I assume now it's ok to talk in more detail about your off-field landing. First let me add my congratulations to you for your successful (forced) landing. It was so successful in fact, that there were no injuries, and no damage! Since there were no injuries or damage I assume that you landed with the furrows, as opposed to across them. Many years ago when I was instructing out of Detroit City Airport, I also had occasion to land in a farmer's plowed field. In my case, I was flying a Champion Tri-Traveler with tricycle gear. I had a middle-aged student with me, and there were no injuries, but the was slight damage to the right main gear and the prop. The airplane dug in and we did make a pretty rapid stop. I had mentioned to the owner of the flight service that I thought that something was wrong with that airplane. It simply did not have the power that the other two similar aircraft had, He flight tested the airplane and didn't believe me. Anyway, just after that, on this occasion we lost a cylinder, there was no power and the airplane was smoking, and we were approaching a densely populated urban area. The farmers field seemed to be the best option, and I believe it was at the time. However, I was later criticized by the flight service owner (my boss at the time) for not finding some other place to put down. He opined that it is better to land in almost any kind of vegetation than it is to land in a plowed field. He may be quite right, but in my opinion now and then is, when there is no power and a safe landing is made with no injuries, the landing is a great success.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Linda Abrams Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 7:37 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Safe off-airport landing Last Sunday, I had a safe off-airport landing, in a plowed field near Merced airport, on my way home from the Columbia air show. No injuries and no damage. At this time the cause appears to have been a broken fuel line. For now, I've left the 'Coupe at the Merced airport, where I'm letting the mechanics & FAA both do their jobs. With no injuries and no damage, the TRACON told me it would be reported as "off-airport landing" rather than an accident, so no NTSB impound of the plane. But there's a time-sink's-worth of papers I need to assemble for the FAA, and other stuff to do, so I'd greatly appreciate it if everyone would p-l-e-a-s-e hold off on any questions or speculations for now. More info to follow at a later time. I do want everyone to know how fantastically well the Ercoupe network came through for me. We train for soft-field landings and other emergencies, but I've never heard what to do next, when sitting in an undamaged 'coupe in the middle of a field, and asking myself, "Now what?!?" I called Dan Hall, my 'Coupe mentor and my predecessor as EOC Region 7 Director, and I'm very grateful that Dan immediately reached Rick Eason, an Ercouper based at Merced, who has just completed a 2-yr. restoration of his second Ercoupe. Rick came out to me within minutes, and I couldn't possibly ask for, nor even dream of, anyone who could have been of more help or more knowledgeable or more take-charge. Rick stuck with me the whole afternoon and well into evening, went up & back to the airport, corral'd an A&P-pilot friend of his, plus his own son-in-law and daughter, and with their help -- plus that of a half-dozen farm workers and a backhoe, and the cooperation of the farmers -- we got the 'Coupe turned around in the furrows and dragged off the recently-plowed field. Then to Merced airport, and into the hands of his A&P. All of this on Father's Day! Rick lurks on this list, and I can't say it enough: THANK YOU!!! Rick, you're my hero, and the Ercoupers rock! Linda N3437H (Sky Sprite) L.A.
