"Fly yes, land no!"

[Astro14]

Win - We practiced it a lot in single engine airplanes, specifically, the T-34C...the IP in the back would pull the engine to a torque setting that simulated a dead/feathered engine and say "engine failure...where will you land?"...and we intrepid young naval aviators had to establish the best glide airspeed, pick the spot and evaluate our energy all the way to the threshold of the runway (or field), when the IP would power up and take the airplane back. If you know the numbers by heart, know the pattern, and practice it, adjusting for wind each time, you can get pretty good at it...

 

[Win]

As a PP, we ( at least, I ) never practiced an engine out under takeoff conditions - best I recall it was limited to being told: maintain airspeed (control) and land straight ahead. Engine out drills were always out in a practice area from altitude, but were similar to what you did in the pattern - idle the engine, set glide speed, pick your spot, checklist for restart, manage energy (hopefully) to the chosen spot, power up, climb out, repeat. I think they are saying now that he has a broken pelvis and some other significant injuries, so he must have hit pretty hard. I still think he did OK - from the aerials of that airport, it looks like it could have been a lot worse. I hope to get another light single in a few years so our newest child can get acquainted with GA.

 

[Astro14]

It sounds like you were trained well. That's the big variable here...training...I see so many folks who think that they can fly and that they know about flying, but their knowledge is clearly lacking... So, did he do OK? I can't tell much from the details...yet. Clearly the airplane hit nose first, from the dirt and the crumpling of the fuselage, so did he hit a tree? Stall?

 

[zzyzzx]

Obligatory:

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad

Originally Posted By: A_Harman

One ironic thing is that I was watching "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on USA while the news networks were reporting the story about his plane crash.

That one doesn't count.

It is his Edsel, although, technically, Lucas, Koepp and Spielberg are to blame. hotwheels

 

[Win]

Well, AP is now reporting he had been out twenty minutes and was at about 3000 feet ( no indication of AGL or MSL ). "Ford told the airport tower about 20 minutes after his 2 p.m. takeoff that he had engine failure and was making an immediate return, according to a recording posted by LiveATC.net. The plane had been flying at about 3,000 feet and hit a tree on the way down, according to witnesses and officials." I guess until we know the actual facts, we don't know how he did. Glad no one was killed.

 

[datech]

He is over 72 years old. I think my dad quit flying at 60 per the regular recommendation. He did survive and the plane looks repairable. Lots of pilots have done worse.

 

[hotwheels]

It's very likely that Ford will have to stop flying while being under contract of shooting movies, and he has a few big productions coming up. No production company/insurer in their right mind will let him fly aircraft, simply because he's pretty prone to accidents involving him at the controls. Maybe Callista will have to fly him. hotwheels