Short Field- FARM

[Lthrnek89]

So... what you are ALL saying is that I should get years of flying experience and then just purchase the 20 acres from my neighbor and cut the tress down. I think we could pull that off.

I have been in an aviation family my entire-life... ( father was a Marine Aviator for 26 years and I was a powerline/crew-chief on F/A-18s in the Marines for 10 years)

so I have learned two things regarding aircraft accidents:

1) Sh!t happens clause.. the unforeseeable with aircraft or personnel (health)
2) Mitigating Risk.... manage risk... to reduce the possibility of an accident


I get it... thanks again!

[Rooster]

Hi there from South Africa.

We buried my friend Pierre last week on Thursday!
He was flying out of his 350 meter (1155 feet) farm strip.(One way in and one way out). He had a Kitfox SS7 with a Rotax 914 turbo and an in flight adjustable prop. Empty weight of 845 lbs.

Take-Off downhill. Hot morning. Calm wind? Tail wind? Maybe a wind eddy? Big feet so did he activate brakes while ruddering? Heavy passenger? Did he forget flaps? Did he run it up to full power before he let go the brakes? Did he have the prop set properly?
Was his lap strap tightened properly?
Our CAA accident investigation team is very bad, so we may never know.

The short version is that he rotated, came down again and ran off the end of the runway and through his gate (busting it up) into the alfalfa land, flipped and his neck was broken. (tall and heavy guy).

Experience? definitely! Tail wheel experience? some, but not heaps.
I've flown in and out of his field for a visit at tea time many times and each time was different and required different considerations.

My point is, with such capable aircraft, we must be MORE vigilant before each take off and each landing because we will more than likely expect the aircraft to give everything every time and keep us from dying!

His 2 beautiful daughters and his loving wife miss him terribly!
I do too!

Be careful, please.

[David47]

Oh man, that is so sad. There its nothing anyone can say to assuage the grief in these circumstances but for what its worth, sincere condolences to family and friends, yourself included. And you're right, vigilance is key, but knowing your aircraft is also important, particularly when weather conditions are abnormal. Hopefully your CAA will do a good job of investigating and come to a conclusion as to the cause(s) so that we can all learn.

[Av8r3400]

A very sobering story, Rooster. We all send our best to you and your friend's family on your tragic loss.


This does bring to mind that even though our plane are very capable, is it really necessary for that type of risk every time you want to fly? Since I put up the couple of videos flying into my strip I get asked all the time, "Why not keep your plane there all the time?"


There are a couple of reasons why I don't, but this is the main one. There are very few options at my strip in the event of an emergency. Either on approach or departure. The plane and the pilot must be both on their "A" game to do my strip. If one is off just a little, you are into the trees, with a very poor outlook.


Short, challenging strips can be fun. To need to do this every time you fly is playing at a very dangerous game. Coming home fatigued after a long day of flying and then needing to land at a very challenging strip is not the way to stay healthy.


Our choice of hobby, with all of it's great rewards, also has to include a fair amount of risk abatement.




Be safe out there.

[Slyfox]

very sobering Rooster. Which comes to what I want to say here. Not everybody is created equal. Meaning we all have a skill set and some people just may not have the skills to do some things, not saying that your friend didn't have the skills. I'm saying that flying takes a special skill. building airplanes takes a special skill (although it's made to believe anybody can do it) . running my bass boat at 75 miles an hour takes a special skill. But it's a persons ability to recognize that no matter what your skill level is, it's up to the person doing that skill to determine whether or not it's safe at the time you do it or not. Ya I can run my bass boat at 75 mph but at the moment I want to do it, is it the right thing to do. there are many conditions that make doing something not safe. conditions on the water or in the air tell us, is it safe. if that isn't enough there might be something with the equipment that could have a problem. so our skill may not be enough for a safe outing in something we love to do. then there is the final result of living our life, is it our time. I hope and pray that my life ends up being what I want for myself. I can't be restricting myself because this and that could happen. but rather be diligent and make sure each and every flight or outing in my boat is to the best I can make it be. don't be careless and disrespectful of the equipment and the time doing it. but try to be the best I can be at what I'm doing at the time.

[Lthrnek89]

Rooster,

Very sorry for the loss of your good friend- thank you for sharing your story here.

[bbs428]

Very sad post Rooster.

I'm Sorry for the loss of your friend and a fellow Kitfox driver.
As a participant in risky life pursuits, ie. motorcycles and airplanes,
I'm still breathing because of being lucky at times when I failed at assessing risk.

" ...with such capable aircraft, we must be MORE vigilant before each take off and each landing
because we will more than likely expect the aircraft to give everything every time and keep us from dying!"

Agreed.

[Rooster]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWRCQVBzDHc

This is a clip of me in my 5 with a Franklin 4A 235 B31 116HP at Pierre's airfield.
My plane is 960lbs empty.
The difference here is that this was a cool evening with an into wind (gentle, as you can see from the sock) take off. I was one up and 3/4 tanks.
He was operating on a hot morning (07h15) and I think with no significant wind, but those large hills to the north can cause eddys and allow us to think that there is no wind????
The other day, it was hot and I was caught with 2 wind shears on approach to land on the up hill on short finals! I ended up with full power to keep it from landing short and hard in the alfalfa and before the gate, then , quick as a wink, I was too fast and touching down and committed to land! I got it stopped in good time though, but it just goes to show that a couple of variables and we are "in the Dwang!"

You can see the gate he went through and he ended up in the middle of that alfalfa land.

Pierre filmed this on his I-phone.

So?
It seems do-able, and Pierre and I have been doing it pretty Easily for a long time, but suddenly, on the day, all the holes in the cheese lined up to cause an accident!

What's done is done and the only good that can come of it now, is that we all learn something; If only to be more careful!

Reid

[efwd]

Wow Rooster, sorry to hear this story. Thanks for posting. That strip looks pretty inviting. I would not think that it would be a problematic strip by the looks of it. Goes to show that back country strips are nothing to take lightly. If one wants to do those kind of strips it is absolutely advisable to get the instruction from a skilled back country pilot. I won't be doing it until I fly again with Stick and Rudder.

[Slyfox]

very good eddie. best to replace the bag of luck with experience.