Light Plane Crash in NZ
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Perth - Western Australia
Age: 75
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Aussie Bob - Well, the "thinking ones" amongst us, know that "misfortune" is blaming your adverse situation on a dose of "bad luck" - i.e., circumstances beyond your control that combine to develop into serious trouble for you.
The "thinking ones" amongst us know that this pilots disastrous takeoff wasn't the result of any "bad luck" or exceptional unseen circumstances that combined to defeat him - it was a totally ill-conceived, badly-planned takeoff that shouldn't have been attempted, if he'd put his "thinking cap" on.
However, so many people go through life blaming their disasters on "bad luck" - when so much of their "bad luck" is merely poor planning, lack of foresight, and lack of understanding of the potential dangers they are getting into.
This "bad luck" mentality is a tribal mentality that belongs to primitive, uneducated societies - not our highly educated and supposedly highly-intelligent elite, such as pilots.
Many an air disaster has been the direct result of poor decision-making and poor choices by the PIC, relying on "good luck" for the "right things" to happen - instead of ensuring, by the application of proper thought processes and logic, and extensive knowledge of the laws of physics and aerodynamics, that a safe outcome is the result, when important decisions have to be made in relation to safe aircraft operation.
The decision to take off on a steeply-sloping beach was a poor decision, with little understanding of the physics involved.
The decision to take off with a substantial payload in the form of a passenger was a poor decision.
The decision to take off with a restricted amount of terrain clearance at the lift-off point was a poor decision.
It's entirely possible the decision to take off was also done without checking for more favourable tide times that might have improved the pilots chances of a successful takeoff.
The end result has been an exceptionally costly exercise in the form of a badly damaged aircraft, which could have been easily avoided - with better decision-making.
At the end of the day, he didn't have to take off from the beach, he had plenty of other choices and plenty of time.
It wouldn't have taken too much more, to have had a fatality or fatalities, as a result of this exceptionally-poorly-planned exercise - and this poor planning and poor decision-making, would largely account for the regular high number of RA accidents.
The "thinking ones" amongst us know that this pilots disastrous takeoff wasn't the result of any "bad luck" or exceptional unseen circumstances that combined to defeat him - it was a totally ill-conceived, badly-planned takeoff that shouldn't have been attempted, if he'd put his "thinking cap" on.
However, so many people go through life blaming their disasters on "bad luck" - when so much of their "bad luck" is merely poor planning, lack of foresight, and lack of understanding of the potential dangers they are getting into.
This "bad luck" mentality is a tribal mentality that belongs to primitive, uneducated societies - not our highly educated and supposedly highly-intelligent elite, such as pilots.
Many an air disaster has been the direct result of poor decision-making and poor choices by the PIC, relying on "good luck" for the "right things" to happen - instead of ensuring, by the application of proper thought processes and logic, and extensive knowledge of the laws of physics and aerodynamics, that a safe outcome is the result, when important decisions have to be made in relation to safe aircraft operation.
The decision to take off on a steeply-sloping beach was a poor decision, with little understanding of the physics involved.
The decision to take off with a substantial payload in the form of a passenger was a poor decision.
The decision to take off with a restricted amount of terrain clearance at the lift-off point was a poor decision.
It's entirely possible the decision to take off was also done without checking for more favourable tide times that might have improved the pilots chances of a successful takeoff.
The end result has been an exceptionally costly exercise in the form of a badly damaged aircraft, which could have been easily avoided - with better decision-making.
At the end of the day, he didn't have to take off from the beach, he had plenty of other choices and plenty of time.
It wouldn't have taken too much more, to have had a fatality or fatalities, as a result of this exceptionally-poorly-planned exercise - and this poor planning and poor decision-making, would largely account for the regular high number of RA accidents.
Yes Onetrack, sage words and I agree totally.
I don't know what put this bloke on the beach in the first place, failure of some sort perhaps?
Ignorance made him attempt to take off where someone with more experience would have refused.
The point is, most pilots have done something really dumb at some point in their career. Usually the dumb move results in a less painful lesson. Sometimes it kills. Hopefully he learned something, hopefully pilots viewing the video also learn something. Sometimes the thinking cap does not fit until after the event.
I don't know what put this bloke on the beach in the first place, failure of some sort perhaps?
Ignorance made him attempt to take off where someone with more experience would have refused.
The point is, most pilots have done something really dumb at some point in their career. Usually the dumb move results in a less painful lesson. Sometimes it kills. Hopefully he learned something, hopefully pilots viewing the video also learn something. Sometimes the thinking cap does not fit until after the event.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Mel-burn
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At least this time we have three videos from different directions to help us with our critical analysis. Normally we have to just make up what happened based on the limited information provided in media reports and heresay.
Yeah we're unusually well served by the cameramen, all food for thought.
As to the pilot's potentially injured feelings, far as I'm concerned this place is more about trying to prevent new Darwin recruits than patching bruised egos, old mate could easily have scribbled both himself and his pax if they gotten airborne and collected the cliff at the end. Being inquisitive I put the Google Earth rule over the beach where it happened, far as I can make out you'd be hard pressed to get much more than 650m along a gentle curve. I don't have much Jab time, but the 200 has a reputation for being a bit of a road runner, which means that I'd be very reluctant to try it on sand and with excess weight.
As to the pilot's potentially injured feelings, far as I'm concerned this place is more about trying to prevent new Darwin recruits than patching bruised egos, old mate could easily have scribbled both himself and his pax if they gotten airborne and collected the cliff at the end. Being inquisitive I put the Google Earth rule over the beach where it happened, far as I can make out you'd be hard pressed to get much more than 650m along a gentle curve. I don't have much Jab time, but the 200 has a reputation for being a bit of a road runner, which means that I'd be very reluctant to try it on sand and with excess weight.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Zealand
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My family holidayed at that beach for the best part of my childhood and I know it really well. At low tide the sand is hard packed and good enough to launch a boat from anywhere.
High tide that day was 15:45 so ample time to let it out a bit to give a good clear strip in the evening and plenty long enough. They started from midway and only used half the beach and there are rocks at the end they were going along with the overhanging pohutukawas we used to play on
Here's a picture of the beach. The red line is where they tried to take off at highish tide (you can see a white tide line) Do do this he had to cross the boat ramp, avoid the trees, house and rocks you can see. If he'd waited till low tide he would have had a huge expanse of hard sand to take off on (green line)
High tide that day was 15:45 so ample time to let it out a bit to give a good clear strip in the evening and plenty long enough. They started from midway and only used half the beach and there are rocks at the end they were going along with the overhanging pohutukawas we used to play on
Here's a picture of the beach. The red line is where they tried to take off at highish tide (you can see a white tide line) Do do this he had to cross the boat ramp, avoid the trees, house and rocks you can see. If he'd waited till low tide he would have had a huge expanse of hard sand to take off on (green line)
Join Date: Feb 2006
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With 800 hours on the exact type I wouldn't have attempted it with 2 POB. I've been in and out of 300 metres with half fuel but not with a passenger. There is always a better way... usually only realised in hindsight.
For a light aircraft like this one it's much easier to call in a tilt-top tray truck, get an escort and drive down the road to a better location.
For a light aircraft like this one it's much easier to call in a tilt-top tray truck, get an escort and drive down the road to a better location.
