Be sure and watch video of husband and wife fighting 4th incident at 52F in 3 months http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/denton/RAW-VIDEO-Plane-hits-car-at-northwest-regional-airport-177200391.html
Slight gust of x-wind can be seen in the air-sock just before the collision. Pilot was probably focused on getting lined up on the center line at that time and didn't notice the SUV coming from his right. Cessna seemed a little low to me. My instructors always drilled into me that if the engine dies on short final, you should be able to glide and make the runway. That plane was coming in low with still some power on the prop. Lucky the collision was with the landing gear (which broke off). Another 3 feet lower, the results would have been much much worse for both the plane's and car's passengers. .
More info here in this video. From the SUV's passengers point-of-view. http://www.wfaa.com/video?id=177129811&sec=1230556&ref=rcvidmod .
IMHO, it looks like the SUV had the last chance to avoid the accident. If the SUV driver had continued to look both ways as he was crossing the end of the runway, he would have seen the Cessna with enough time to hit the brakes. I suspect the SUV driver looked both ways at the stop sign before starting to cross but assumed it would stay clear until he got to the other side of the runway. In this pic, the SUV is going real slow - maybe 5 - 10 mph. So, it seems it had enough time to stop if he'd seen the airplane coming. . Image Unavailable, Please Login
I learned in sailplanes first. When I flew power planes I always wanted enough altitude in the pattern to make the runway without power, just like in a sailplane.
Looks like the plane would have had the same outcome even if the car wasn't there. Too low approach. NO FLAPS. I'm guessing the lack of flaps was an oversight by the new pilot (first solo Xcountry) and approach speed for a normal full flaps landing was used. It almost appears as if the plane stalls, as it dives for the runway at the end when he chops the power. Hard to see what elevator is used if any. I'm guessing the pilot never saw the car. He had enough problems with his super low and slow approach. I'm also guessing the car driver never saw the plane. One would expect a plane to be in the air, but with such a shallow approach, the plane probably disappeared into the slight hillside behind it. And being on a collision course, there was no apparent movement. Luckily everyone is alright.
No doubt the pilot was dragging it in, but just how oblivious do you have to be to not see a Cessna out your drivers side window. The aircraft had the right of way and the car, even if he had stopped at the hold short stop bar, failed to allow the plane to cross. Dumb, dumb, dumb....
That's the way I was taught also. If you have a slight over-shoot, kill it with a slip. The set up at this airport is primed for incidents and accidents. No vehicles should be driving that close across at the ends of the runway. Earthlings are notoriously ignorant about them flying machines and they will drive or walk in front of them. I can't blame the student too much because it looks like he had his hands full and was concentrating on getting to the runway. The people in the car are lucky after being so careless.
I cannot see any flaps out on that picture of the 172 on final... This looks way too low, flat, and slow.
Also, I don't think the pilot could see the SUV over the plane's cowl... at least when he was close to impact. I'm sure the people in the SUV maybe did a quick glance (maybe) and kept going, looking straight ahead... Glad everyone is OK.
I've landed there and that appears to be Kelly Dr, which I always thought was too close a road to the airport threshold. There is a "stop" sign painted on the road surface but it is a pretty half-assed effort IMO to get vehicles to look out for aircraft on short final. That said, if the person was driving where I think they were, it seems impossible to not notice aircraft operations, but that is just me I am surprised this has not happened before. It is a fairly short runway and you want to stick it on the numbers, but if he was landing 17, there is a displaced threshold and it looked like he was going to land short of the numbers. The combination of vehicle traffic and a student pilot was the culprit. Given the few FAA accident reports I've seen, I bet this gets put 100% on the PIC
I have done the mjority of my training at 52F. N985GE is owned by Marcair Aviation- the local flight school at 52F. I am sure Rob will comment but I think he also did a lot of his training there. 52F is 3500 ft. Several years ago, they had a rule that their students should have their 172s on the ground in the first 1000 ft ( marked by a windsock if landing on 17). I always thought this was silly to require students to do this as they tend to come in low and slow and tend to pound the plane in with plenty of runway ( and stopping length) left. Anyone know if this student was close to his check ride or a recent solo pilot? I also know most of Marc's instructors train students to land with 30 degrees flaps. Not sure a solo student should be experimenting with flaps. That being said- It is an airport. The SUV should have stopped and looked. No stop sign but STOP is clearly painted on the road. Some tail draggers ( Citabrias) land on the grass just to the left of the official runway. This could explain why there is not s traditional stop sign there. Keith is correct- I am surprised it hasn't happened earlier. Without flaps and such a slow and low approach it will be pilot error... BUT, if the student pilot had seen the SUV and pulled back on the yoke without the appropriate throttle response, he could have easily stalled and spun into the ground and had a very different outcome.
Driver's fault...could have EASILY braked. Looked like the driver braked a little, but thought he/she could make it and accelerated a little. Pretty sure airplanes have the right of way over cars when it comes to runways, lol.
When I see things like this I remember when I was a little kid watching airplanes at the Washington Airport, Hoover Field, where the Pentagon now sits. The road to the hill west of the airport cut across the main (and only) runway. When a plane was going to take off they had a red light and siren to stop the cars from crossing. Many times my mother would purposely stop right at the runway so we were close. Curtiss Condors, Ford Tri- Motors, and smaller planes would roar by very close to thrill us little kids and mother, she should have been born a male because she loved trains and planes. Again, I think that this situation at 52F is stupid and should be controlled or changed because it's going to happen again. Mixing student pilots and maybe a few incompetent pilots with motorists whose brains are up and locked is a scenario that spells disaster.
I love how the vehicle occupants are professed aviation enthusiasts who go to the restaurant on the field but apparently did not look for AIRPLANES crossing their path
I remember the old 150th Street entrance to what was then Idlewild Airport (now JFK International) in Queens, NY. The road used to cross a taxiway, and there was a railroad-style crossing gate to stop traffic when planes were taxiing by! A stop sign painted just on the ground is almost useless. I have had five traffic accidents in 42 years of driving, and two of them were in parking lots where the other driver ran such a "stop sign". At the very least, they need a regular octagonal stop sign on a post.
Love how the news labeled them as 'Victims'. The guy admitted that he saw the plane, and thought it was a little low. Apparently that wasn't enough to make him think he should stop. Probably thought it was a four way stop and he had the right of way.
Another site says that the SUV did NOT stop at the painted 'stop' sign, just kept driving... FWIW... At least there should be an octagonal stop sign with a sign below it that says "Look both ways for Aircraft Landing or Taking Off" or something to that effect.
He would have been fine, except for the blind motorists. Back when I was taking lessons at 52F, I was told "no flaps" in the early phases, in case we suddenly had to go around. I didn't get to the later phases, so I don't know when they change the story. (That school isn't around any more, I don't think)
Runway must be short, he's grabbing for the #1 wire. Not sure of the circumstances at that field, there should have been a mandatory stop before proceeding in the path of the runway. Image Unavailable, Please Login
The couple in the SUV were just reminiscing about their honeymoon in St Martin [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8KjPNj2jgw[/ame]
Tillman, I agree that the driver of the SUV was very stupid - but I was speculating that the FAA is probably going to blame the pilot for being that low. I learned in C152s back in the late 60s, and the only way my instructor wanted no flaps landings done was with a steeper approach and use a slip to regulate the descent.
