Mooney pilot has close call landing on street in California

[rotornut]

Plane's crash landing in street caught on camera - CNN Video

[brakedwell]

In the UK he would pick up a parking ticket.

[ATC Watcher]

Did a good job, find a spot straight ahead , no turn back, OK, luck did not injured anybody in the process, but saved his life ( and would probably saved his pax too if he had some ) Well done !

[TLDNMCL]

Lucky Escape

Ditto the car driver

[YRP]

It wasn't a fuel exhaustion problem anyway, looked like plenty in the right tank at least.

[golfyankeesierra]

It wasn't a fuel exhaustion problem anyway, looked like plenty in the right tank at least.

I remember the fuel valve as great threat in the Mooney
Only flew it a couple of times (and don't remember which type as it was 25 years ago) but I do remember the idiotic place for the fuel valve to switch tanks. It was hidden somewhere under your seat and you couldn't see it, only feel it.

[golfyankeesierra]

And when flying single engine I was always taught to keep an eye for an open field. Now I do understand LA is a little crowded and doesn't have many open fields left but don't you need to have some more altitude then?
Gives you more options than to have to put it down on a road in the middle of a village! He endangered a lot of people and it's just sheer luck, rather than a good job...
Or am I a little old fashioned?

[172driver]

Or am I a little old fashioned?

Don't know, but you certainly have never been to L.A.

[mm_flynn]

Originally Posted by golfyankeesierra

And when flying single engine I was always taught to keep an eye for an open field. Now I do understand LA is a little crowded and doesn't have many open fields left but don't you need to have some more altitude then?
Gives you more options than to have to put it down on a road in the middle of a village! He endangered a lot of people and it's just sheer luck, rather than a good job...
Or am I a little old fashioned?

In the US you are (or at least I was when being trained) actively encouraged to consider roads for forced landing areas. It does show how remarkably small an distance one needs to 'safely' crash a light aircraft.

PS -
Shouldn't this be in GA?

[SLFguy]

Shouldn't this be in GA?

No, Pacoima is definitely in CA.

[dont overfil]

W


Where else do you go.

[n5296s]

Where else do you go.

Well, if you're GYS, you just fly high enough. The LA basin is about 50 miles across and completely full of housing and buildings. My plane has a pretty decent glide ratio, about 12:1, so GYS would just fly at 50,000 feet. Simples. Or in the Pitts, with a glide ratio of 3:1 on a good day, at about 200,000 feet. It just takes a bit of simple arithmetic...

[Silvaire1]

Or am I a little old fashioned?

I do think the 'knights in shining armor and their cantankerous machines' view of pilots and planes is 80 years out of date. In the US, light aircraft are a (relatively reliable) part of the transport system, flown by normal people to do normal things in normal places. If an aircraft is forced to land, the expectation is that the pilot will do his best in whatever circumstances arise. No different than if the steering system on a car fails and it heads off in an unintended direction. In that case, the driver does what he can, those affected do what they can, and the risk is accepted by everybody as part of normal life.

In the US, I was instructed to view roads as one resource to consider in a forced landing situation. In some place like the L.A. basin it might well be the only resource that the infrastructure allows. There are also water drainage culverts and gold courses here and there, but roads are often the best bet.

[n5296s]

gold courses here and there

What a nice idea! Though I thought that was further north, around Sacramento?

[Silvaire1]

[alex90]

But in all honesty - impressive & lucky to have escaped this unharmed.

[golfyankeesierra]

Ok sorry guys, just ignore my post, never flew over LA with less then four…
Cheers

[172driver]

Ok sorry guys, just ignore my post, never flew over LA with less then four…

Ah, that's a different perspective Apologies accepted....

[vancouv]

Is there not a single engine restriction over LA like there is over London? Doesn't look like you could glide clear.

[alland2012]

Wow ! happy to see it was a good outcome and only bent metal.

I fly Florida lots of open spaces to put down...just need to watch for the gators ...