Plane crash lands in CorkÊ (Merged).

[aidanf]

Spotted on a net news page this morning -

"Plane crash lands in CorkÊ
10/05/2004 - 7:24:34 AM
Three men have escaped injury after the small aircraft they were travelling in was forced to make a crash landing at Cork Airport last night.
The landing gear on the aircraft was malfunctioning and the pilot was forced to make an emergency Ôbelly landingÕ on the grass verge beside the main runway.
The Authorities at Cork Airport declared a full emergency alert ahead of the landing, which happened at around 7pm.
The plane, which had travelled from Dublin, was badly damaged in the crash, but the three men on board escaped injury.
The Department of Transport and the Irish Aviation Authority have launched an investigation into the incident, which did not affect any scheduled flights at Cork Airport. "

- While it's great to see everyone make it out safely, I thought it was agreed practice that it's safer to land on the hard-stuff rather than the grass verge?

[TonyR]

I would take the grass every time.

I dont think there would be much difference in the "stopping distance", but there would be less "sparks" and less damage to the airframe.

Also the airport could remain open.

Tony

[Tee]

Do they not say you're more likely to stay upright if you land on a hard surface and more likely to nose over or cartwheel if you land on grass?

[TonyR]

I should clarify the term grass, I do mean a good level grass surface beside the runway ( if there is one).

This is a personal opinion only, and would depend on the aircraft type. I may be wrong and I hope never to find out, but I do fly retractable most of the time.

Tony

[2Donkeys]

Generally speaking, landing on grass when you have a suspect or failed undercarriage leg is considered a very bad move.

There is a very real danger of bits of the aircraft digging into the grass and flipping the aircraft over - generally a bad thing.

Whilst a tarmac runway may seem uninviting, aircraft survive remarkably well after sliding along generating a few sparks

2D

[A and C]

You do less damage on a hard surface on grass the turf tends to "rollup" and dig in to the skin bendind the frames and ribs making the re-skinning much more time consuming.

The grass will also slow the aircraft much quicker increasing the risk of the aircraft turning over. As long as the aircraft is landed in a level attitude the small amount of sparks produced by the hard surface should not be a danger.

[Snifferdog]

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1178650&issue_id=10848

Any further info??

[birdbrain]

Why did'nt they go back to DUB... they could've slid her straight into a repair hanger... !

Seriously though, must be a scary and mentally dificult thing to do. (wreck an almost perfect craft and have no choice about it ...)

Glad they were all able to walk away.

Lots of paperwork and questions now I suppose !

Any further info re the cause of very unfortunate Clonbullogue accident ?

[Global Pilot]

Try this link:
http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/05/10/story146850.html

You don't have to register to read the content.

Regarding the accident at Collbullogue last week. I don't know what has already been put about but I believe the aircraft stalled after manoeuvering after take off. It seems appropiate to leave the exact determination to the the authorities who are carrying out the investigation as rumours by their nature can prove quite hurtful to bereaved family members. It was captured on video which while helpful for the investigation might prove difficult for the family involved.

[englishal]

I was always advised to park it on the tarmac by a friend of mine, who has had two "successful" gear up landings :D

[Reichman]

A few thoughts as both a current military and a civvy pilot:

It does seem that quite often, when faced with an emergency situation, civvy pilots (especially aircraft owners) try to save the aircraft first and themselves later. Many fatalities have been caused by pilots trying to stretch the glide to a large field with the hope of flying the aircraft out again, and stalling/spinning, instead of sticking it in a smaller field, running into the upwind hedge but walking away. Just think about it, 60kts into a hedge horizontally or 100kts into the ground vertically.

With a gear problem landing on the runway will (even if not done perfectly) end in a slightly damaged aeroplane and a good story to tell your mates in the bar later. Believe me, it's not Hollywood, it won't burst into flames. A Tornado did it at Leuchars not so long ago. The advantage is that you don't need the steps to get out of the jet. Landing on grass is totally upredictable unless it's a cricket pitch (don't even think about it). Just one small tuft of grass can have the aircraft cartwheeling and all your mates in the bar drinking to your memory.

Think about yourself first, let the insurers worry about the aeroplane.

Reichman