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By: - 25th August 2006 at 19:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Swift
Thanks for sharing this, and for having the guts to write it, the good thing is that you & your wife walked away unharmed apart from a dented pride, the other good thing is you recognised your mistakes and you will learn from them, I guess that's what this business is all about, being around to learn from your mistakes, this is the only bad thing about aviation, get something wrong and it could bite you real bad, I was doing circuits at Gloucester last week when it was really choppy, we had a 13kt crosswind so I was brushing up on some crosswind landings, it was really bumpy with 5-10kts windsheer present all the time, but I tried to nail the Vref speed, and anyone who flies from Staverton will know what it is like when it is windy, updrafs, downdrafts, wing lifts etc, well a couple of times the updrafts were so bad I could not get the nose down to cross the threshold at 50ft, only option was a go around to have another go.
It's amazing isn't it, in your story, you deem yourself a safe pilot, and a good moto that is, yet we still find ourselves doing things out the ordinary for some bizarre reason, yes I can get this plane down in time, and then fight it, when the simplest answer would have been to go around, but then this is the learning curve, and it re-enforces your experience and makes you a better pilot, it's also amazing that now I have 2 small children I realise just how mortal I really am.
Happy landings Swift ;)
Dean
By: - 25th August 2006 at 22:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I'd also like to thank you for sharing this story, it certainly made me think.
By: - 29th August 2006 at 08:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Swift,
Thanks for sharing, very brave, and we all take it in the spirit that it was meant, making us think.
The first time I flew a 172 solo was my qualifying cross-country, and ended up in a similar situation to yourself, too high/fast and floating. Luckily I was landing on the main runway at Cambridge. I floated the whole length and managed to stop on the piano keys at the other end (on a Runway long enough for Tristars!), but I was still shaken up by it, especially with my relative inexperience.
I made sure that flew the numbers and nailed a stop by the intersection at Ipswich International on my next leg!
Jeremy
By: - 2nd September 2006 at 08:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Another one for ILAFFT (I Learned About Flying From That) in a rival publication.
By: - 2nd September 2006 at 19:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A salutory lesson indeed and thank you for sharing. I'm just waiting for our resident, high-houred, multi-talented, newly appointed Captain, Robert Weaver to stick his two bob's worth in.
By: - 3rd September 2006 at 08:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It takes a brave man to admit his mistakes. I think Swift should be commended for his honesty. In the words of HMG; lessons will be learned, but in this case I think they already have been
By: - 3rd September 2006 at 09:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Good write-up SWIFT.
Little do they know, but many pilots do the same thing that you do every time they land/ The reason they don't know it, is that they are landing on a nice long tarmac runway where carrying extra speed, not touching down on the numbers, attempting to land above flying speed, and so forth, go un-noticed.
They only come unglued when they try their slapdash techniques on a shorter runway.
By: - 3rd September 2006 at 11:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
How true Trinny. 90% of all GA accidents come down to pilot error is how I once read it somewhere.
By: - 3rd September 2006 at 11:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The percentage is that low? ;)
By: - 3rd September 2006 at 12:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The percentage is that low? ;):D You crack me up but at least you make me smile
Posts: 188
By: Swift - 25th August 2006 at 17:28
Flew into Sherburn recently ,had my overhead join set up ,descended deadside everything tickety boo. Then realised that I was going to have to alter my circuit somewhat to avoid one of the many villages, mistake number one I should have gone past it and round instead I cut in and shotened the circuit.
Mistake number two ,due to a couple of severe windshear incidents I had started to carry an extra 10 knots to the threshold.
There I was high because I had cut in , i chopped the power and pushed the nose down and flew the approach in a C172 at 90knts.
IIRC it was 06 grass, I rounded out about 100 metres along 600 metres total ,the speed would not bleed off and I should have gone around.
I forced her down with about 400 metres left , however we hit a ridge and we were airborne again , I should have then put full power on and gone around , did I ? No i force a C172 with 75 knts showing back on the ground with 300 metres to go , brakes were applied and with 150 metres to go I realised we were to slow to go around and now i really did want to!
We carrered towards the end myself and the Wife she wasn't very happy and neither was I , i had completed the accident chain I had a few chances to break it and didn't .
All I could do was to try and stop her i started pumping the brakes as we were skidding , we went past the numbers at the other end and off towards a pile of gravel at this point the plane started to slide sideways and i really thought we were going to be sat on the roof , with less than 5 yards to the gravel we stopped , still in one piece covered in sweat.
We sat there for a few seconds then I taxied it back onto the runway and round to the apron.
I considered myself to be pretty safe ,if theres any doubt theres no doubt a motto I use a lot.
I hope somebody learns something from this , I have.