Cessna lands on a road

If you have no engine, you might also be out of electrical power… So no way to get flaps down. (I guess they are electrically operated on Cessnas?)

A failed battery will not cause the engine to fail, and the battery will work the flaps in most cases, unless coincidentally it loses its charge.

Forced landing checklist:

Speed: attain glide speed
Field: Choose suitable field preferably in front of the aircraft.
Fault: Try establish cause of engine failure, fuel pump on (n/a for C152) change fuel tanks, magnetos, mixture, carb heat, if no go then
Flaps: as required to achieve correct approach
Finals: mixture, mags, master off, doors open

I’ve flown the C152 but I won’t make any comments about why it appears the pilot didnt lower flaps. The reason why is because we dont really know what his circumstances were – maybe he didnt have enough time, maybe as suggested above he didnt want to affect the rate of descent etc Theres many reasons and I’d imagine coming down on a road is one of them situations where you’ve got to try and be abit flexible and make the most of what you’ve got.

A while since I flew one, but if I remember correctly first stage of flap in Cessna 152 is lift generating, reduces stalling speed, albeit with extra drag steepening the glide angle.

Second and third stages of flap give much increased drag, glide angle gets a lot steeper. Not likely to be much use unless you are very high on the approach.

Whatever the armchair punditry. All credit to the pilot for creating a situation he walked away from.

I don’t know a “real” pilot is supposed to be, but I humbly speculate with my qualifications (PPL & microlights; including C152) that in order to maintain the desired glidepath the flaps were never extended in the first place.

If you’re faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.
(Bob Hoover)

Bob Hoover would be proud 😉

Using my Key publishing Aviation armchair speculation handbook, Propstrikes quote is tops. I would guess (and this is only speculation) the pilot was working his ass off from engine quit to touchdown. To walk away from such an incident as they did, is testiment to the piloting skills and a small slice of luck.

Would be interested in MoggyC commenting as he is a real pilot.

Baz

Even without a turning engine, the battery will power the flaps down.
It would be good practice to use them even if applied at the last minute.
But it’s also easy to miss the odd checklist item in the reality of an emergency.

There was a seminar once discussing the BOAC 707 that caught fire after take off and returned immediately to land on the old 23 runway at Heathrow. Someone asked how he managed to complete the pre-landing checks so quickly. The reply from the pilot was “Gear, Flaps!”.

Concentrate on the important stuff: select the clearest area and maintain a stable speed, do the other checks if you get a chance.

If you have no engine, you might also be out of electrical power… So no way to get flaps down. (I guess they are electrically operated on Cessnas?)

They sure do. Slow flap deployment from what I recall.

If you have no engine, you might also be out of electrical power… So no way to get flaps down. (I guess they are electrically operated on Cessnas?)

It actually looks like his flaps were up though.

In a situation like that I’d certainly have been having a bit of a flap.

You can just imagine the conversations in some of the houses – “Oooh look dear, an aeroplanes just landed in the road outside our house!” “So it has, have Burger King started doing deliveries?”

Regards,

kev35

Impressed.:eek:

A C150 can fly as slow as 40 knots with full flap IIRC.

It actually looks like his flaps were up though.

When a prang seems inevitable, endeavour to strike the softest, cheapest object in the vicinity as slowly and gently as possible.
(Advice given to RAF pilots during W.W.II)

If you’re faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.
(Bob Hoover)

If an airplane is still in one piece, don’t cheat on it; ride the ******* down.
(Ernest K. Gann, advice from the ‘old pelican’)

Bob Hoover would be proud 😉

🙂

Saw the same photo in the Bild this morning. An amazing escape.

Perhaps the pilot had some contractors working on his house and took too close a look Kev? 😀

Good job!

Quite amazing really, as is the fact that the rescue services, within minutes, had set up a stall to sell parts retrieved from the aeroplane. 😀

Regards,

kev35

Bloody hell, how he misssed that lot is beyond me.

see

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=138219