Ditching

[MarcusH]

What is the way to Ditch? I plan on making some trips over water over the next year, so I want to be sure to get this right should I end up in the unfortunate position of having to. I fly a low wing fixed gear aircraft with a tilting canopy. I will of course carry all necessary survival gear as the water can get a little chilly between Ireland where i live and the UK.
We have a chute in the aircraft but my instructor says that he would still land and ditch parallel to the swell rather than come down under the canopy.

My fear wold be when the gear touches the water the plane would probably nose over, trapping the occupants inside upside down unable to open the tilting canopy. Is the risk of injury of using a parachute so severe as to make this the better option?

[Red Chilli]

Hi, does your aircraft not have quick release pins for the canopy? Our Robin DR400 has a couple, you can then jettison the canopy prior to ditching at lowest possible airspeed, stall warner blaring, parallel to swell so the nose leg doesn't hit a large oncoming wave head on, which would not help matters.

Keep a look out for boats there will probably be more than you think and aim for one once gliding.

Not sure on your situation but probably more trouble than it's worth to try and egress with a parachute i.e. get it wrong and you may hit the tail/prop/wing etc. Get the ditching right and the low wing configuration may even float, so you can eat your sandwiches whilst waiting for International Rescue.

Seriously, give thought to an immersion suit, it's the cold and hypothermia that is the real killer. There are numerous long threads on this topic both here and on the Flyer forum.

Cheers

[Cobalt]

We have a chute in the aircraft but my instructor says that he would still land and ditch parallel to the swell rather than come down under the canopy.

If the aircraft is a Cirrus, the one thing you should ditch is the instructor (or at least this particular bad bit of advice).

[subsonicsubic]

I think I agree with your instructor.

The parachute system works in tandem with deformable UC to absorb the load of a chute letdown. IIR, chute landings as sea are inadvisable as the gear provides no cushioning on impact with water.

[flybymike]

We seem to be mixing up canopies and parachutes here.....

[RatherBeFlying]

Wear an immersion suit with a PLB in the pocket.

See EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE - Outdoors Gear, Survival Equipment Review & Survival Information for reviews on liferafts and ditching stories.

[Monocock]

Ive always been given the following advice.

In light winds, stall the aircraft in landing config parallel with the swell. With a decent wind, stall the aircraft into wind.

The rest is in the lap of the gods.

[Shoestring Flyer]

You will in all probability die ffrom hypothermia before any rescue comes anyway so does it really matter which way you comes down.
Landing the aircraft is the least of your problem...surviving the cold Irish sea is the big issue!!
I would do as suggested and have ago at landing parallel with the swell...and pray....!

[A and C]

DR400 ditching

There is no way that I would jettison the canopy prior to coming to rest on the water, to do so is to remove the crews protection from a 30 KTS wall of water.

Knowing how the DR400 canopy jettison mechanism works I have no fear of it failing to work when required........... It is not like a PA28 door that can be jammed by airframe distortion if you fail to unlatch it before impact.

[vjmehra]

You can probably track down this guy, I believe he is a member of COPA:


Pilot Uses Airplane Parachute After Engine Quits Over Bahamas | Autopia | Wired.com


I'm sure he (or someone else from COPA) will be best placed to advise you (assuming you are flying a Cirrus, although even if not probably not the worst place to ask for advice).

[packo1848]

Safety Sense Leaflet 21: Ditching | Publications | About the CAA

Not a bad read on the subject, I made sure I read it through several times before crossing the channel last year.

[The Old Fat One]

I'm not a pilot, so I'll let others advise you how you put your bird in the water...

However, I was (past tense) a fully qualified survival instructor, who supervised ditching drills for many years. I also conducted (as part of my training) all sorts of water entry scenarios (including night drills in a storm).

So my advice is...

Don't ditch. And if you must...make sure your will is up to date.

Seriously, if you ditch in any thing but the most benign conditions, most of you will die.

Knowing what to do is very little use, unless you have practiced it, frequently, and in realistic conditions.

In calm, warm water, without any sort of injury, and with easy exit and flotation options, with help close at hand, you might make it.

Now start adding in the problems...

Can you get out of your wreckage and in the water...no. You die.
Are you injured or in shock...yes. You die.
Can you float..no. You die
Is the water cold? Yes. You die.
...but I am wearing a correctly fitted water survival suit?? Really, are you. But if you are, You'll die slowly.
Is the water rough...yes, you'll get seasick in minutes and you will want to die.

Enough...you get my point.

So

Don't fly over water unless you have a compelling reason.
Fly at a gliding height to reach land.
If you are out of reach of land, have your survival kit on!!
Practice getting out of the aircraft with your survival kit on.
Ensure you get a mayday out.
Ditch near a ship
Forget about food and water...you will be dead long before these become an issue.
But do ensure you are fed and fully hydrated before you fly.

My best mate flys low over the sea in a microlight. I've told him till I'm blue in the face if his engine stops it's game over. End of story

[Croqueteer]

If you survive the ditching (and many have) a plb is a must, and ideally an immersion suit, and that's a must in winter. I say this after 10 years on Shacks, with a lot of SAR.

[Pace]

Old Fat one

Good advice! The sea can look very calm and the little white caps quite pretty from 2000 to 3000 feet up. A totally different picture when you are about to land into what looks like a brick wall of 20 foot waves!

Never fly without an out springs to mind otherwise you are playing Russian roulette. total reliance on a piston engine with 100s of bits spinning around is Russian Roulette.

Only fly on dead calm days over water on the way down open the door and wedge it open with a coat or pillow as in the water you may find the water pressure keeps the door firmly shut.
Carry a mini axe so you can smash your way out through the windows?

As someone who's hobby is Scuba diving I think us pilots are miles away from the reality of ditching comfortable in our warm cosy cockpits with ocean in all directions reassuring ourselves with statistics.
We have all done it and got away with it but its funny how the engine always seems rough over water

But ??? take a twin

Pace

[Sir Niall Dementia]

I tried ditching a number of years ago in a helicopter, and believe me it seriously sucked.


We went from big twin engine IFR fully auto-piloted helicopter to a full on survival fight in a very short time.


By far the biggest shock was that we rolled on impact, the aircraft filled in seconds and the temperature was horrendous. I remember hanging upside down in my seat, desperately trying not to gasp in the cold shock at the same time as trying to get my emergency exit to work. It didn't and I went out through one of the other exits. Everyone on board had some problems with hypothermia before were were picked up, and it was August.


Despite all the annual training and preparation all the drills went straight to rat s###. I regularly read theories on here from people who have either never tried ditching, or think they know how it will go. Go get some proper training, you should never need it, but if you do it will be worth every penny.


SND

[Dave Wilson]

Much respect to those that have survived a ditching. As OFO says, it's OK pontificating about what to do but the reality is going to be very different. That's not to say you shouldn't prepare obviously.

As an aside though, as a kid (therefore not covered in as much fat as I am now...) we use to swim in the North Sea up the Whitby area all day on and off from April onwards. How come we never suffered from anything cold related? Is the water warmer nearer the shore?

[Pace]

Dave

I can remember Scuba Diving under a frozen lake. we dug a hole in the ice which was thick enough to stand on and all I was wearing was a full wet suit not a dry suit!
All was fine until the suit tore under the armpit the shock was horrendous and that was on a limited exposed body!
I do not know how they work out the surveil rate times and am sure some will last longer than others.
warm seas you have the problem of sharks fine as long as you stay reasonably still having done a Shark feed off the Bahamas I love the critters and have met and swam with them many times as well as filming them so they do not hold the fear I would have of ditching in freezing water in the North Atlantic

Pace

[Dave Wilson]

I remember there were three phases to getting into the North Sea in April wearing only trunks. The first was wading in up to thigh level which was teeth shatteringly cold. Then there was the first slap of a wave against the gonads which made you gasp and look around at your pals to see if anyone else had anything but a stoney look of resolution on their faces. Then there was the 'men only' let's just go for it dive from a standing position which literally did take the breath away. After that it was fine, in fact it was colder to stand with your shoulders exposed to the air than it was to keep everything but the head underwater.

Then we used to watch helicopters with men in survival suits and dinghies fly over just in case they came down in the same bit of water that me and my mates spent hours in wearing just trunks. Never figured it out.

[Pace]

It really depends on how cold the sea was ? The body looses heat quickly and then starts to shut down non essential areas to protect the heat in vital organs
Hypothermia then sets in brain processes start to slow etc
My guess is either the water was not as cold as you thought or you were not there for as long as you thought ? When you start uncontrollably shaking your in danger

Pace

[Whopity]

Ditch near a ship

Or better still, land on it!