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Emergency navigation by iPad

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by toggie, Feb 9, 2015.

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  1. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    #1 toggie, Feb 9, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Pilot and wife use iPads to navigate and safely bring down plane without landing gear after total electrical failure leaves them flying blind.

    Wyoming pilot and his wife use iPads to safely bring down plane without landing gear | Daily Mail Online

    A pilot and his wife used quick-thinking and modern technology to safely land their plane at night after the electrical systems failed.

    By using their iPads, they were able to navigate through nearly 80 miles in the dark before successfully bringing down the single-engine propeller plane onto a runway at Rapid City Regional Airport in South Dakota - without using landing gear.

    The pair, whose names have not been released, were flying the Piper PA 24-250 Comanche from Wyoming to Wisconsin when their plane had a full electrical-system failure last Friday night.

    The electrical failure caused all of the on-board computers to shut down and made the pilot unable to extend landing gear onto the runway, according to KEVN Black Hills Fox.
    The only cockpit instruments he and his wife had available to them were airspeed and altitude indicators.

    As they were also unable to alert traffic controllers that they were entering Rapid City airspace, they had to abruptly crash-land the plane onto the runway.
    Tower employees reported seeing sparks beneath the bottom of the plane as it skidded to a stop, according to KDLT.
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  2. jcurry

    jcurry Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 jcurry, Feb 9, 2015
    Couple things don't add up.

    1/ apparently they had some sort of 'glass' panel, either Garmin or Aspen, otherwise I'm not sure what computers they are speaking about. I know the Aspen has battery backup for minimum of 30 min, and imagine the Garmin units do as well.
    2/ all electrically operated landing gear systems have some manner to lower the gear in the event of electrical failure.
     
  3. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    #3 toggie, Feb 9, 2015
  4. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    #4 toggie, Feb 9, 2015
    Agree.
    Page 3-8 of the POH for the 1958 to 1960 Comanche has the procedure to manually lower the landing gear.

    Maybe the pilot didn't know about the procedure?
    Maybe he tried it and it didn't work for him?

    Strange.
     
  5. joker57676

    joker57676 Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #5 joker57676, Feb 10, 2015
    I'm going to guess the article horribly written and inaccurate before I start taking shots at the pilot. Since aviation defense law is what I do, Im repeatedly reminded how awfully bad aviation accidents are reported.



    Mark
     
  6. jcurry

    jcurry Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 jcurry, Feb 10, 2015
    Then he wasn't qualified to fly the aircraft.

    Most likely event, and agree with Mark that the reporting would be suspect in this event. However if it didn't work then it casts doubt on the airworthiness of the airplane (prior to the event:D).

    Quick internet search shows that the G500/600 does not have battery backup. IPad's with Foreflight or WingX with portable AHRS are simply amazing tools. Cheap insurance and sure beat the heck out of paper charts and a mechanical E6B.
     
  7. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 donv, Feb 10, 2015
    G600 has no special battery backup.

    That said, navigating VFR with an iPad is no big deal-- I just did 800 miles that way. I didn't really need the iPad-- after all, the manufacturer already provided me with a windshield to use for navigation-- but it was nice. I can see where it would be very, very nice at night.

    As for the gear, well, that doesn't look good...

     
  8. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
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    #8 toggie, Feb 10, 2015
    I noticed that the three bladed prop looks pretty good for a belly landing.

    I wonder if the pilot shut off the engine on final and positioned the prop to minimize the damage?
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