Expensive landing: plane lands on floats on asphalt runway

[rotornut]

Plane lands on floats at Oshawa airport(Ontario)
Pilot walks away unhurt after plane skids to a stop in a shower of sparks
Apr. 8, 2006. 06:51 PM
STAN JOSEY
STAFF REPORTER

Oshawa Municipal Airport was closed for several hours Saturday after a float plane skidded several hundred metres on its aluminum floats, after its landing wheels failed to deploy.
A shower of sparks and disintegrating metal spewed from the rear of the plane as it skidded to a stop on the airport’s main east-west runway, witnesses said.

“The wheels either didn’t come down or weren’t deployed before landing,” said one pilot waiting for the airport to re-open. Float planes that also land on solid ground are equipped with four small wheels that are either tucked into the pontoons and raised beside them when not in use.

The single engine plane came to rest in the middle of the runway with a trail of aluminum from the pontoons stretched out behind it.

The pilot, who flies out of the Oshawa airport, stepped out of the plane without injury and assisted airport staff at the scene.

Transport Canada has been called in to investigate the incident.

www.thestar.com

[QDMQDMQDM]

Not half as expensive or deadly as landing on the water with the wheels down!

[J.O.]

Not half as expensive or deadly as landing on the water with the wheels down!

How true. There's a rock musician from these parts who put his amphib on its' back a few years ago for that very reason.

I'll never forget the day MANY years ago when I was working as a dispatcher at the local airport. I watched as a C185 on amphib floats departed, and from my vantage point I was able to see that the left main wheels did not retract with the rest of them. I watched for a minute to see if the pilot was going to recycle, but he turned south and appeared to be headed for the nearest lake. I called him on the unicom frequency and told him what I saw. He was obviously surprised, and a few minutes later, touch down on the runway and taxied to the local mtce shop.

About 10 minutes later, he stopped by the office and told me that I may very well have saved his life. I recall him saying that the problem was something about a broken cable and a failure in the indicating system which made it so that he thought all the wheels were retracted. The next day he was back with an expensive bottle of scotch as a thank you. I reluctantly accepted the gesture, but would have been more than happy in just knowing that I was able to help.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Nice to hear that you can indeed put a floatplane down on land and walk away, as one is taught.

("What happens if the fan stops now?" "Oh, we land on that logging track over there, might not do the floats too much good but we should walk away.")

[blue up]

Didn't someone (maybe Olwen Roberts?) land a Cessna floatplane on wet grass because there was nowhere else in the UK where he could bring it in for a swop onto wheels?
There is also a thread on the private pilot section about video clips where there is a Cub landing on water using tundra tyres and then skidding onto a rocky sandbar just as it runs out of water-skiing speed.
V E R R Y Coooooooooool!

[GotTheTshirt]

In LA area of California there was an air service from Long Beach and San Pedro to Catalina Island using Amphibians - Grummans I seem to remember.:confused:
At San Pedro and Catalina of course they used the water but at Long beah they used the runway.
I very well know gentleman aviator was operating the sevice and coming back to Long Beach from Catalina forgot the gear. The aircraft had a very short landing roll :eek: and flipped over! As the emergency crews arrived they were amazed to see the landing gear extending |!!

Quick thinking:)

Incredibly no one was hurt

[pulse1]

I understand that at least one UK operator lands their float plane on grass when they take it for its annual (difficult to do on water). They take off again by putting it on a trolley and pulling on full flap as they reach flying speed.

[RatherBeFlying]

Some decades ago, I saw a CBC television news episode where a float operator regulary landed his floatplanes on wet grass when it came time to convert them back to skis.

Likely still going on.

[chevvron]

I remember a floatplane landing at Popham some years ago; that's grass.

[leemind]

Not half as expensive or deadly as landing on the water with the wheels down!
Is this what you meant? Wheels Down! (http://www.aviationdimension.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album106&id=DSC1271&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)
:D :D :D

[20driver]

Bradley Air new Ottawa told me the store their Beaver on floats at Carp for the winter. I asked do you have amphibian floats? They said no - they just grease it into the grass strip early in the morning when there is a lot of dew.
As first I thought the guy was yanking my chain but after seeing him land on the water I could believe it. Turns out it is true and they take of from the grass by putting a wheeled dolly under the floats.

[pilgrim flyer]

Land at Staverton on wheels and it's nearly as dear - see Staverton extortionate landing fee increase thread...

PF

[rotornut]

How about a takeoff on floats from land: http://www.avweb.com/newspics/seaplanetrucklaunch.wmv

Apparently this is not unusual. According to Sean Rossiter in "The Immortal Beaver", "Once a death-defying act, taking off on floats from Downsview became a normal part of the delivery process once the dolly was perfected."

[Air-Geko]

I would want an even longer tongue on that trailer or no cap on the truck! Cool vid, however.

[rotornut]

For sure. The dolly takeoffs at DeHavilland were executed without using a tow vehicle. The plane sat on the dolly and used its own thrust to takeoff.