Linda, Congratulations-- I often wonder how I will handle it if it happens to me! Sounds like you did just fine. Hope you will be back in teh air for Oshkosh!
Best, Dave --- In [email protected], <jackburwell2...@...> wrote: > > 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. >
