Originally Posted by
Maoraigh1
There's an old saying about the sea: "Look after the ship and it'll look after you".
Injury unlikely if aircraft not damaged.
This is one of those things that sounds great but is a potentially very dangerous message to low time pilots.
2 examples I have personal knowledge.
1) after engine failure the pilot has 2 choices, the field right under him. Plenty long but very rough so the airplane is going to get bent or the perfect field at the limit of gliding distance. So making that field guarantees no damage. He tries for it but just can’t quite clear the trees and dies in the crash, or
2) After another engine failure into a very short but smooth field the pilot tries to flare for a nice landing instead of smashing the airplane on the ground because he trying for the normal no damage landing The time and distance in the flare means he now can’t stop in time and hits a stone wall with serious injuries to himself and a passenger.
A way better message IMO opinion is if you have to crash you need to hit the ground under your firm control in a wings level level flight or slightly nose high attitude. The goal is first and foremost to allow room for the airplane to de accelerate at a survivable rate,
The key to surviving accidents is to maintain control of the airplane until it is stopped. If you do it right almost any accident is survivable, If the airplane is not damaged that’s nice, but irrelevant to the requirement to avoid injuries as the primary duty of the pilot