This is why you make sure your S#1T is secured in the cockpit.

fiveoboy01

fiveoboy01

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This is why you make sure your stuff is secured in the cockpit.

Yours truly in the left seat doing transition for dad's new plane. Lesson to be learned here.. I've added an item to the checklist. We were very lucky it wasn't worse...

 
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Re: This is why you make sure your stuff is secured in the cockpit.

fiveoboy01 said:
Yours truly in the left seat doing transition for dad's new plane. Lesson to be learned here.. I've added an item to the checklist. We were very lucky it wasn't worse...

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Not gonna lie, I got a little anxious watching that.
 
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Could have been worse, there might have been a spider in the cockpit.
 
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Yikes. Glad it turned out to be something minor, but that didn't stop me from thinking through the scenario with you guys. It'd be interesting to hear the post-flight briefing as to why going back to Waunakee was chosen over Madison. If there was an issue with a frozen elevator, how high was the confidence level that you'd be able to climb out if you had to go missed?
 
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That was running through my head at the end of the video and I would have verbally let it be known that we were going to Madison, period. The issue was found before that though. Rather disappointed that anyone would make the decision to try to land on a 2300x30 runway with a malfunctioning elevator when 7000+ x 150(with emergency services) is available 5 miles away.
 
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fiveoboy01 said:
That was running through my head at the end of the video and I would have verbally let it be known that we were going to Madison, period. The issue was found before that though. Rather disappointed that anyone would make the decision to try to land on a 2300x30 runway with a malfunctioning elevator when 7000+ x 150(with emergency services) is available 5 miles away.
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I understand the draw. It sounds like that's "home" and there's probably a local mechanic that can fix the plane there vs. paying someone offsite to take care of it. Not to mention potentially having to leave the plane behind and finding a way back to Waunakee. And I can't say for certain I would've made what I consider to be the "right" decision (going to Madison), but it's definitely one of those eye openers that might help me make the right decision in the future. (It's always easier to experience these things for the first time from the comfort of terra firma.) Thanks for sharing!
 
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No mechanics at 6P3. I don't care about leaving the plane somewhere... that's secondary, to me anyways.

Another example... went to finish up last night, flew an hour... landed at Morey, did a stop-and go, upon advancing the throttle we got a vibration/rattle(apparently a gearbox clutch is loose)... aborted and taxied to the ramp. After checking things out it appeared at that time the gearbox had a problem. Instructor said maybe he could make it back to Waunakee... I told him go ahead, I'll call and have my brother come pick me up because I'm NOT getting airborne in this thing, period.
 
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the other right lol
 
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Why would you not want to fly over a soccer field on departure? Also, why did the CFI have such a difficult time picking a destination - are you sure this wasn't a test of some sort?

Also - I'm confused, how did the cell phone jam the elevator?
 
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Because the town(or some people in it) doesn't want the field overflown when kids are playing on it. Not in effect when nothing is going on. Don't ask me, I didn't make the "rule".

Considering that the object(an insulin pump) was jammed where it was on the takeoff roll and could have completely prevented the plane from lifting off, I really doubt it was a test.

It fell down into the hole between the seat cutout and the stick.
 
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I had a water bottle roll under a rudder pedal a few years back, went to do a steepish turn, popped the top of the bottle, I thought my master cylinder exploded or something, hit the rudder and all of a sudden my ankle is hit with fluid!

Figured it out quick, I never let that happen again.


Only thing I might have done, verify A/P disengaged and pull it's breaker.
 
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fiveoboy01 said:
Yours truly in the left seat doing transition for dad's new plane. Lesson to be learned here.. I've added an item to the checklist. We were very lucky it wasn't worse...
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Hi Bill, as you know, I often fly an Evektor SportStar, the Harmony's older cousin, so I watched this with some interest. Where exactly did the CFI's insulin pump get caught? At the base of his control stick? Joe
 
Re: This is why you make sure your stuff is secured in the cockpit.

no boot on the stick??
 
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You handled it well,no real panic,I may have planned the longer runway,rather than attempt the shorter runway,with the elevator problem.
 
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Joe... There's a boot on the stick but there is still an area where the seat is cut out that it could get caught in if it fell down right. I tried to attach a pic with my phone, not sure if it will work.
 

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Issue fixed, and well handled. It's hard to think of the simplest things first, as they seem the least likely. Thought it through, and done. Good lesson, thank you for sharing this!
 
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Thanks for sharing... it'll go a long ways to reminding everyone how quick it can go wrong.
 
How is a guy with a diabetic pump flying anyway? Is that an example of a sport pilot self-certifying their med fitness?
 
CTLSi said:
How is a guy with a diabetic pump flying anyway? Is that an example of a sport pilot self-certifying their med fitness?
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What makes you think diabetics can't fly? A 10 second google search shows otherwise... and shows insulin pumps are OK, too.
What's with the attitude about sport pilot self-certifying?
 
Was it "controls free" on your pre-takeoff check? Did you go full travel, and/or do the controls free check?
 
docmirror said:
Was it "controls free" on your pre-takeoff check? Did you go full travel, and/or do the controls free check?
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Sounds like it fell into the space during the takeoff roll and the controls were free beforehand.
 
CTLSi said:
Well, I Googled insulin pumps and aviation, odd it seems to be a hazard.
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In cases of uncontrolled rapid depressurization. FAA is OK with pumps. Just disconnect in depressurization emergency.
 
CT4ME said:
In cases of uncontrolled rapid depressurization. FAA is OK with pumps. Just disconnect in depressurization emergency.
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Even when the pump jams the elevator controls?
 
Re: This is why you make sure your stuff is secured in the cockpit.

James331 said:
I had a water bottle roll under a rudder pedal a few years back, went to do a steepish turn, popped the top of the bottle, I thought my master cylinder exploded or something, hit the rudder and all of a sudden my ankle is hit with fluid!

Figured it out quick, I never let that happen again.


Only thing I might have done, verify A/P disengaged and pull it's breaker.
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Reminds me of the last flight I had with a Mountain Dew bottle on the floor. Nothing happened but I should secure it.
 
CTLSi said:
Even when the pump jams the elevator controls?
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If you want to argue the merits of insulin pumps and medically fit pilots or instructors, start a new thread. This one is about foreign objects and it could have been 20 other items.
 
Whoa!! I felt the "well crap!!!" feeling watching that.. Glad you figured it out safely. thanks for posting that.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
If you want to argue the merits of insulin pumps and medically fit pilots or instructors, start a new thread. This one is about foreign objects and it could have been 20 other items.
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True, other items could have jammed the elevator, but it was a portable insulin pump, and THAT is central to the discussion.

The pump would not be in the cockpit to start with, and precariously ready to interfere with flight had this guy not had a medical condition that compelled him to have it on the flight.

These threads wander...you gonna police all of them?
 
CTLSi said:
True, other items could have jammed the elevator, but it was a portable insulin pump, and THAT is central to the discussion.

The pump would not be in the cockpit to start with, and precariously ready to interfere with flight had this guy not had a medical condition that compelled him to have it on the flight.
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No, the issue is that the pump wasn't secured, not that it was in the cockpit. Unless you can show where the FAA prohibits them, or diabetics from flying.

What if it was a water bottle? Should thirsty people not be flying?

These threads wander...you gonna police all of them?
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Nope, but this one is mine;)
 
Nice "save". Glad it all worked out.
 
My instructor used to put the clipboard with the checklists and aircraft time log on the glare shield of the 150s the school used for training. I never thought much about it until my Private Pilot checkride when the examiner had me start with an aggressive short field take-off over a 50 ft obstacle. He insisted that I push the plane to its limit. As the plane reached an extreme nose up attitude the clipboard slipped backwards and fell into the space between the yoke and the panel. It was just about the right size to jam there and would have prevented returning to a nose down attitude if the examiner hadn't quickly reached over and pulled it away.

He was waiting for it to happen. When it did he prevented the accident and calmly asked if I now understood how dangerous it is to store the clipboard or anything else that could jam the controls on the glare shield.

One can argue the prudence of that teaching technique. Particularly on take off. It could have gotten interesting if I had panicked (more so than I did), pushed forward on the yoke and jammed the clipboard in place before he could pull it away. But that didn't happen. And I will never forget that lesson.
 
CTLSi said:
True, other items could have jammed the elevator, but it was a portable insulin pump, and THAT is central to the discussion.

The pump would not be in the cockpit to start with, and precariously ready to interfere with flight had this guy not had a medical condition that compelled him to have it on the flight.

These threads wander...you gonna police all of them?
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Pretend it was a cell phone, you'll feel better.
 
CTLSi said:
True, other items could have jammed the elevator, but it was a portable insulin pump, and THAT is central to the discussion.

The pump would not be in the cockpit to start with, and precariously ready to interfere with flight had this guy not had a medical condition that compelled him to have it on the flight.

These threads wander...you gonna police all of them?
Click to expand...

The fact that it was a portable insulin pump is not at all central to the discussion.

OP: Thanks for sharing the video. I'll now be more vigilant securing items in the cockpit.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Joe... There's a boot on the stick but there is still an area where the seat is cut out that it could get caught in if it fell down right. I tried to attach a pic with my phone, not sure if it will work.
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Scary stuff. You can really see the difference in elevator control after it was removed.
 
CTLSi said:
Even when the pump jams the elevator controls?
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It could have been anything, glasses case, so now people with glasses should not fly?

Water bottles have been mentioned.
Cell phone, PDA, pen.

Had a quarter fall out of a guys pocket and jammed the stick on the Grob. Quarter was found to be the culprit, it was bent when found in the boot.
 
I know you're going to think I'm crazy, and I am, but rolling inverted and unloading the plane would have fixed it. I'm not recommending it or anything because rolling inverted has it's own risk, but if I could climb, and maintain altitude once I got up to 4000' AGL I might have given it a try. One may have to stay inverted all the way to the ground, like that nutty movie a while back, and then roll it back over, but it's a potential fix. Also, you could do a quick hard push forward and go neg G to see what happens, but then, if it sticks further forward, you really are effed.
 
Drama in real life - you might have saved a life (someday) by posting that.
 
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