Plane hits car...caught on video
 

Plane Hits Car, Caught On Video

From the above website:

Student pilot William Davis was on final approach to land at Northwest Regional Airport in Roanoke, Texas, on Saturday, when his Skyhawk collided with an SUV that was crossing the airport. Davis's wife, Kandy, was filming his descent and caught the collision on video. The collision knocked off part of the Skyhawk's landing gear, but Davis was able to land and wasn't hurt. The two people in the car, a couple on their way to the airport diner, were treated for minor injuries. The road crosses the airport perpendicular to the runway, just a few feet from the runway end, and is marked with "Stop" painted on the surface. The audio of airport manager Glen Hyde is caught on Kandy Davis's camera, asking the driver, "Why did you pull out in front of an airplane?"


The video shows the car moving steadily across the airplane's path, but it's not clear if it might have stopped before entering the frame of the camera. The driver of the car said on the audio that he didn't see the airplane. After the incident, Davis said he's decided to give up flying. "Things like that make you reconsider what's important and what could have happened," he told the local WFAA News in Dallas. "I have a young daughter and a wife." The airport manager told WFAA that he plans to meet with the FAA and look for ways to make the runway/road intersection safer.

Person holding camera got from initial location to the car very quickly????

:suspect:

Giving it up? The local news had it that it was Mr. Davis' first SOLO. Not having alot invested, he may want to consider giving up driving, instead. Sharing the road with idiots like the SUV driver?

Maybe a displaced threshold?

The runway had a displaced threshold already. Looks like the aircraft was very low on the approach to this runway considering that.

The runway had a displaced threshold because of a solid fence just on the other side of the road. The fence was replaced with a plastic breakaway fence and the threshold was returned to the end of the runway.

TB

Final approach seems to be a bit flat.....

Interesting. Ten years or so ago a similar interface happened at my home field, except that it was a visiting aircraft, and the lorry was on a public (county) road.

And a Mooney left a bit of rubber on the roof of a planespotters' auto on a public road - 45 years ago, Hamilton OH (Hogan Bros. airport).

Seems to me there's little attention paid to threshhold markings (whether standard or displaced).

Flapless
 

Yes, it was a flat approach as he had his flaps retracted. Flapless = shallower approach. That is of course if my eyes served me right. Certainly didn't see any flap out on the video.

Flaps?

Sorry, but a pilot should look for a propper approach path regardless of flapsetting.

Ah huh. As per many flight instruction manuals, "shallow approach is desired upon flapless approach and Landings". This is taught to nearly every PPl out there. So this is how they do it. An approach angle will always change as to the situation and conditions experienced. Unless its all on Microsoft flight sim of course, then its probably always the same.

Sorry, IMHO it's not about aerodynamics, it's simply about the pilot's responsibility of a safe flight path.

Caution for all those thinking about flying into Dunsfold (EGTD), their runway 27 doesn't have a displaced threshold, an uncontrolled road which crosses immediately east (centimetres) of the marked threshold, and high sided vehicles using this road!

Understand that the aerodrome is unlicensed, and the aerodrome operator will take money from you for a landing fee. They do not appear to have ever heard of a "duty of care" for visiting aircraft?

I understand that the short lived ATC contractor did manage to get a warning put on the Pooleys chart and pushed (on safety grounds) for a displaced threshold, but all to no avail?

Its not a short runway, even with a displaced threshold a landing distance of around 1500 metres is possible.

Please let us not have a repeat in the UK, can someone prevail upon the aerodrome operator to achieve what the ATC contractor couldn't? Shame that the CAA will not get involved, until there is an accident!

What? And nothing to do with vehicles on an airfield giving way to aircraft, regardless of flightpath?
The poor sod was on a first solo fer chrissakes, that why we have rules like "Vehicles give way to aircraft. Always. No exceptions."

The idiot in the chelsea tractor (is there any other kind of occupant of those things?) was 100% to blame, crossing a runway like that without looking or stopping. "I didn't see him". How many car drivers have said those criminal and self-condemnatory words over a dead motorcyclist, I wonder? (Euphemism for "I didn't look" of course). That stude was real lucky.

The approach angle is all aerodynamics in regard to a flapless landing. No flap = less drag which will shallow out your approach path. It is plain simple. Particularly for a PPL student. Divergence from the stated will increase risk. Fine if you are a 20,000 hour ATPL, NOT if you are a 20 hour PPL student. If he landed before the displaced threshold then I would agree with your statement in regards to responsibility as he would have failed in that respect. If he landed past it, then there was nothing wrong with his actions. Now why there was a car crossing in front of an aircraft on approach, with the right of way, that is the pertinent question.

Nothing whatsoever unsafe about the flight path, use your eyeballs.

The FOD that entered it? Not so. What if the vehicle had been an aircraft entering the runway? A Pedestrian? The landing aircraft has the ROW, end of..

Hetfield needs to get back on the MS simulator...He's an "Airline Captain" with no types listed...Really?

To put it simple, IMHO a pilot who hits a 2m (6 feet) high "obstacle" well ahead of the toch down zone is simply in error.

In my experience of roads and runways it's not 'IF', it's 'WHEN'.

Why would you do flapless landings on your first solo??

According to the FAA database, the threshold is displaced 400 feet.