Aviation Piper Cherokee aircraft ditched in a field

[hard top]

Plane crashes in field just YARDS from busy motorway – but the pilot and passengers miraculously escape with only minor injuries

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-just-YARDS-busy-motorway.html#ixzz4sCyp29RQ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[mwpe]

Looks like engine trouble after take off, he has manged to put it down quite well in a difficult place. The seat belts in those aren't brilliant which probably accounts or the head injury.

 

[smiffy]

well I hope the 2 in the back were children or supermodels otherwise he may well have been overweight. Cherokee 140 only has a 390 kg payload. take out the 100ltrs fuel (75kg) and that only leaves 12st6 per seat including clothes and the wives handbags!

 

[smiffy]

just read elsewhere;

4 adults, pilot plus 3 bird watchers with bags, cameras and binoculars etc
Heading for Scotland, Barra / Benbecula to see a rare bird (American Redstart).

One of those at max take off weight (MTOW) and with a fresh engine needs 500mtrs of tarmac to get off the ground.

So, tired engine + overweight + only 625mtr wet grass runway = "look out tree, we are gonna hit you!"

They are all lucky to walk away.

The trouble is errors like this make the rest of us look like we take part in a dangerous hobby. It shouldn't happen, its all covered in training and the handbooks.

 

[hard top]

They are all lucky to walk away.

Was it a charter?
Its all about the money....

 

[smiffy]

Was it a charter?
Its all about the money....

Don't know, but makes no difference, if it is over MTOW it is as unlawful as overloading a lorry or towing too heavier a trailer.

And whilst they might have got away with it had they had 1000mtrs of tarmac, in the same way you might get away with an overloaded trailer for a short one off trip during the quiet time of day, if you start pushing the boundaries too far, like towing at speed on a busy motorway, its gonna go wrong in'it!

 

[mwpe]

And whilst they might have got away with it had they had 1000mtrs of tarmac, in the same way you might get away with an overloaded trailer for a short one off trip during the quiet time of day, if you start pushing the boundaries too far, like towing at speed on a busy motorway, its gonna go wrong in'it![/QUOTE]

Just looked at the data for that airport, they were definitely pushing their luck in a 140.

 

[smiffy]

the daft thing is, as there was no serious injuries, the MAIB will probably not do a field investigation, they will rely on the pilots report.

The aircraft is relatively low value so the Insurers may well just pay out and scrap it without investigation. Assuming none of the passengers file for a big personal injury claim.

CAA will de-register the aircraft without investigation.

Pilot will probably get away with it with nothing more than bruised ego. No "points" or warnings, just an increased insurance premium assuming he has his own insurance and doesn't just fly rentals.

Its MAD I tell ya, MAD!