Piper Lance lands without nosegear at FAVG

[I.R.PIRATE]

Well done fellow.

[Shockwave Sam]

Yep nice one indeed-no one hurt which is the best bit except maybe the insurance company's slush fund!!Looks like the chap did a top job!

[Woof etc]

except...... that pulling the mixture might have saved an expensive engine stripdown. Then again it problem needs it anyway after the firehose dousing.

Insurance company's problem I guess.

[Avvy]

Insurance will be upset....but even more so, when during the process of pulling the Piper off the runway the right main collapsed.

[V2+ A Little]

Mixture pulled or not, who cares! On the ground with all fingers and toes, exactly what we are trained for. Well done, good job!!

[putt for dough]

Yeah great job!!!

Oh and great job Mr Photographer!

[Montoya]

Yea I was out flying when he reported his gear was stuck,he didn't sound too stressed,great job,good landing under pressure.

[james ozzie]

Please explain...

Originally Posted by Woof etc

except...... that pulling the mixture might have saved an expensive engine stripdown.

Woof, are you suggesting that it would be possible to stop the engine with the prop blades horizontal? I once recall an instructor advocating this but I recall another instructor saying "the prop will always windmill at flight speed" (unless fully featherable, I guess). If one puts flight safety ahead of the insurers interests, I assume one does not want to be fiddling with the mixture lever a few yards out from a difficult landing. Well done to the driver

[Captain Pheremone]

Hey Woofman- good post and I aree with you 100%.

This guy did a grand job getting down safely and it would have been even better if he had got the engine quit. We can all learn from others.

What happened to the reality **** of flying low down the runway with a guy in the back of a bakkie sussing out the problem - say at Dbn Apt.

[I.R.PIRATE]

Chuck was busy elsewhere

[V2+ A Little]

He must have been. I don't think shutting a donkey all the way off as an experiment has ever really appealed to me.............

[Ace Man]

I saw a very similar incident circa '89, runway 36 at FAGM (now rwy 35- or other way round ). One instructor(FO initials) + student in an arrow4. Engine was shut down and stopped perfect unside down"Y" (ZS-KTA - I think). Student was put in the aft section of the plane and a firmish landing on the mains popped the nose gear out! The fault was caused by an 'O' ring not fitted correctly! All the cameras were there and not a scratch on the plane.

Anyway, nice job guys - just interested to hear what the cause may have been?

[I.R.PIRATE]

metal fatique/corrosion of the main nose gear cast bracket.

[Brandten]

Anyone else there to see it live ?

/me was, got it on video, lets see if i can put it up somewhere

[jagunmolu]

BRAVO

COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER DONE,ANY LANDING YOU WALK AWAY FROM IS FANTASTIC ,PILOT DESERVES A CITATION.GOOD JOB

[Cave Troll]

It looks like Virginia needs the grass cut!

[james ozzie]

"PILOT DESERVES A CITATION."
But he already has a plane...(tee hee)