Fairly intense small plane crash from inside; everyone lives

[Sulako]

http://youtu.be/yDu0jYiz-v8

2 cameras on board.

720p and fullscreen for maximum disturbingness. Crash at 2:44. There is a wee bit of blood after the crash, so don't watch this if that freaks you out. No screaming or anything tho', so at least there's that. Watch til the very end for the second camera view.

Original description: "This is unprecedented footage of a small airplane crash from inside the cockpit from two different views. Miraculously, everyone survived. The pilot will make a full recovery and the rest of us escaped with superficial injuries and feel very lucky to be alive . This trip was much anticipated and due to our excitement we had our Gopro cameras filming at various times. After flying up into the mountains for a hike in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness we were planning on flying to a small mountain town for dinner. Due to warming temperatures we had a hard time gaining altitude. After taking off we hit an air pocket that made us rapidly loose altitude, pushing us down into the trees."

Do you buy the 'air pocket made us crash' explanation?

[FlyGy]

Do you buy the 'air pocket made us crash' explanation?

No, but I didn't hear a stall horn either. Halfway through that takeoff roll I was screaming ABORT, ABORT!!! inside my head.

Given the weather of the day from the nearest station:

http://i.wund.com/auto/iphone/weatherst ... &year=2012

Elevation is 6,370 ft.

No pressure provided, going with 29.92.

Density Alt for 20° C would be 8,500 feet. If it was the hottest point of the day, 9,500ft

Edit:
I used this barometric pressure calculator:
http://www.digitaldutch.com/atmoscalc/
and came up with 23.65, which would put the density altitude over 16,000 ft at 20° C!!! That can't be right, can it?

[Lowjack]

Sure looked like the plane really didn't like being out of ground effect, he would get it up there and she would just keep settling. The really disturbing part is just how long the PIC let this keep going on for, instead of just putting her down. I didn't time it but it looks like at least a minute of this before getting anywhere near those trees.

[MrWings]

FFS. That is scary. Had a nice long runway to abort.

Why wasn't anyone talking/screaming/yelling? Or is that just not picked up because of engine noise?

[bizjets101]

N773C Stinson 108

Pilot also crashed a Cessna 150D two years ago . . . Click Here.

[Stallspin]

.

[iflyforpie]

Nope, not a downdraft. The air was too stable... hence the reason why they weren't able to pick up a thermal somewhere in that field.

It was at or above its absolute altitude for the weight and DA, flying along in ground effect or just slightly higher. Vy and Vx are the same at absolute altitude and the only speed you can remain airborne out of ground effect. Sees trees, pulls up, loses speed.... it becomes a mathematical certainty that you are going down.

There probably was no stall horn on this aircraft or the pilot was smart enough to realize that pulling further back wouldn't do anything... which is probably why they lived.

[Sulako]

N773C Stinson 108

Pilot also crashed a Cessna 150D two years ago . . . Click Here.

From the 'old' accident report (ie not this one)

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot reported that he intended to fly his airplane on a cross-country flight over high mountainous terrain. After takeoff, the pilot climbed to 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl) in order to fly over mountains. He subsequently descended to 8,500 feet msl, and then he attempted to climb back to 9,500 feet to clear additional mountains. This second climbing effort diminished his fuel reserve, so the pilot opted to divert to a 7,160-foot msl uncontrolled airport short of his destination. While flying over the airport to evaluate its runway's condition, the pilot noted that the runway was covered with snow. The pilot opined that because of the airplane's low fuel state, it was prudent for him to land. The pilot made a soft-field landing on the runway. During rollout, the airplane's wheels penetrated the snow-covered surface, the airplane nosed over, and both wings and the empennage broke.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's encounter with soft, snow-covered terrain while executing a precautionary landing.

-------------

Wow, the pilot nearly ran out of fuel attempting to outclimb mountains on his cross-country flight. Last time I checked, mountains don't move around much, I wonder why that was a surprise to him.

I guess this time he was determined not to run out of fuel attempting to outclimb trees?

[old_man]

or the pilot was smart enough to realize that pulling further back wouldn't do anything... which is probably why they lived.

I was about to say. It looks like he did the right thing (in the end) and decided to eat the trees in controlled flight as oppose to the 'I'm just going to stall it gently into the trees' technique I hear some people talk about.

[Rookie50]

Scary. So much time to abort, rethink the takeoff, put it back down....

[sheephunter]

Once in the air, the crash was inevitable. i don't understand why he flew it into trees after flying over open space for so long and having to know he wasn't going to clear the mountains... if he got that far. Just incredible and isn't a "young" pilot. Maybe just new to aviation.

[MIQ]

I kind of doubt that they did their weight and balance for this flight with the given meteorological conditions... Seems like they hardly made it out of the ground effect.

[DanWEC]

Very happy and fortunate that everyone lived. Regardless of the technique and critique of the crash, it was fundamentally and logically correct, since they lived. Don't feel too bad armchair analyzing now.
But anyways, look at the AoA while over the trees, veiwed easily by the wing shot in the second camera. What ya all think? Futile attempt at reducing an absolutely unavoidable sink over the trees (cooler air/less thermal lift, or just climbing out of GE) or the actual cause of the crash itself? Tough to say since that seemed to be pretty much over its service ceiling of 100 ft/min anyways, like a razors edge at that point between climbing and sinking since it would probably sink at only a few kt either side of Vy... if it would have climbed at all.

But I digress.... Why didn't he just land anyways??! He had over a freaking minute of this staring him in the face?!!!

[Colonel Sanders]

the mixture is full rich for taxi

I thought I saw that, too ... not a good sign. I'm
amazed the plugs didn't foul, and that the engine
kept running. I wonder if he leaned for takeoff?

Regardless, the aircraft was talking to him during
that bizarre takeoff, and he chose not to listen.

[alctel]

So, just out of interest


If you absolutely have to go into some trees (unlike this guy) what's the best plan? Controlled level flight into them at as slow a speed as possible? Cut the mixture/power and glide into them? Try and stall into them? They seem to have a fairly high survival rate as long as it's not a spin

Touch wood I never have to do anything like that, but it's good to know.

[Lowjack]

So, just out of interest


If you absolutely have to go into some trees (unlike this guy) what's the best plan? Controlled level flight into them at as slow a speed as possible? Cut the mixture/power and glide into them? Try and stall into them? They seem to have a fairly high survival rate as long as it's not a spin

Touch wood I never have to do anything like that, but it's good to know.

I've always assumed the general consensus was on flying into the trees (at a slow controllable speed). Part of the reasoning being it will leave a pretty obvious trail that would make it easier for SAR to locate you, versus stalling and dropping into the trees, minimizing any obvious visual cues.

[FenderManDan]

This video has been on the US news (CBS) today. It happened in Boisie Idaho area. PIC, two passangers and one of the rescue guys were guests.

PIC was lucky that before SAR helicopter has reached them, the people that came first to help were campers that are firefighters and EMS by profession. PIC sounded "dense" in the interview and I am not sure because he did not heal yet or is just like that naturally.

[ross1]

...would even 10 deg. flaps have made any difference...?

[Colonel Sanders]

Flaps increase lift at the cost of drag. This guy already
didn't have enough thrust to overcome what drag he
had, so adding more drag probably wouldn't have helped.

He should have rejected the takeoff. He had plenty of
opportunities to do so.

On the bright side, he crashes better than almost anyone
I know.

[pdw]

...would even 10 deg. flaps have made any difference...?

Maybe for earlier lift off from this soft field (still soggy in a few places, visible just after liftoff/bounce on Video).

Numerous wx-stations higher up (but some closer to the crashsite than Stanley ID) show wind is East for this area/time and altitude (or higher), ... light/insignificant breeze at the surface on TKOF though, ... rwy 23 is suggested for TKOF when winds permit, rwy5 for landing.

[Colonel Sanders]

Are you putting us on? Variable winds, again?

Was variable winds the cause of the Space Shuttle
Columbia disaster?

Do you also post here as Henri, the 182 driver?

[BverLuver]

Are you putting us on? Variable winds, again?

Was variable winds the cause of the Space Shuttle
Columbia disaster?

Do you also post here as Henri, the 182 driver?

Mr. KFC,

I am beginning to think he is about halfway through PPL ground school just finishing the MET section where variable and various winds are talked about in great depth allowing him to now post as an expert on the subject.

BL

[BverLuver]

This accident is just a complete set of ridiculous errors by a pilot that should never be allowed to hold even a light sport license again. There are some very basic lessons in flying airplanes that were not observed by this pic and 3 innocent people nearly paid for his complete idiocy with their lives! I hope he is never allowed to fly again.

BL

[pdw]

Bruce Meadows Airport Wx-station actually no temperature given (edit2 ... No accurate Koch calculation ?). Bearskin Creek Valley WX-station shows WSW 4-12kts (8NM west of the accident site), a cooler air from SW of the flightpath going into trees into a high moisture headwind-component (5% less lift ?) which aggrevates a sink but helps slower groundspeed at stall/crash point.

According to countless stations (Wunderground Idaho) with-in a 50NM radius, warm dry air is moving East above this high altitude East/West Valley ... a tailwind mid-tkof/lift-off rwy 23. [East at: Archie Creek SW (1007hPa), Goose Creek, Willow Creek Summit, Bonanza, Little Creek(12% humidity, edit1)

[Cat Driver]

Jeses...........