that pavement not be put to a good use. ;)
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We had a pilot here in Atlanta land on Georgia Highway 400 a few years back. She survived, but killed a motorist. This pilot only bent sheet metal, he did the right thing. There are lots of urban areas where the best option for a forced landing is still a bad one, and he made the best of the hand he was dealt.
 
I was driving past the parking lot when it happened. Amazing to watch. Great job landing, walking away and not hurting anyone.
 
KramerK said:
I was driving past the parking lot when it happened. Amazing to watch. Great job landing, walking away and not hurting anyone.
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I read something somewhere else - the parking lot was too short and he broke off the nose gear and one of the main gear, then wrapped a wing around a tree...so good landing, the plane would have to be reusable for it to be great.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Yeah but with all those extra lanes they added to 465 a few years back, that interstate had to have looked tempting. Hate to see all that pavement not be put to a good use. ;)
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Also, there are wires all over that area, on higher than normal poles, crossing back and forth.
 
Ya the wires were a big problem in the area. Luckily he was north of 86th and all lines appear to run E/W on the south side of 86.
 
FlyingElvii said:
He was under the IND shelf, likely close to 1,000agl, 200 feet below it, going into Eagle Creek. Not sure about SuperPilot, but in the pics, you can clearly see that 40ft obstacle between him and those fields, called an Interstate.
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Will IND not allow a transition to that field with a little more altitude?
 
danhagan said:
Will IND not allow a transition to that field with a little more altitude?
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You can easily get flight following in to Eagle Creek, and they will let you in the airspace. For what it's worth, I don't think he was actually under the shelf. I think he was a little north of where the Charlie it ends. If you look at the sectional, the airspace ends at about the top of Eagle Creek Reservoir, which is around 74th or 75th street. He put down in the Trader's Point shopping center parking lot, which is up on 86th street, about a mile north.
 
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