Forced landing on a beach caught on videos

[pelmet]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/lif ... spartandhp

better landing video at top of this article....

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... von-beach/

[ahramin]

Plenty of examples out there to show that doing a forced landing close to people on the beach is a very dangerous plan. Glad this one turned out lucky.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/0 ... ortuguese/

https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/08/tra ... ch-venice/

[pelmet]

Plenty of examples out there to show that doing a forced landing close to people on the beach is a very dangerous plan. Glad this one turned out lucky.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/0 ... ortuguese/

https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/08/tra ... ch-venice/

I'll still probably go for the beach.

[CpnCrunch]

That beach was pretty empty.

[ahramin]

Pretty empty or not, personally I'm not going to pick a narrow landing area with any people on it that requires them to get out of the way in order to prevent an injury. For me it's like driving a big truck along the road while falling asleep. You are probably going to get away with it, and if you do kill someone legally you are almost certainly in the clear. It's just that I'm not willing to live with the potential consequences personally.

[FlyGy]

Fortunately, it was a high wing plane, unlike some others.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... beach.html

Sometimes I wonder if we should install a horn...or at least carry an aerosol airhorn to blare out the window. A forced landing with the engine out can be a very quiet scenario with little to no warning for those on the ground. Like Ahramin, I'd probably ditch close to shore. Insurance can replace my plane, it can't replace those lost...or my conscience.

[pelmet]

Pretty empty or not, personally I'm not going to pick a narrow landing area with any people on it that requires them to get out of the way in order to prevent an injury.

What if it is just 3 or 4 people walking on the beach. Beats flipping over and drowning in the water. And he likely would have died if he took your advice. I'll take the beach, thank you very much.

[Hockaloogie]

Subject has been discussed for 20 years. Anything new developed? Don't think so.

[pelmet]

Subject has been discussed for 20 years. Anything new developed? Don't think so.

Yes, I have seen the subject discussed before, so I think you are correct in general except for one thing. Each year there are thousands of new student pilots who have not discussed before. And seeing as we have the same types of accident causes repeat themselves over and over again, one of the lessons seems to be that things have to be discussed every once in a while even if they have been discussed previously.

Obviously, this is a more of a "what would I do to try to save myself" kind of question and I understand why someone might choose the water instead of the beach but most of us would likely choose the golf course over the ravine.

[5x5]

Pretty empty or not, personally I'm not going to pick a narrow landing area with any people on it that requires them to get out of the way in order to prevent an injury.

What if it is just 3 or 4 people walking on the beach. Beats flipping over and drowning in the water. And he likely would have died if he took your advice. I'll take the beach, thank you very much.

Really 'pelmet'? If I go walking on a beach I certainly don't do it with the understanding that I face the possible risk of an airplane landing on my head. But every time I go flying in a single engine aircraft I do it with the understanding that I face the risk of an engine failure and being forced to land essentially on the land/water below me. Hence, it is part of my responsibility as a pilot to accept risk to myself in order to avoid imposing risk on others who had no choice in my decision to undertake the flight.

Each of us has the right to hold our own opinions and make our own decisions, I just hope you (or any pilot that shares your view) never fly a single engine aircraft over a location I happen to be at on the ground.

[CpnCrunch]

In this case it was just a few people walking their dogs, so it was easy for the pilot to avoid them.

[pelmet]

Pretty empty or not, personally I'm not going to pick a narrow landing area with any people on it that requires them to get out of the way in order to prevent an injury.

What if it is just 3 or 4 people walking on the beach. Beats flipping over and drowning in the water. And he likely would have died if he took your advice. I'll take the beach, thank you very much.

Really 'pelmet'? If I go walking on a beach I certainly don't do it with the understanding that I face the possible risk of an airplane landing on my head. But every time I go flying in a single engine aircraft I do it with the understanding that I face the risk of an engine failure and being forced to land essentially on the land/water below me. Hence, it is part of my responsibility as a pilot to accept risk to myself in order to avoid imposing risk on others who had no choice in my decision to undertake the flight.

Each of us has the right to hold our own opinions and make our own decisions, I just hope you (or any pilot that shares your view) never fly a single engine aircraft over a location I happen to be at on the ground.

Yeah, yeah....I'm sure you will crash into the ravine or other guaranteed death location instead of going onto a golf course which could put some of them at risk. Better to avoid the highway as you could hit a car. Talk is cheap.

Bottom line.......You'll be landing in the nearest clear area. Maybe you will do some last minute maneuvering but you will go for the clear area. Fortunately, the pilot in the video never took your advice.

Nice and easy to make oneself sound morally superior though when they know they will almost certainly never have to make the decision.

[pelmet]

This one worked out reasonably well. Looks like some nosegear damage.....

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/tra ... d=msedgntp

[photofly]

Flaps up, and really hot.

[PilotDAR]

This one worked out reasonably well

Well, I guess in that the pilot did not hit the beach goer who ran out of the way at the last second, but the landing could have been better. Any extension of flap would have given a better outcome, as would landing on the more moist area of the sand, where it would likely be more firm for the nosewheel. Pilots who visit the beach as pedestrians should take the opportunity to get to know the sand, where it's more firm, and where it's loose.

The take away from this is that it succeeded, though there are lessons to be learned....

[pelmet]

Pilots who visit the beach as pedestrians should take the opportunity to get to know the sand, where it's more firm, and where it's loose.

Perhaps it should be obvious, but are there any generalities to where the sand is firm and where it is loose. Or does it vary from beach to beach.

[PilotDAR]

Generally, sand will be more firm where it is moist, but not submerged. When I have done beach landings, I have touched down so the water side mainwheel would not be lapped by the highest wave, but close. Once down and taxiing, move a little further away form the water to be sure. Consider that when sand casting metal, the sand must be moist, so it does not fall apart in the mould, dry sand would not work at all. 'same principle.

Happily all of my beach landings have been elective, not emergency, so in all cases, I was able to run the proposed "runway" lightly first, then on both mainwheels only, so I could feel the firmness of the surface for the entire intended landing area. Thereafter, I would land and stop on my tracks, so I had enough of my tracks remaining ahead of me that I was assured of my departure runway. For my ocean beach landings, I familiarized myself with the tide before I committed to stay.

But, in an emergency, you do what you have to do. In the case of the landing video'd, with people on the beach, I would have splashed the plane instead if I could not be 100% sure I would not imperil anyone. Beach goers are not watching out for powerless airplanes landing on them! Someone was hit and killed by a force landing plane on a beach in Portugal in recent years, I couldn't live with myself, just to save a plane.