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These guys are lucky to be alive

K

kilo delta

Charter Member 2015
On June 30, 2012, about 1405 mountain daylight time, a Stinson 108-3, N773C, was substantially
damaged after impacting terrain during initial climb near the Bruce Meadows Airport (U63), Stanley,
Idaho. The certified commercial pilot sustained serious injuries, and the three passengers
sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which
was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and a flight plan was
not filed. The flight was destined for the McCall Municipal Airport (MYL), McCall, Idaho.
In a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the
passenger who occupied the right rear seat reported that after taking off the pilot flew straight
out for about three or four minutes, but the airplane would only ascend to about 60 to 70 feet
above the tops of the trees. The passenger stated that the airplane started losing altitude and
experienced a downdraft, which was followed by its wings impacting the tops of the surrounding
trees. The airplane subsequently came down through the trees before impacting terrain inverted and
sliding to a stop.
The airplane was recovered to a secured storage facility for further examination.

Updated on Jul 6 2012 1:10PM
Click to expand...
taken from the preliminary NTSB report here http://images.bimedia.net/documents/Plane+Crash+NTSB+Report.pdf

Video here...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDu0jYiz-v8&feature=youtu.be


P
 
Bruce Meadows really isn't too bad of strip to get in and out of.
Nice flat valley all around. :kilroy:

EDIT: Ah okay, finally got to see the video on LiveLeak, YouTube blocked it.
Used all of the strip at Bruce Meadows and then some to take off.
Yup, the obvious. Air Density. NTSB report gives the weather detail.
Bruce Meadows sits about 6400' altitude.
Fully loaded Stinson 108.
 
Dain Arns said:
Yup, the obvious. Air Density. NTSB report gives the weather detail.
Bruce Meadows sits about 6400' altitude.
Fully loaded Stinson 108.
Click to expand...
Now, calculate the Density Altitude of ~9139 feet! Normally aspirated powered aircraft have a hard time operating at this altitude.

When the a/c had used every inch of the prepared "runway" and still hadn't even begun to gain lift, the pilot should have immediately aborted...

Even after that questionable "takeoff," he continued to have a reasonably clear area on which to make an emergency landing for several minutes before reaching the tree line, which he should have done as it was quite obvious the a/c was unable to gain altitude...

It's interesting to note also that he never touched the mixture control at all, leaving it at "full rich." Yet another point source for failure. It's probable that available power was limited to about 50%...
 
n4gix said:
Now, calculate the Density Altitude of ~9139 feet! Normally aspirated powered aircraft have a hard time operating at this altitude.

When the a/c had used every inch of the prepared "runway" and still hadn't even begun to gain lift, the pilot should have immediately aborted...

Even after that questionable "takeoff," he continued to have a reasonably clear area on which to make an emergency landing for several minutes before reaching the tree line, which he should have done as it was quite obvious the a/c was unable to gain altitude...

It's interesting to note also that he never touched the mixture control at all, leaving it at "full rich." Yet another point source for failure. It's probable that available power was limited to about 50%...
Click to expand...

Exactly, Bill. Plus four adults and all of the gear they had because they had been out hiking.

I was getting uncomfortable myself watching the video on his take off.
I mean it's been years since I've been to Bruce Meadows "in the real world", I fly that area in FSX now thanks to Orbx, it is a fairly long strip around a few thousand feet.
But he was getting into an area on that strip I knew he should have aborted, and I could hear the tires still making contact.

The other thing is just listen.
You can just hear the air around the poor thing buffeting after it takes off, and the frame just creaking away.
And the silence of everyone who knows things aren't right...

Here's another Stinson 108 video someone found, thinking reasonable guess in similar air density conditions, this one from the outside....

<iframe src="http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=0af09e1046c6" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>
 
That fellow was just plain lucky he managed to squeak through without clipping some bushes!

The pilot involved in the Stinson crash already had an earlier accident from just over a year ago:

Previous accident on April 10, 2010:
NTSB Identification: WPR10CA201
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 10, 2010 in Galena, ID
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/12/2010
Aircraft: CESSNA 150D, registration: N4296U
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.

The pilot reported that he intended to fly his airplane on a cross-country flight over high mountainous terrain. After takeoff, the pilot climbed to 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl) in order to fly over mountains. He subsequently descended to 8,500 feet msl, and then he attempted to climb back to 9,500 feet to clear additional mountains. This second climbing effort diminished his fuel reserve, so the pilot opted to divert to a 7,160-foot msl uncontrolled airport short of his destination. While flying over the airport to evaluate its runway’s condition, the pilot noted that the runway was covered with snow. The pilot opined that because of the airplane’s low fuel state, it was prudent for him to land. The pilot made a soft-field landing on the runway. During rollout, the airplane’s wheels penetrated the snow-covered surface, the airplane nosed over, and both wings and the empennage broke.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s encounter with soft, snow-covered terrain while executing a precautionary landing.
 
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