OK, here's one of mine (errr yes there have been a few ... but never the carb heat/mix funnily enough). It's a bit involved and reads more like a "I learned about flying from that" story, so I apologise if it's a bit long winded.
I've been converting an old ATC Slingsby T31 into a single seat motor glider on and off for the last few years. Summer of 2002 I decided that I wasn't getting enough flying in during construction ... so I set about looking for a cheap aeroplane to operate from the fields here on the farm. An Evans VP2 was advertised in the PFA magazine and following a few calls I arranged to see it. Unfortunately the owner lived in N Yorkshire and I in Sussex ( about 350 miles apart ) so we arranged that he'd fly it to an airfield halfway down and I'd get a lift up to see it. This was the not ideal setting for looking at the aircraft with a view to buy.
When I saw the VP I immediately liked it and ( this is the stupid bit ) agreed to take it there and then and fly it home! Although I'd never read anything about flying VP's I was sure that as I'd flown some quite twitchy single seaters before there'd be no problem. The owners briefing, I now realise, left a lot to be desired and consisted of ... " climb away at 60mph, cruise at 65 with about 3300 rpm and approach at 65 mph with some power on all the way down ... no problem". So we now have one over confident buyer ( me ) about to fly an unfamiliar aircraft from an unfamiliar airfield, 150 miles back to a field on a farm. Oh yes! ... to really make things really easy... the previous owner was 6' + and I'm 5'5", so I had to stuff loads of cushions behind to get to the pedals, which in turn meant that me and the stick became very "close".
Having familiarised myself and taxied to the hold of the 800 yard runway ( ample I thought ) I called to get clearance. Then we were off! ... sedate but OK acceleration and by about 200 yards the VP was airborne. I eased the stick back as I reached 60 and she started to climb ... THEN SHE STOPPED CLIMBING :-( I'd climbed out of ground effect with the nose up ( not by much I thought ) despite the 60 mph the old girl sank. I instinctively eased off but she kept sinking so I held her at that attitude expecting to build speed and then ease up again ... but the speed was bleeding away! Full power? yes, no problem ... but I was now firmly stuck at the back of the drag curve with nowhere to go. The runway was behind and I was stuck hanging semi stalled over the fields. To further complicate things the next field had a tree lined hedge which there was no way I was going to get over so I had to turn slightly right to go through a gap.
I kind of thought about landing but to be honest I was so busy keeping in balance that I just held on in there. Anyway I wasn't sure the surface looked that good so that was that.
Through the gap and I was by now slowly clawing back some airspeed, so I just held her down until I was happy ( there's a laugh! ) and eventually climbed away.
The landing was completely uneventful other than that it wasn't at home but at White Waltham thanks to a much higher than expected fuel consumption. As it turned out this was the best thing that could have happened, as another VP2 owner just happened to be there and came over for a chat. He gave me a PROPER briefing and the next take off was absolutely fine.
This was, ( and I hope will be) the closest I've come to an accident. I'm convinced that it was only experience of scratching for lift near the stall in gliders that saved me. I'm equally convinced it was my complete unprepared and ill advised idiotic self that was main catalyst and that lady luck was feeling generous that day.
Two flights later the VP tried to kill me again, but that's another story
We made friends after that and decided to treat each other nicely, I'm even building her a new fuselage ... so I'm back to square one with two build projects instead of one
So if this tale (like the others posted) acts as a salutary lesson for others I'll be more than pleased.
Ivan