Parachute Mishap on East Coast
I don't want to be the best pilot in the world - Just the oldest
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A quick shot of the step on tonights news showed a rectangular piece of metal totally different to the usual Cessna type step with rounded edges and non slip surface. Unless it was just the mounting plate with the step removed?? Perhaps a shonky retro job for students to be able to step out onto the strut easier. A couple of the 182s I flew for skydivers had an excellent platform built over the wheel and fixed at the axle and wheel strut which gave a solid base for the student and even the instructor to have a good foot hold.
I remember we usually carried a dirty big 'T' handled hook knife in the pouch by the RH door exactly for this possibility. In fact, it was more of a hangover from the static line days where the instructor would cut lose a static line in the event of the jumper becoming hung up. Never had to think about using it but this instance just goes to prove that it might only be a 1:1,000,000 possiblity but it still can happen.
Often thought about my options if a similar thing happened out the back of the BN2 with me a good 10 or more feet away and before anyone asks - NO it didn't have an autopilot. I was lucky for it to have a serviceable radio most of the time.
In this instance though, a teriffic job by the pilot!
I remember we usually carried a dirty big 'T' handled hook knife in the pouch by the RH door exactly for this possibility. In fact, it was more of a hangover from the static line days where the instructor would cut lose a static line in the event of the jumper becoming hung up. Never had to think about using it but this instance just goes to prove that it might only be a 1:1,000,000 possiblity but it still can happen.
Often thought about my options if a similar thing happened out the back of the BN2 with me a good 10 or more feet away and before anyone asks - NO it didn't have an autopilot. I was lucky for it to have a serviceable radio most of the time.
In this instance though, a teriffic job by the pilot!
The "step" was clearly shown on TV. It appeared to be two strips of metal clamped to the wheel strut and may not have been an "approved modification". One wonders whether it is CAR 35 approved or approved by an EO..... and will it draw CASA's attention?
I don't want to be the best pilot in the world - Just the oldest
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G'day Torres,
I'd bet that they (CASA) won't bat an eyelid. Skydiving doesn't fall into the current agenda of safeguarding the "Farepaying Passenger". 
One wonders whether it is CAR 35 approved or approved by an EO..... and will it draw CASA's attention?
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You recon THAT's good!?
Our little parachuting mob south of Sydney last weekend had an engine failure on climbout in the C185 (COX) with 5 pob. Pulled off a rather good forced landing into the strip.....all crawled over the aeroplane (no engineers naturally) and then sent it aloft again with 5 pax. ALAS; the same happened again this time with the pilot narrowly missing a fence and tree but into the strip nonetheless.
Any report to CASA - NO!
This is their 4th engine failure in past 12 months but in all fairness, the other two were FUEL EXHAUSTION so that makes it OK?
How long is it going to be before we have 3, 4 or more dead friends to bury?
Any report to CASA - NO!
This is their 4th engine failure in past 12 months but in all fairness, the other two were FUEL EXHAUSTION so that makes it OK?
How long is it going to be before we have 3, 4 or more dead friends to bury?
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Threegreens
Sounds like a bit of a bad habit has crept up on those operators (including pilots). And it might not be long before something worse happens, like death. Please do something about it if it is true, the ATSB and CASA are the ones to contact. Theres a chance nothing will happen, but you never know! PJE operators seem to be lucky getting away with it!
And on topic, well done to the pilot cutting off. Having donesome PJE, I can imagine the difficulty of the situation. Glad everyone survived!
Sounds like a bit of a bad habit has crept up on those operators (including pilots). And it might not be long before something worse happens, like death. Please do something about it if it is true, the ATSB and CASA are the ones to contact. Theres a chance nothing will happen, but you never know! PJE operators seem to be lucky getting away with it!
And on topic, well done to the pilot cutting off. Having donesome PJE, I can imagine the difficulty of the situation. Glad everyone survived!
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NUMBER 5 IN 12 MONTHS!
Travelair,
I have reported these incidents to CASA through BASI and they get nowhere EVERY TIME....and now it has happened again....same mob had an engine failure TODAY out of Woolongong....lack of fuel again too. Had to put the aircraft back on the strip from about 200' (luckily, not the usual pilot as he usually takes off from mid field....would have put a nice dent in the boatyard or sports centre0.
I say it again; ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before we bury a pile of para passengers....and then CASA will maybe start asking WHAT WENT WRONG!
If they care to scroll back through the last couple of years of PPRUNE, maybe they might find the answers?
I have reported these incidents to CASA through BASI and they get nowhere EVERY TIME....and now it has happened again....same mob had an engine failure TODAY out of Woolongong....lack of fuel again too. Had to put the aircraft back on the strip from about 200' (luckily, not the usual pilot as he usually takes off from mid field....would have put a nice dent in the boatyard or sports centre0.
I say it again; ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before we bury a pile of para passengers....and then CASA will maybe start asking WHAT WENT WRONG!
If they care to scroll back through the last couple of years of PPRUNE, maybe they might find the answers?
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DIG DEEPER
THREEGREENS
Im not sure who you are but i suggest you get your facts straight before you rush in and write on pprune. I dont know whether you have something personal against this mob, most likely because you wouldnt let you fly for them... Five engine failures in the past 12 months, not true... Fuel exhaustion, load of crap! who would take off with enough fuel to reach a height of 200 feet!! not even you my friend. Its people like you that have nothing better to do than make up ****e, just to cause a little trouble... Dont see you complaining about the 2 cessna 152's that went down in the past 3 months. Or people doing joyflights without AOC's!!!! hmmm.
Dobbing them in to CASA will not get you anywhere, unless you want to end up with less mates in aviation. (if possible)
Sorry to be angry folks, Just get sick of people making up things without anything to back them up!! Coming from someone that knows the fact in regards to these matters.
Im not sure who you are but i suggest you get your facts straight before you rush in and write on pprune. I dont know whether you have something personal against this mob, most likely because you wouldnt let you fly for them... Five engine failures in the past 12 months, not true... Fuel exhaustion, load of crap! who would take off with enough fuel to reach a height of 200 feet!! not even you my friend. Its people like you that have nothing better to do than make up ****e, just to cause a little trouble... Dont see you complaining about the 2 cessna 152's that went down in the past 3 months. Or people doing joyflights without AOC's!!!! hmmm.
Dobbing them in to CASA will not get you anywhere, unless you want to end up with less mates in aviation. (if possible)
Sorry to be angry folks, Just get sick of people making up things without anything to back them up!! Coming from someone that knows the fact in regards to these matters.
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Coming from someone that knows the fact in regards to these matters.
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Which are???
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Which are???
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NICE TRY OTTER1!
Obviously hit a raw nerve?
Perhaps a rerun of the Nowra MBZ tapes might through some light on what is truth and what is not.....FIVE engine failures in the past 12 months is what I said and five engine failures (that we know of) is what you got! PURE and SIMPLE!
Are you perhaps denying the engine failures two weeks ago(?) and the one yesterday(?)
To all readers; they happened and they haven't been reported yet! (but maybe the pilot's might on Monday though I suspect; now that everyone knows about them!)
Perhaps a rerun of the Nowra MBZ tapes might through some light on what is truth and what is not.....FIVE engine failures in the past 12 months is what I said and five engine failures (that we know of) is what you got!
PURE and SIMPLE!Are you perhaps denying the engine failures two weeks ago(?) and the one yesterday(?)
To all readers; they happened and they haven't been reported yet! (but maybe the pilot's might on Monday though I suspect; now that everyone knows about them!)
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When things like these happen, pilots might not report them, because thy might lose the opportunity to get hours, etc.
One thing skydivers themselves don't know is that they too can put in a complaint/report. Logically that sort of info is not readily disseminated at DZ's!
One thing skydivers themselves don't know is that they too can put in a complaint/report. Logically that sort of info is not readily disseminated at DZ's!
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THREEGREENS please!!
All I am trying to say is that you should focus on the truth about such incidents mentioned above. After reading your posts i find it impossible to believe that you have even spoken to the pilot/pilots concerned. Otherwise you wouldnt have drawn such conclusions. ie fuel exhaustion. Instead you might have a new found respect for such pilots. Its people like yourself that give the skydiving industry such a bad name. More so than the dodgy opertators that do exist. So i suggest you pull your head in, because you never know, one day you might be the topic of conversation on a forum such as pprune... And i'm sure you wouldnt like people accusing you/your friends or company of things that just didnt happen or were not true. It happens too much...
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Pull the Otter1!
I was on the field on the occasion of one fuel exhaustion episode between WOL and NWA.....when the fan stops in the air and the plane lands quietly....and then 3 guys run out with jerry cans (after lifting off the cowl and pretending something failed), then I suspect, quite rightly, fuel exhaustion. No engineers involved and aircraft airborne again within 20 mins...and you have the audacity to suggest I should have 'respect' for those pilots...get real! As to the bit about the other C152's in 3 months and doing joy flights without an AOC, I have no idea what you are talking about - please enlighten us all?
Travelair....good points!
As to the bit about the other C152's in 3 months and doing joy flights without an AOC, I have no idea what you are talking about - please enlighten us all? Travelair....good points!
I don't want to be the best pilot in the world - Just the oldest
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Threegreens is correct! There is a huge culture of "hushing things up" in the parachuting fraternity. I'll give some examples of what I saw in my PJE flying:
1. Prop stike while taxiing over rough ground onto a strip of rubber conveyor belt near fuel drums. Result - 3 or 4 nice equally spaced slashes in the rubber which we heard happen from over 100m away. Pilot and DZ operator look at the the prop and say; "It's probably OK". No subsequent report, no engineer inspection, no bulk strip!
2. Pilot of a larger aircraft getting impatient with jumpers to load. Opens throttle with one jumper (female) only having one foot in the plane and the sliding door still open. Aircraft reported by other jumpers to be at approx 200' before jumper pulled in and door secured.
3. Same pilot referred to in previous. Took off with aileron locks still fitted. Cleared a fence and bounced it into an adjacent paddock. Again with something like 12 jumpers on board. His immediatate action was to line everyone up and demand they don't say anything about this to anyone. On landing the plane struck a wing tip but at least this time an engineer had a look and deemed there to be no significant damage.
4. Aircraft with proven weight and bal capacity for pilot + 10 jumpers regularly overloaded by operator to 12 jumpers. This went on for some time until an engineer pointed out the visual signs of overloading on the lower wing skin.
5. And my all time favourite - Pilot reported leaking gascolator when boost pump turned on. Unfortunately the pilot probably didn't write it up in the MR. DZ Operator who fancies himself as something of a bush LAME decided to remove the fuel component and have it overhauled then re-install it himself.
Items 2 and 3 above were brought to attention of CASA. Little if anything was done about it.
1. Prop stike while taxiing over rough ground onto a strip of rubber conveyor belt near fuel drums. Result - 3 or 4 nice equally spaced slashes in the rubber which we heard happen from over 100m away. Pilot and DZ operator look at the the prop and say; "It's probably OK". No subsequent report, no engineer inspection, no bulk strip!
2. Pilot of a larger aircraft getting impatient with jumpers to load. Opens throttle with one jumper (female) only having one foot in the plane and the sliding door still open. Aircraft reported by other jumpers to be at approx 200' before jumper pulled in and door secured.
3. Same pilot referred to in previous. Took off with aileron locks still fitted. Cleared a fence and bounced it into an adjacent paddock. Again with something like 12 jumpers on board. His immediatate action was to line everyone up and demand they don't say anything about this to anyone. On landing the plane struck a wing tip but at least this time an engineer had a look and deemed there to be no significant damage.
4. Aircraft with proven weight and bal capacity for pilot + 10 jumpers regularly overloaded by operator to 12 jumpers. This went on for some time until an engineer pointed out the visual signs of overloading on the lower wing skin.
5. And my all time favourite - Pilot reported leaking gascolator when boost pump turned on. Unfortunately the pilot probably didn't write it up in the MR. DZ Operator who fancies himself as something of a bush LAME decided to remove the fuel component and have it overhauled then re-install it himself.
Items 2 and 3 above were brought to attention of CASA. Little if anything was done about it.
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Travelair and Island Jock,
Thoroughly agree with your sentiments...see, it DOES happen all too often and it really only is a matter of time. I do need to square up one point though. I have since learned that the engine failure on sunday last might have been something to do with a runaway rpm governor causing a considerable overspeed of the prop. I also believe engineers were involved in repairing the problem so if this is the case, then strike 1 as legit and Otter1, perhaps a well done to the pilot might be in order ON THIS OCCASION.
Please; let's keep it safe FOR EVERYONE; pilots and passengers alike and let's all do our bit in stomping out bad airmanship and shonkey practices BEFORE someone gets really hurt.
Thoroughly agree with your sentiments...see, it DOES happen all too often and it really only is a matter of time. I do need to square up one point though. I have since learned that the engine failure on sunday last might have been something to do with a runaway rpm governor causing a considerable overspeed of the prop. I also believe engineers were involved in repairing the problem so if this is the case, then strike 1 as legit and Otter1, perhaps a well done to the pilot might be in order ON THIS OCCASION.
Please; let's keep it safe FOR EVERYONE; pilots and passengers alike and let's all do our bit in stomping out bad airmanship and shonkey practices BEFORE someone gets really hurt.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Having done a few hours meat bombing myself, I am suprised that the operater didnt load four more people in to slow the prop down. every one knows that a prop spinning faster than it should be produces more thrust.
