Dried off to fly another Day
A few years ago one of our members and his wife were involved in a traumatic incident which had potential to be very serious but luckily ended reasonably well. He would like to share with you the events of a day which is deeply engrained in his memory to possibly help other pilots from falling into the same trap. The moral of this story being learn from others misfortunes and mistakes to avoid repeating what ruined the day and turned their beloved aircraft into an insurance claim resting in a shallow lake.
It was a typical VFR morning on July 20th 2004 at 10:21 when the single engine Piper Archer with two occupants onboard departed Oshawa Ontario enroute to Wawa.
Although the departure with full fuel tanks went as planned, only 10 minutes out it was discovered an important item was left behind in their car requiring a 180 degree turn followed by cleared to land at 10:40.
Once their car was relocked and prop whirling a second departure took place at 10:56 where the flight continued as planned on the left fuel tank with out refuelling due to the limited amount of gas which would have been required to top it right up.
One hour into the trip over Wiarton the fuel selector was then switched to the right tank as per normal procedures keeping burn and balance in check for a planned 2 hours with this selection.
An hour later the gauge was indicating lower than it should have, but the closest airport being Sault Ste.Marie was IFR thus the decision made to proceed onto destination.
Now instead of enjoying the flight a nervous watch of fuel gauges begins and questions of their accuracy and fuel leaks become paramount.
Continuing on for another 25 minutes cautiously monitoring the situation gauges proved to be accurate, as once it indicated empty and ran dry turning the smooth sound of a normal engine to an immediate stop after only 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Instinctively the fuel selector was switched back over to the original left tank which should have roughly 45 minutes of invaluable liquid remaining and the engine returned to life.
Realising there was limited fuel available for this flight with 1 hour twenty minutes burned off earlier and no options for landing at this point they continued knowing it would be close if at all possible to reach destination safely.
A call went out to Wawa with position and altitude being 12 nm out and then again at 6 nm when the engine once again became silent at 1800 feet above ground level.
Now certain of the impeding forced landing a May Day call went out and best glide angle plus emergency training went into action.
The best option at first appeared to be a clearing in the woods until on final up close and personal revealed a recent logging site which was littered with hazardous stumps and debris just waiting to cause major damage to the aircraft plus all involved.
On the other side of the clearing was Leroy Lake which all of a sudden appeared to be much more inviting given the options.
Now on short final and out of altitude the aircraft was held nose high until stalling onto the water stopping violently as the wheels caught the smooth surface forcing the nose down which turned out well given the scenario.
The cabin immediately filled with water thus the burning desire to unbelt and depart the sinking craft finds them standing on a wing in shallow water only a short distance from shore.
Knowing they were still isolated and unfamiliar with the area although only miles from civilization it was decided to stay on that wing of the sunken craft until help arrived in the form of Search and Rescue which took about an hour and a half.
The passenger was airlifted to hospital for possible whiplash and lacerations to her elbow while the pilot suffered only minor cuts plus black eye and sprained thumb which could have been significantly worse had they not been wearing shoulder harnesses.
Post accident investigation revealed 2 hours fuel burn on the left tank and 1 hour 30 minutes from the right tank with no explanation for the low 3.5 hour total available fuel due to leaking from tanks caps or possibly cross feeding.
It was presumed the 20 minute burn and twice departure at high power settings after take off was responsible for the inadequate fuel situation or possibly not being 100% filled up prior to the days events.
Either way what could have been done differently to avoid the fuel problem which caused this accident?
When even 50 litres is needed to refill always top up when ever any trip is planned where the fuels contents are even remotely close for required distance as there is only one time you have too much fuel and that when you are on fire.
What actions to plan for if you find yourself in this predicament:
-Wear shoulder harness to reduce head injuries to avoid being unconscious and sinking.
-Commit your best glide angle speed and emergency procedures to memory.
-Have with in reach or wear a manual inflation life vest.
-Practice the brace position which includes teaching your passengers.
-Familiarize yourself occasionally with your eyes closed as to door and exit locations.
-Carry extra equipment on long trips to remote regions such as bug spray in summer or all weather cloths for winter.
Bryan Webster is an 11.000 hour pilot owns and operates Aviation Egress Systems based at Victoria BC teaching aircraft in water emergencies and flies a De Havilland Beaver on floats commercially in his spare time.
If you have a story worth telling to keep our members safe or would like to book in for Egress Training contact:
Bry The Dunker Guy
250-704-6401
Bry the Dunker Guy
Ditching Myths
In my years as an Egress instructor I have had some interesting questions posed to me, as well a number of misguided piloting types explaining how they would personally handle a ditching.
The reality is there is only seconds to react after a complete inversion, before the overwhelming reaction to being entrapped is unleashed. About that time the animal instinct to survive becomes paramount, demanding you find an air supply immediately.
To have no pre- determined escape plan for you and your passengers complicates an already extremely challenging situation, while the clock rapidly dictates a positive or negative out come.
To have previously experienced a similar event in a warm pool facility should this ever happen to you, proves the results are mirror image for the success rate of those trained verses untrained.
By knowing what to do and expect from previous Egress training, plus having been in water practicing life vest procedures and remembering to take one with you on the way out proves a major advantage.
There are many reasons why people are reluctant to Egress train ranging from fear of water, to claustrophobia or simply not wanting to be seen as incapable of handling the scenario by ones peers.
In Egress Training programs each individual has strengths and weaknesses, thus as a group we foster camaraderie and work with each person to achieve confidence and reach their highest personal potential.
Regarding ditching myths here are a few of my favorites-
Number one and the most common misunderstood plan would be to simply watch your air bubbles once entrapped inverted and proceed to safety.
The problem associated with this idea is the obvious poor visibility at best being under water, and the possibility of silty water conditions or darkness.
Also you are giving up a percentage of the limited air supply held in your lungs which can not be replenished in order that you create this indicator.
To add to the scenario, what if the aircraft is pointing nose down and you find yourself in the rear of the cabin totally disorientated and unable to locate the now illusive door handles behind and below you.
Number two and another favorite is that a calm and collected individual will open the exit and vacate the premises with ease, or failing that kick out a window and swim to safety.
I find most of theses personalities are covering their actual fear of water or participation in training with an arrogant attitude.
Pilots who refuse to entertain even thinking about what should be done in any aircraft emergency are not only endangering themselves, but also anyone they fly with.
Soon after a person as mentioned above is enrolled in Egress Training and actively participating, signs of uncertainty and concerns regarding the program appear.
Once training is completed an admission of previous over all anxiety is replaced with a new found respect and understanding of why Egress training is offered.
Number three being when flying over water climb high enough to reach land should a problem arise, and simply return to a suitable clearing on shore as a glider if necessary.
This is a good plan until you overnight at the opposite end of your journey and Mother Nature swaps CVOK for 500 feet obscured, and now you have to be at work in less than an hour.
About then you are informed by your traveling companions they also have commitments and thus just this once you must break your safety net exercised the day previous.
Number four and my personal favorite for all times was explained to me while trying to sell this new concept Egress program several years ago at an aerobatic flight training center.
The owner and head instructor stated emphatically that his plan, should he be faced with a ditching would be to roll inverted and enter the water with the landing gear pointing skyward. In his mind this flight condition would avoid the anticipated flip caused by wheels making contact with the surface and dragging its nose downward.
Considering this as an alternate procedure to the upright entry you may want to consider an impact at or above 60 mph similar to a convertible automobile with your head exposed. The very fact that most front aircraft windows are constructed of light Plexiglas which will most likely depart on impact, would be enough to deter me.
After researching this misconceived maneuver I was unable to find any information substantiating its merits as no one has ever tried it, which is partly why I would not
want to be the first.
Bryan Webster has flown in excess of 11.000 hours over the past 25 years and is yet today flying commercially in a De Havilland Beaver on the Canadian BC coast.
His past experience was partially responsible for realizing aviation was lacking in pilot Egress training and formed Aviation Egress Systems at Victoria BC in 1989.
Pilots and passengers are now able to train for ditching light aircraft in a one day program at a reasonable cost.
Bryan has also written a book on aviation egress called “Ditching Principles” which is now available on his web-site.
For further information contact Bry “The Dunker Guy” at 250-704-6401 or
check out www.dunkyou.com