When It Just Isn't Your Day to Die

Wow, talk about seat-of-the-pants!

I bet those props are feathered!

That is no way to treat a nice airplane!

I think this happens more often than one realizes. .... Kinda. (Except flying away) my nieces father-in-law. Landed his twin engine plane..... And forgot to lower the landing gear....

I used to spend a lot of time at the GA airport about 3 miles from my house, listening to tower traffic. It's controlled, so there is always someone in the tower.

A retractable was on short final with gear up. The tower told him when he was about 30 feet off the ground.

A grind and go.

Scraping the rust off the undercarriage?

I worked with a guy who'd been a pilot during the Viet Nam war. He told the story of an F-4 pilot who landed without putting the landing gear down. The F-4 pilot realized there was a problem when he had to fire up the afterburners to taxi.

Landing gear! We don't need no stinking landing gear!

Belly landing is not so much of a big deal, but...

It was extremely stupid to go airborne after the possibility of bending the props or grenading the motors.

I believe that the FAA says that any prop strike requires an (immediate) prop and engine teardown.

I don't think that means after flying off and landing at another airport.

The reason you do the teardown is not for Mr. Goodwrench's boat payments.

The angular torque will bend the crank (among other things).

The skid landing was one thing, he was lucky he didn't have an engine failure on the subsequent takeoff.

Not to mention the loss of insurance coverage if it ever was discovered by the carrier.

They're funny that way.

Looks fake. Plane is going much to fast to recover from that scrape, but film could have been speeded up to impress us.

I could not find an accident report on the tail number of the plane connected to the video.

I did find this connected to the aircraft in Trade-a-Plane:

• Year:1970
• Manufacturer:Aerostar
• Model:601
• Price:Call for Price
• Location:FL, USA
• Condition:Used
• Serial Number:61-0065-12
• Registration Number:N7502S
• Airframe Total Time:2297
• Engine Times:230 SMOH
• Prop Times:N/A
• Flight Rules:IFR

1970 AEROSTAR 601, 230 HRS SMOH ON ENGINES, NEEDS PROPS, 2297 TT, IFR, GPS 430s, (FXE) FL. CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION.

This aircraft is currently owned by Aerostar Ltd in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Aircraft in good shape with hours listed 150K, as tested in video $0. Engines to overhaul 50K each, Props about 20k each. Scrap, a lot of cans made from nice aircraft.

Fixit

150k hours? That 17 years of constant flying 24/7

150K is short for $150,000.00 US

You do realize that rubber removal is just a routine procedure at most airports.

This 1970 Aerostar 601 did in fact land safely but not without substantial damage to the props and has recently been listed for sale with the disclaimer "needs props."

AND pilots seat cover I should think.

No, no, the seat cover is fine. That's why the covers come in brown.

Isn't that why Aerostars have this little light thingy on the cockpit instrument panel called a landing gear position indicator? Heck, how hard can that be to see? Somebody must have thinking about Tang, and is wasn't Orange Tang. Too bad the video ended, I was waiting for an engine grenade or two, or props flying off, and/or the reall crash landing. Nevertheless -

It is called a landing and not a crash, as long as you can walk away from it.

Lyn , Hello on better terms . The pilot was attempting to remain above V mc , minimum control speed on one engine , which , on an Aerostar , is fast , over 104 mph. Less speed than this and the application of full power on one engine will cause an uncontrollable roll over into the ground under power .

Had the wheels been down it would have worked , the chances of a post ground strike engine being able to deliver takeoff power are not good at all , the Lycomings saved that airplane , by providing takeoff power even with compromised propellers . Usually what happens is , the extreme vibrations associated with broken props driven at 300 HP tear the engines free of the wings .

That aircraft should have crashed , it should not have been able to regain flight , and the person flying it should not have attempted a takeoff after touching the ground .

The only safe scenario left to a pilot if this sort of thing happens is throttle to zero and stop before igniting . An attempted take off is not only the worst option , it should lead to a flying , burning , out of control twin which can't slow down below 104 mph , not something you want to be inside of .

A similar accident in Tokyo involved a loaded MD 11 Freighter , a FedEx machine . The two pilots accidentally jammed the nose wheel down too hard , probably sleepy after crossing the Pacific hauling nothing but freight . The nosewheel broke , the aircraft impacted with Tokyo's active runway at speed , and then the pilots applied take off power to attempt regaining flight . Instead what happened is the aircraft ignited as it was getting airborne , and spread wreckage and airplane for 5 kilometres across the City of Tokyo , causing a complete loss of aircraft , crew , freight , and very nearly most of the city as well .

You say:

"The pilot was attempting to remain above V mc , minimum control speed on one engine"

I believe that both engines were operating normally. The aircraft would have crashed and burned one one engine.

This was probably an uncontrolled airport. Nobody to inform him of his error.

Conclusion:

Pilot error. Controlled flight into terrain.

As far as I can tell, this was never reported to FAA.

Or an internet hoax.

like the pilot who landed a plane when the wing came off.....

All accidents such as this I thought has to be reported.

There was one aircraft I know of that landed without one wing, but it was an F-15 in Israel and it did get reported.

The pilot was demoted for not bailing out (ignoring the command from his flight instructor), but promoted for saving the aircraft.

There was an youtube about a aerobatic plane that landed after a wing came off.... turn out to be a hoax.

Ok,... Its nice when the thrust is greater then the weight. Now lack of control surface..... not so nice.

Funny thing of the military..... Good job for phuqin up.

Certainly a possibility.