"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/29/2019 at 20:57 • Filed to: None
2
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"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/29/2019 at 20:57 • Filed to: None | 2
| 16 |
Everyone remember this from yesterday?
Well, I found out more about what happened. The pilot in command has her private certificate as does the guy who was sitting in the right seat. The winds were out of the south, so they had landed on 17L, the smaller of two runways at David Wayne Hooks Airport. After landing, they probably exited at taxiway H, then proceeded into the “non-movement” area to head back north toward their parking area. It’s called a “non-movement” area because the tower doesn’t control traffic there. It’s the main access to the south end of the airport, so both cars and planes share the road.
This is where it gets interesting. They managed to negotiate the curve around the sea lane in front of Texas Flight (yes, sea planes operate out of KDWH), but someone fell asleep at the yoke and failed to make the little left-right jog. They literally drove straight into the ditch.
I watched the footage from the school’s camera. They didn’t even attempt to make the turn. One of the instructors ran over to help. The woman got out of the plane and the first thing she said was that the brakes failed. I think she was just rationalizing. My thoughts were confirmed by one of the maintenance crew. He said the brakes were tested by the owner’s maintenance team and were found to be perfectly functional.
All in all, this was a bad thing to happen. Everyone suffers in an incident like this, from the pilot to the plane’s owners. We don’t know exactly what the was going on in the cockpit, but I’d bet it’s a case of distracted taxiing.
Be safe out there, Oppos!
Svend
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 21:04 |
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Who knew. Taxiing could be taxing.
facw
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 21:05 |
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I’m often surprised by how frequently pilots don’t seem interested in following the yellow line. I pretty much always kept my plane right on it for taxiing, but it doesn’t seem to be a high priority for many pilots.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 21:09 |
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So was she updating her Facebook status or posting a selfie on Instagram
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> facw
03/29/2019 at 21:11 |
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The instructors at the school were talking about the bad habits of some of the pilots seeking advanced ratings. Things like reading through checklists or even writing down information coming from the tower. You can always ask ground control to hold on for a minute while you finish taxiing.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> OPPOsaurus WRX
03/29/2019 at 21:13 |
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I would like to know!
whatisthatsound
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 22:11 |
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What do you mean writing things down from tower?
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> whatisthatsound
03/29/2019 at 22:45 |
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Good question! After we do our pre-flight checklist and b efore taxiing out to the runway, we are required to get the weather information which is updated every hour and broadcast on a specific radio frequency . We write that down. When we contact ground control (they are in the tower) for permission to taxi to the active runway, we have to tell them who we are (N55162), where we are (Texas Flight), what we want (taxi to the active runway), and what we plan to do once airborne (today it was fly VFR to the northwest). They will respond with a series of taxiways (I write that down) and instructions. Before getting airborne, there’s a final check called the runup. Basically, we move to the area given to us by ground control , turn the plane so we don’t blast other planes, set the brake and move the throttle up so the engine is cranking about 75% power. We do a final check of the engine instruments and flight controls, then we are ready to fly. We then move into the next phase of communication by switching to the tower, informing them that we’re ready, and they will give us permission to get on the runway when air traffic is cleared.
If we are flying into other controlled airspace or want continuous monitoring, we ask for that during our initial contact to ground control. This is where we can get into trouble. If there’s a delay or if the pilot is in a hurry, the pilot will be taxiing when the required information comes back. What information? Well, that depends. If I request flight following on a cross-country trip, ground control will contact me with two key pieces of information: the identification number (squawk) they want me to use; and the frequency I’m supposed to use.
The transponder (above) where the squawk is entered is easy to use. I j ust type the numbers as I read the information back to ground control. I have to write down the frequency if I’m going to get it right. Usually they ask me to tell them when I’m ready to write it down. Some pilots just write it down while they taxi. It’s easy to see why.
This is a Garmin 430 GPS/Com which is fairly common in older planes. The radio frequency is entered with the two-level knob on the left. It’s a much slower process than entering the squawk!
That’s probably waaaay more information than you wanted, but I’m getting ready for my check ride (pilot exam) and all the details are on my mind....
WilliamsSW
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 23:23 |
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It’s much worse when you’re IFR and have to copy a clearance, too.
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WilliamsSW
> facw
03/29/2019 at 23:25 |
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My instructor had me stay right on it from the get go. You never really know when you’ll be in an airplane that doesn’t have a lot of clearance and you NEED to be on that line.
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WilliamsSW
> facw
03/29/2019 at 23:25 |
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My instructor had me stay right on it from the get go. You never really know when you’ll be in an airplane that doesn’t have a lot of clearance and you NEED to be on that line.
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WilliamsSW
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/29/2019 at 23:38 |
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Sounds like two pilots yakking away the flight debrief instead of focusing on the task at hand...
Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/30/2019 at 01:39 |
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Did the gear actually collapse or does it just look like it because it’s sitting in a ditch?
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whatisthatsound
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/30/2019 at 04:13 |
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I think you're ready! I have a chart that says F A H for freq alt. Hdg. That helps a ton granted we usually get our clearances prior to taxi even if VFR. I'm so stoked you are enjoying the whole thing. Also God bless the tried and true transponders and GPS.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
03/30/2019 at 06:02 |
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It collapsed. Look closely and you can see the right wheel sitting near the right wing strut. It’s not supposed to be there.
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TheRealBicycleBuck
> whatisthatsound
03/30/2019 at 06:04 |
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Thanks!
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Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
> TheRealBicycleBuck
03/30/2019 at 06:38 |
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I wasn’t sure that was the wheel in the picture. That’s an impressive feat. I’ve slammed Cessnas into the ground countless times and had hundreds of students do it too, that spring steel gear is damn near indestructible in a vertical direction. Must not be nearly as tough shearing backwards.