denverpilot
Tied Down
I’ll hold off on any details of aircraft or pilot’s name and photos until when/if I have his permission to post those.
I had the day off today to do some personal stuff and take a friend’s kid to the shooting range which I had been promising for months.
On my way into town from our rural home in Elbert County CO I was watching a beautiful airplane doing maneuvers over the east/west main county road we use to get to town. Looked like lazy eights. Beautiful day to fly, light winds and 60s.
I notice that the airplane rolls out of the lazy 8 early and is headed my direction so I’m watching him come closer but I also notice I’m seeing it descend fairly rapidly. At first I thought “Instructor pulled the engine and the student is lining up on the County road...” as it passed over my Yukon I could tell through the moon roof that he was lower than I expected for a simulated engine out. I look in the rear view and see he’s still descending.
“Oh ****. He’s landing on the road. That’s real.”
I flip a U-turn and head back that direction and see the aircraft touch down on the road perfectly and veer to the right. What I didn’t see was the oncoming Jeep in the left lane the pilot was avoiding.
Then a QUICK whip to the right and the airplane goes through the drainage ditch, over/through a barbed wire fence and skids out to the left in a field next to the road. Airplane parts are shed all over the road. Crap!
I race down the hill and stop the Yukon just prior to the first wreckage in the road while dialing 911. No service on the phone.
I park with hazards on and I can see the Jeep stopped up ahead and the driver is already talking to the pilot who’s still in the aircraft. That’s a good sign. I run from the Yukon to the aircraft and have to clamber over the mangled barb wire. I holler to the pilot if he’s okay and I’m looking for fuel leaking or fire since he’s still in the cockpit. None yet.
I walk up behind the left wing and quiz him. You okay, what’s your name, did you hit your head or the panel? I’m a pilot too. You almost had that. You’re fine. Anything hurting?
He says his name is X and than I realize who he is. I’ve known this guy for over 20 years. “X? X lastname? It’s Nate, X.” He recognizes me and laughs. “I didn’t recognize you...”
I walk around the airplane. Right wing is gone. That’s what’s laying in the road. I tell him he does have a small fuel leak from what’s left of the right wing and to keep an eye out for fire. “Can you get out if you need to?” “Yeah”. I tell the kid from the other car I’m an instructor at this guy’s airport and I know him and he seems okay but to watch him for any signs of blackout or medical distress and I’m going to go back and clear the road of debris and take a couple photos before I move anything.
I run back, shoot enough photos to show where all the parts stopped moving and the tire tracks through the ditch, and come back. X is still fine and isn’t as shocked. We chat waiting for EMS.
The volunteer firefighters from the station in my neighborhood started to show up. One recognizes me from a neighborhood party a friend throws every year.
Written witness statement for the Sheriff. FAA was on the way but looked to be a number of hours out. I talked a little more to X and had to go since I had people waiting on me in town.
Friend is fine. EMS wanted to check him out but he basically refused. They still had him sit in the back of the bus and assessed him briefly just in case.
Noted: Airplane parts are lighter than you think they will Be when dragging them off a county road.
He had left his cell back at the airport in his car. When I joked, “Do you want to call your wife?” He bellowed, “Oh HELL NO!” Hahahahaha. I guess he wanted to have that conversation in person. LOL.
That was my morning. Wasn’t expecting that today!
I had the day off today to do some personal stuff and take a friend’s kid to the shooting range which I had been promising for months.
On my way into town from our rural home in Elbert County CO I was watching a beautiful airplane doing maneuvers over the east/west main county road we use to get to town. Looked like lazy eights. Beautiful day to fly, light winds and 60s.
I notice that the airplane rolls out of the lazy 8 early and is headed my direction so I’m watching him come closer but I also notice I’m seeing it descend fairly rapidly. At first I thought “Instructor pulled the engine and the student is lining up on the County road...” as it passed over my Yukon I could tell through the moon roof that he was lower than I expected for a simulated engine out. I look in the rear view and see he’s still descending.
“Oh ****. He’s landing on the road. That’s real.”
I flip a U-turn and head back that direction and see the aircraft touch down on the road perfectly and veer to the right. What I didn’t see was the oncoming Jeep in the left lane the pilot was avoiding.
Then a QUICK whip to the right and the airplane goes through the drainage ditch, over/through a barbed wire fence and skids out to the left in a field next to the road. Airplane parts are shed all over the road. Crap!
I race down the hill and stop the Yukon just prior to the first wreckage in the road while dialing 911. No service on the phone.
I park with hazards on and I can see the Jeep stopped up ahead and the driver is already talking to the pilot who’s still in the aircraft. That’s a good sign. I run from the Yukon to the aircraft and have to clamber over the mangled barb wire. I holler to the pilot if he’s okay and I’m looking for fuel leaking or fire since he’s still in the cockpit. None yet.
I walk up behind the left wing and quiz him. You okay, what’s your name, did you hit your head or the panel? I’m a pilot too. You almost had that. You’re fine. Anything hurting?
He says his name is X and than I realize who he is. I’ve known this guy for over 20 years. “X? X lastname? It’s Nate, X.” He recognizes me and laughs. “I didn’t recognize you...”
I walk around the airplane. Right wing is gone. That’s what’s laying in the road. I tell him he does have a small fuel leak from what’s left of the right wing and to keep an eye out for fire. “Can you get out if you need to?” “Yeah”. I tell the kid from the other car I’m an instructor at this guy’s airport and I know him and he seems okay but to watch him for any signs of blackout or medical distress and I’m going to go back and clear the road of debris and take a couple photos before I move anything.
I run back, shoot enough photos to show where all the parts stopped moving and the tire tracks through the ditch, and come back. X is still fine and isn’t as shocked. We chat waiting for EMS.
The volunteer firefighters from the station in my neighborhood started to show up. One recognizes me from a neighborhood party a friend throws every year.
Written witness statement for the Sheriff. FAA was on the way but looked to be a number of hours out. I talked a little more to X and had to go since I had people waiting on me in town.
Friend is fine. EMS wanted to check him out but he basically refused. They still had him sit in the back of the bus and assessed him briefly just in case.
Noted: Airplane parts are lighter than you think they will Be when dragging them off a county road.
He had left his cell back at the airport in his car. When I joked, “Do you want to call your wife?” He bellowed, “Oh HELL NO!” Hahahahaha. I guess he wanted to have that conversation in person. LOL.
That was my morning. Wasn’t expecting that today!
That’s what I meant by successful.
