Light plane forced landing on Sunshine Coast
More than 20 years ago a good mate of mine attempted to fly his new girlfriend's father and his business associates from Sydney to Mildura. The only aircraft available was a PA28 Archer. It was winter, the weather was clear but the westerlies were ferocious. Due to a combination of inexperience and pressure the noise stopped just short of Robinvale!
The ensuring forced landing on a dirt road was sucessful, and the next day, after a much needed top up of the tanks, he suceeded in taking off with the only damage a very bruised ego and a new found realisation that-"it can happen to me"!
I'm not making light of this incident for one minute, but this guy is now a 777 Captain with Emirates, and having known him for all these years, I would have no hesitation in putting my family in the back of his aircraft. Now!
Whether or not this incident was the result of fuel starvation or exhaustion will remain to be seen. But like all things aviation, if a mistake was made you can bet your life that this pilot would be very unlikely to make such a mistake again. Happily in this case because of a lesson learnt, rather than the other more permanent option.
The ensuring forced landing on a dirt road was sucessful, and the next day, after a much needed top up of the tanks, he suceeded in taking off with the only damage a very bruised ego and a new found realisation that-"it can happen to me"!
I'm not making light of this incident for one minute, but this guy is now a 777 Captain with Emirates, and having known him for all these years, I would have no hesitation in putting my family in the back of his aircraft. Now!
Whether or not this incident was the result of fuel starvation or exhaustion will remain to be seen. But like all things aviation, if a mistake was made you can bet your life that this pilot would be very unlikely to make such a mistake again. Happily in this case because of a lesson learnt, rather than the other more permanent option.
PPRuNeaholic
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Cairns FNQ
Posts: 3,255
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
poteroo said that the pilot had only about 100 hours - I must've missed this tidbit in that dreadful newspaper report (I stopped reading when it became clear that the journo had no idea of the subject matter). Still, he's not the only one of us to have survived a dangerous situation while still low on hours and experience and, like us, is likely to take some valuable lessons from it. No matter what the original cause of the problem, at least he didn't make it worse by killing anyone so I join the chorus of "a nice bit of flying". 
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: in the classroom of life
Age: 55
Posts: 6,864
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Myself and two infamous ppruners were conducting an "official" pprune investigation last night on how this might have happened.
I suggested the fuel selector may have not been fully turned into its detent.......could be done knowing you had heaps of fuel on board.
The two experts of the panel, with much Beech experience both agreed that it may have been recieving fuel in such a restricted quantity that it did start coughing and shuddering, as one had been subjected to this on the ground and the other had a student do it in flight in a twin.
Does anyone know the bloke concerned? Its always good to learn from those who have made mistakes, and lived to tell the tale!
He should buy a lotto ticket, may have been skill involved, but also a large slice of luck it was able to be flown out the next day!
J
I suggested the fuel selector may have not been fully turned into its detent.......could be done knowing you had heaps of fuel on board.
The two experts of the panel, with much Beech experience both agreed that it may have been recieving fuel in such a restricted quantity that it did start coughing and shuddering, as one had been subjected to this on the ground and the other had a student do it in flight in a twin.
Does anyone know the bloke concerned? Its always good to learn from those who have made mistakes, and lived to tell the tale!
He should buy a lotto ticket, may have been skill involved, but also a large slice of luck it was able to be flown out the next day!
J
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Scary isn't it Tipsy! With the power journalists have, I believe they should be held to account over false assumptions and information. They tend to assume an awful lot, without acknowledging the fact that they are doing so.
It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers! In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I'm readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I'll, in turn, do my best for the cause by writing editorials - after the fact.
Robert E. Lee, 1863
