hey guys, just thought I would share this video with you all. What a great landing and kept his cool! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=552_1297792559
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I'm a novice pilot (own a Cessna 182), but do you think the pilot missed his intended touch down point? I'm no expert, but I would have aimed at the beginning of that big dark green field (just past the road). The pilot was making his turn-to-final very low to the ground, maybe too low IMHO. I would have picked a similar field closer to me and set up for a straight final approach at least 2 or 3 fields in length. That way, I would have enough time to adjust and forward slip the plane so that I hit planned touch down point. I've never had an engine emergency but have practiced emergency landings on farms quite a bit during my training. In the pic below, the pilot is too high for the start of that dark green field and he is still in the middle of his turn at this point. He ended up landing in that light green, rougher section in the upper right corner of the picture. Image Unavailable, Please Login
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/bulletins/august_2010/yak_50__g_yakk.cfm The aircraft was on a local flight from Carlisle Airport when the engine failed due to loss of oil pressure. The windscreen became partially obscured with an oil film but the pilot was able to make a forced landing in a field, during which the aircraft was substantially damaged. He vacated the aircraft unaided, but later attended hospital as his injuries became more apparent. On examining the engine, the pilot identified that the oil pressure adjustment valve was missing from the oil scavenge pump housing (Figure 1). It was found in the lower cowling with no evidence of the expected wire locking. He believed that the valve had worked loose and fallen out during the accident flight, causing the oil loss. The aircraft had recently undergone extensive maintenance which included an overhaul of the oil scavenge pump assembly. Initial flights following this work revealed a small oil leak in the area of the pump, which at the time, was thought to be have been remedied by an engineer tightening the small vertical bolts adjacent to the pressure adjustment valve
Did a little research on the Yak-50. Stall speed is 54 kts (versus 40 kts for my Cessna 182 with full flaps). So, his approach speed to the field on final was probably 33% faster than I would fly it in the Cessna. That's gonna make it quite a bit harder to pull off that landing on the farm.
Was the gear down? The field didn't look to be that bad in terms of roughness, and clearly the airplane is on it's belly at the end and the tailwheel was down, so did he hit hard enough to take the gear off of the airplane???? Don't want to second guess, but it looked like he wanted to get past some obstruction on the ground and then kinda pancaked it it and hit pretty hard. Have to fly the airplane until it stops, but the ground didn't look that soft that it would have caused problems with the airplane tripping over when he landed..
He hit the rock wall, didn't he? That's how I saw it... loud "crunch" just before stopping. I took that to mean the rock wall tore the gear off, front and rear. ? Jedi
Ron, I think I'd rather fly with you. This guy had a lot of time to setup a landing area and waited until the situation dictated what he had to do. I would have liked to see his airspeed as he made that left turn. This could have turned out much worse.
It looks to me like he aborted his left turn because he was loosing airspeed and altitude too quickly to line up with that nice long green field to the left of the rock wall that he skipped over. I also wonder if the gear was up when he set down due to a dead engine, especially if the gear actuator hydraulic. If so that might explain the belly landing.
no one else thought staged viral watch ad for awhile? remember the one wing landing? remember the street landing in Florida?
Really? Doesn't seem so to me... clearly serious damage to the plane. Seemed realistic throughout... but I'm not a pilot - you all are. So I defer on that point.... Jedi
I just thought that from beginning where he looks at his watch for 8 seconds and look who advertises the video. loss of oil pressure and engine problems, plane was still running smooth? a plane gets rough real quick when engine not running right. wind milling prop? luckily I have never experienced it, but I thought most engine outs the prop locks? where was the oil loss on the window or plane? I could see perfectly fine out his window. the landing looked half way smooth, I have done about 50 grass field landings and they were as hard as that. all that said I am leaning towards everything is real, but certainly suspicious as 8 second watch look and ad, only feathered engine (idle power), and just quick look at nosed in plane afterwards after what appeared to be a normal grass field landing.
Rob, if you're looking for another opinion, I don't think it's staged. First he declared an emergency "Pan, Pan, Pan" and had ATC watching him. Second, I think he almost hit an obstruction.
I can say that I was a passenger in a Mooney 300 in the early 80s when we lost oil pressure, and oil was ALL OVER THE WINDOW. We were still under power and landed in a grass airfield with no significant damage... but it was SCARY AS HELL with very little visibility.... no harm no foul, he had service on the plane (It was an official grass airfield, with an attached garage).... and we flew back out a few hours later. But the "oil spraying over the windscreen" was quite memorable.... different than this video from my personal experience. Jedi
I know, that could have been another radio on their own frequency prentending to be control, in groups we get on our own frequency all the time. I about hit an obstruction every time I land at home airport. 4' fence 20 feet before runway. I still am leaning towards its real, but I haven't seen anything in the video that couldn't be staged. Now if the following would have happened it would have completely convinced me... 1) locked prop 2) oil on window 3) hard landing and possible somewhere other than farmer John's grass strip.
I don't disagree with anything you're saying. I remember doing engine off landings and I don't recall a locked prop. I don't know this plane at all to even guess where oil would leak from but I see your point. I'm not calling that a grass strip!
I thought they gave up on QFE in the UK, but apparently not. All the bloody fields in that part of Cumbria have stone fences and they would be hard to see. Hopefully somebody bought him a beer. One of our F-111 crews in the UK punched out and they found them in the local pub drinking a well needed pint. Did not help when they took the required blood samples after an accident. Taz Terry Phillips
you did engine out landings? wow, I tried to talk my instructor into it one day at a long wide local airport and he was up for it, but school owner wasn't. ALL our "engine outs" were simulated power back to idle.
With regards to that, if it were staged they wouldn't have had an air accident report IMO. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/bulletins/august_2010/yak_50__g_yakk.cfm You download the .pdf.
My flight instructor at the time was my college roommate. I'm not sure the owner of the plane would have approved.
I only watched it once and this is what I saw. He did mention oil down the right side of the fuselage IIRC. The engine didn't quit at the beginning of the video but towards the end per the radio transmissions. The YAK has a radial engine in it if that makes any difference in the power off conditions. The gouges in the grass looked to be on the centerline of the A/P which would indicate prop strike if nothing else. I still find it hard to believe he didn't nose it over.
I may be losing it in my old age but if the prop is mounted on the propeller shaft by means of a spline and the propeller shaft is connected to the crankshaft even by reduction gears, how the hell is it windmilling when the engine is seized? Did the crankshaft break? Did he shear the splines? As far as his approach, I can still hear my instructor yelling repeatedly after he shut off the engine, " Stick forward and straight ahead!" I had 4 " engine failures" during my check ride and it was always into a predetermined field or I would have been marked down or failed.
That is exactly what I was thinking too. Loss of oil pressure eventually leads to bearing failure and that leads to a siezed motor. In a round motor with the master rod design that usually happens pretty quick because of the tremendous load and reliance on a single bearing. If the motor has not siezed it is still capable of delivering power. All I can think of is maybe the Ruskies put a Sprag clutch in the prop drive. That would allow it to windmill but how many single engine aircraft provide any allowance for operation in the case of engine failure like featherable props etc? If indeed it has a Sprag clutch that would say volumes about what the Ruskies think of the reliability of their round motors. And if that is the case I vote for a P&W.
