Originally Posted by
ShyTorque
The original topic was picking fields.
As an ex-mil helicopter pilot, I've had a lot of experience of routine landings in fields. It's really not a good idea to ever pick a brown field. A brown field will have been ploughed and will be much softer than others around it so the likelihood of an aircraft nose-over is increased, especially if you land across the furrows.
I used to instruct on the Bulldog. In that aircraft (and many other low-wingers with a sliding canopy), if the aircraft ends up on its back you will possibly be unable to escape without outside assistance, which may not be forthcoming in time if the aircraft goes on fire. The RAF latterly equipped the Bulldog with a pathetic little belt cutter/escape hammer, but I'm not certain that the hammer would be effective in breaking the canopy. Even then, if you broke the canopy, the aircraft would possibly fall on you!
I wouldn't let any of my students even practice PFLs to ploughed fields, in case the engine didn't pick up for the go-around and we ended up in there for real.
My best friend, another RAF QFI, died in a Bulldog forced landing, btw. The aircraft stayed upright but a very poor choice of field resulted in a very severe impact which he didn't survive.
Of the top of my head I can't think of one accident report I have seen where in an other wise survivable crash and where the aircraft ended up upside down the inability of the occupants to exit the aircraft was a significant factor. I would suggest that that is not a good enough reason to not pick a brown field.
The club where I teach recently had an aircraft destroyed in a crash. The cause was poor pilot decision making on the part of a pilot on a hot, high, max weight takeoff. The one thing the pilot did do right when the aircraft stopped climbing and the ill advised turn back wasn't working was to smash the aircraft into the ground in the middle of a plowed field at 80 + kts rather then let it float down the field in ground effect and hit the thick forest of trees at the end of the field while still in the air. In this case the nose wheel broke off and the firewall dug in to the dirt stopping the aircraft upright after a run if about 100 feet. Everybody walked away.
The problem with advice like "never pick a brown field" is that it encourages "paralysis by analyses" particularly with low time pilots. I have seen many instances with PFL's that started out OK but went pear shaped because by the time the student picked a field the aircraft was already so low they were not in a good position.
Re your friends fatal Bulldog accident, what caused the engine failure ?