The (likely) most stupid thing I ever did was during my night qualification training. I was about to do a solo nav exercise in a Cessna 172 from my home airfield to airport XXX. My instructor (an airline F/O) could not make it to the airfield as he was working than night, but suggested I fly anyway while he instructed me from the right seat of an airliner enroute to XXX using the airliner's #2 COM. We would meet in XXX for a bit of dual and then both return the same way we came using the same procedure. (I have no idea how he made his captain agree to this.)
The first -- and most -- stupid thing I did that night was agreeing to this arrangement. But I had just recently got my PPL which I did easily in minimum time so I had a lot of confidence both in myself and in my instructors.
I fired up the engine, had an initial chat with my instructor, switched to the ATC frequency, got the necessary clearances and took off. Immediately after I got airborne there was a load BANG from the area of the left wing. After a second or so it was followed by another load BANG then another and another... I advised ATC that I had an problem with the aircraft and had to land immediately. The aircraft seemed to handle well, so I made a very short but otherwise normal circuit and landing.
My instructor told me later that he nearly had a heart attack, as he had been listening in on the ATC frequency but unable to do anything to help me.
After shutting down and getting out of the aircraft to investigate, I found that I had not secured the left fuel tank cap... The cap was attached with a short chain so instead of being blown away by the airstream it banged on the top of the wing, causing an unbelievable racket in the cabin.
Last edited by AirborneAgain; 5th Apr 2014 at 05:25.
Reason: typo