Rv-6 down at kptv

"The aircraft was incinerated." Yeow. That area looks rural and flat, perhaps turning back wasn't the best option.
 
A buddy told me about this yesterday. His buddy (I know too many degrees of separation already) said the guy took off and the engine was sputtering right after liftoff. He tried to nurse it up, got to about 200 feet agl then tried to make the turn back.


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I did my flight training there, there is a perfect flat field to land in.
 
This is a reminder to cover engine out options in the takeoff briefing. If you have a field already picked out, it makes it easier to commit.
 
Echo419 said:
This is a reminder to cover engine out options in the takeoff briefing. If you have a field already picked out, it makes it easier to commit.
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It may be he was the builder of that RV, and the amount of time and expense gets into the emergency landing decision when it should not ....
 
A good friend of mine flies an RV-6 near there, so this really got me nervous for a minute.

Although the surrounding area is flat and looks good on Google Earth, those fields aren't going to be easy to land in. Most are orange trees or grapevines. Obviously better than stalling/spinning it in trying the impossible turn, but there is going to be major damage and possible injury landing(crashing) in those fields too.
 
danhagan said:
It may be he was the builder of that RV, and the amount of time and expense gets into the emergency landing decision when it should not ....
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I thought of that too, but registration doesn't look like that's the case. One does wonder if that might be on the pilot/builder's mind, though, as there have been several home-builts involved in turn-back accidents.
Recent videos etc. concerning the "impossible" turn-back scenario all explain how the maneuver must be practiced, and the starting altitude can be quite different depending on the specific model of aircraft. The percentage of successful vs. unsuccessful (and mostly fatal) completions is not good.
RIP
 
True about the orange tree groves in the area but there is a perfectly flat field just over the fence on the departure end.
 
A return to field is just energy management and aerodynamics. But if you don’t practice return to field maneuvers regularly the likelihood of making it back in a real emergency is not good. Whether you do it in a sim, or at a safe altitude with a simulated deck at a safe altitude, train until proficient or don’t try it. All the wishing in the world won’t Stretch glide, it is better to be a few knots above glide speed than a few knots below as the penalty below is far more than the penalty above Glide speed. I am fortunate to fly a plane that outclimbs its glide gradient so except in the most unusual of conditions I can always glide back if needed once above 500 feet. 200 feet, though, probably not coming back unless you have enough engine to hold the altitude in the turn. Still wishing won’t make a plane fly.
 
Very sad indeed. Engine outs on take off are a whole different experience. I had one in a light sport plane and had no other option at such low altitude than to hard slip it and land straight ahead in a muddy field. It did break a landing gear but the student and I were unhurt ...
 
I'd rather land in trees than try a turn back that low. If you keep it under control you can potentially walk away from a landing in the trees. RIP.
 
Is there a deciding factor on when the ntsb decides to investigate?
 
Racerx said:
Is there a deciding factor on when the ntsb decides to investigate?
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The NTSB investigates all civil aviation accident. Whether they send a NTSB investigator(s) to the site depends on a number of things. More times than less, the NTSB delegates the investigation to the local FSDO but still assigns an IIC to oversee and document the investigation.
 
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