Denham crash yesterday 24 October
 

Any news?...

Alert as light aircraft comes down in field (From Bucks Free Press)
steve

That looks like the twin comanche that lives in the hangar next to TPC...

Think it's a Seneca rather than a Twin Com.

Good to see he was ok, I was just by the tower and saw the whole thing!

Strangely a plane came down in Denham Australia couple days ago, emergency landing on the road close to airport clipped a vehicle , no injuries

So what happened?

On the airfield, watching proceedings.
Aircraft in question carries out a go-around, followed by what looked like a low level circuit, then touched down fairly deep into runway. Little sign of braking and went through hedges at 24 threshold end, crossing road and ended up with the rather startled horses in the adjacent field.
Airfield fire tenders on site very quickly and both crew out and walking around, apparently ok. No obvious fire, but a very bent aircraft with port wing severed outside of engine. Fortunate escape for both aircraft crew and passengers in cars passing down road just before the accident.
About 15 minutes later two fire brigade appliances arrive, followed by two ambulances, one police car and Helimed!

Denham is pretty tight with a Seneca. I'm the first guy to take twins into short strips for utility, so I'm not blaming this gentleman at all. This is well within it's capabilities. You just need to plant it early, can't afford to be too much off speed or have a rwy too wet and/or brakes not in great shape. Glad everyone is OK - airplanes can always be replaced.

As a side note, it bugs the living daylights out of me that if I ever get my plane over to Europe for that summer vacation flying I dreamt about doing, I can't get into Denham, Elstree or pretty much anywhere else with this new one. I'm confined to Biggin Hill and the boringness of all that.

The pilot called out what sounded like two(!) rough running engines and flew a low circuit, coming in with what looked like a lot of energy. Main thing is that everyone was ok.

It's a shame that people seem to rush getting the aircraft on the ground following an engine failure. The airlines teach akin it slowly.

I have flown twins that take a long time to climb on one engine, but I think that you are much better off taking your time.

In a Seneca (I) on one engine, one has little choice but to take some time to climb....

If both engines weren't well, then time possibly wouldn't be around long to take.

In this incident, seeing as no one knows yet what actually caused the problem, it's difficult to comment as to whether the crew were hasty in their decisions.

It definitely wasn't that one!

Jamie

Agreed, especially if the strip is marginal you need time to get it set up. If the circuit was low it was probably out of the pilot's control, if the RoC was low. However a short final with engine problems it is not good, if indeed that was the case.

Happy no one was hurt.

There is always Heathrow. Nice long runway there, if you don't mind being on the news and spending a week filling out paperwork. :}

I don't know why they bother replacing that fence at Denham. It isn't a particularly difficult runway but it appears to attract more than its fair share of high energy landings.

Adam

I used to Fly a Seneca Five twin into Denham (was almost its second home)
The runway is plenty long enough for a Seneca.
In fact I know of a couple of Citations which have been there (not me :)

it looks quite narrow from the air and with the lakes and trees off the one end can temp a pilot to land long.

This does sound like and element of panic! Both engines running rough! Oh my God i have to get it on the ground quick, brains fly out the window and aircraft flies down the runway too fast to late straight off the runway and through the fence.

really pleased no one was hurt

I am pleased that nobody is hurt.

I have taken the C421 in and out of Elstree and Denham, with no issues.

Adam, if you do bring your machine over, I will happily take it in/out both
airfields with you.

I think if I was presented with a high energy aeroplane with a problem overhead Denham, and had a little time in hand, I'd probably declare an emergency and go to Northolt with better crash facilities and much more runway.

But to be fair to whoever was flying this particular Piper, it appears there was no significant injury, and hardware is insured and can be replaced. So whatever they may have done wrong, it wasn't that wrong.

G

F900

I hope you had a thimbleful of fuel in each tank? was it the Bravo?

I took a Citation 500 into Thruxton once but minimal fuel and the owner soon realised he could not really operate from there and listened to me :ok:
Two weeks later I took it back out.

Also remember landing the Seneca at Denham with 40 KTS steady 90 degree crosswind 20 minutes later the airport closed under heavy snow as was the M25.
Never really intended to land but purely one touch and go but she landed :ok: albeit the absolute limit on that aircraft.

Pace

United Biscuits KingAir 200 G-HLUB was based there for many years sans problem.

Lets just be happy no-one died or worse was seriously injured.

SGC