kenjr
Line Up and Wait
...hadn't flown in a month and had a nice day today so decided to take a short trip from KGTU over to KAQO (Georgetown, TX to Llano, TX) to grab some BBQ.
The skies were blue but damn it was bumpy. 9kt crosswind directly across in Llano was going to put me to the test...
I enter the pattern at Llano and hear a Cessna taking the runway for a east bound departure. As I turn (and I went a little long on downwind because it's a right hand pattern there and I always overshoot them when I fly a tight pattern...and figured I definitely would with the rust caked on...) final I see the Cessna lift off about 1/2 way down the runway heading to the south.
He doesn't get more than 200 feet off the ground and I see him start to descend and crash into the grass about a half mile south of the runway. I land behind him and see cars and golf carts hauling out the site.
I park my plane and grab a ride with one of the airport guys on a tug out to the end of the runway. Driving out we see a van that I saw speeding out that way when I was taxiing in leave the site and a golf cart was coming back directly towards us. The guys stop and tell us that everyone made it out OK - 3 people on board. The engine sputtered once and quit shortly after takeoff and the pilot put it down where he could - luckily right between 2 trees. The plane was totaled and the only injuries were from the cactus plants the plane crashed into that the passengers had to get through to get out of the plane.
When we got back to the FBO there were some folks sitting outside and one of the ladies (who wasn't a pilot) was saying that the plane sounded 'wrong' as it was taxiing out. Kindof had a 'missing' sort of sound...she commented that she told someone at that time that there was no way she'd get on that plane. No idea what happened on the runup.
I talked to the pilot for a little bit - didn't ask him a bunch of questions...just shook his hand and commended him for getting it down safely with no injuries. He said it hit nose first and the windshield just blew out. Everyone's sunglasses went straight out the front window. The pictures I saw the plane was still upright but it was pretty obvious it hit nose first.
I left and went to lunch and when I came back about 45 minutes later the state trooper was there and the were all waiting for a ride. The plane was a rental from Genesis Flight Academy out of Georgetown (where I'm based as well). So, a couple guys from Genesis had driven out to see the plane, do whatever they had to do and then drive them back to Georgetown.
Very surreal to see that happen with my own two eyes...especially when you are on final. Had to summon everything to keep my cool and get the plane down...my first landing in 27 days in a 90 degree 9 knot crosswind to boot.
I'm guessing there will be some kind of investigation to see what happened to the engine. Just glad that everyone was alright.
Ironically, I had my GoPro with me...was recording the entire flight and the thing overheated or something and shut itself off literally 30 seconds before it would have recorded the entire thing. Couldn't believe it.
Anyone else have that problem with a dash mounted GoPro? Mine seems to just shut itself off from time to time...assuming heat.
EDIT: added a picture. Forgot that I caught a glimpse of it on my overhead camera on my climb out. There's not much to see but it's as good as it gets with what I have.
The skies were blue but damn it was bumpy. 9kt crosswind directly across in Llano was going to put me to the test...
I enter the pattern at Llano and hear a Cessna taking the runway for a east bound departure. As I turn (and I went a little long on downwind because it's a right hand pattern there and I always overshoot them when I fly a tight pattern...and figured I definitely would with the rust caked on...) final I see the Cessna lift off about 1/2 way down the runway heading to the south.
He doesn't get more than 200 feet off the ground and I see him start to descend and crash into the grass about a half mile south of the runway. I land behind him and see cars and golf carts hauling out the site.
I park my plane and grab a ride with one of the airport guys on a tug out to the end of the runway. Driving out we see a van that I saw speeding out that way when I was taxiing in leave the site and a golf cart was coming back directly towards us. The guys stop and tell us that everyone made it out OK - 3 people on board. The engine sputtered once and quit shortly after takeoff and the pilot put it down where he could - luckily right between 2 trees. The plane was totaled and the only injuries were from the cactus plants the plane crashed into that the passengers had to get through to get out of the plane.
When we got back to the FBO there were some folks sitting outside and one of the ladies (who wasn't a pilot) was saying that the plane sounded 'wrong' as it was taxiing out. Kindof had a 'missing' sort of sound...she commented that she told someone at that time that there was no way she'd get on that plane. No idea what happened on the runup.
I talked to the pilot for a little bit - didn't ask him a bunch of questions...just shook his hand and commended him for getting it down safely with no injuries. He said it hit nose first and the windshield just blew out. Everyone's sunglasses went straight out the front window. The pictures I saw the plane was still upright but it was pretty obvious it hit nose first.
I left and went to lunch and when I came back about 45 minutes later the state trooper was there and the were all waiting for a ride. The plane was a rental from Genesis Flight Academy out of Georgetown (where I'm based as well). So, a couple guys from Genesis had driven out to see the plane, do whatever they had to do and then drive them back to Georgetown.
Very surreal to see that happen with my own two eyes...especially when you are on final. Had to summon everything to keep my cool and get the plane down...my first landing in 27 days in a 90 degree 9 knot crosswind to boot.
I'm guessing there will be some kind of investigation to see what happened to the engine. Just glad that everyone was alright.
Ironically, I had my GoPro with me...was recording the entire flight and the thing overheated or something and shut itself off literally 30 seconds before it would have recorded the entire thing. Couldn't believe it.
Anyone else have that problem with a dash mounted GoPro? Mine seems to just shut itself off from time to time...assuming heat.
EDIT: added a picture. Forgot that I caught a glimpse of it on my overhead camera on my climb out. There's not much to see but it's as good as it gets with what I have.
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