What to do when the engine fails on your Yak 50

[Iain Ogilvie]

I've watched this several times now - have done many PFLs (Practice Forced Landings) but sobering seeing it done for real.

http://www.bremont.com/mayday.php

Iain

[Doug Rogers]

Wow! That's a bit scary! Why didn't he lower his gear Iain, was the ground too boggy do you think?

[Iain Ogilvie]

Standard procedure in these aircraft is to keep gear up on a forced landing onto rough ground - they have a tendency to flip over if the gear digs in...

Iain

[Wayne]

What to do when the engine fails on your Yak 50, Forced landing in Lake District

I think that would be a good time to say a little prayer in which you thank your chosen keeper for giving you the foresight to chose a mode of air transport where the 'fan' is in front instead of on top!

Jokes aside though, I applaude the pilot for keeping his head, finding an adequate spot to laand, and making a pretty good landing given the circumstances.

Wayne

[Dad 10]

Nicely Done!

Richard McC

[andy wood]

Lockwire. The most important component in any aircraft!

[stratcat]

What is it that they used to say about any landing you could walk away from being a good one.

Well done!

[John B (Sc)]

Yes, good outcome.

Question - especially for those like Iain who have also done some of this -

It seemed to me that he slightly overshot the field he intended to touchdown in - the one with the track across the approach end, then he jinked slightly right, finally maybe just striking the top of the dyke at the margin of the field he did end up in. Which would help explan the very rapid stop. What do you think?

It was hard to tell early on which field he was going for - most interesting to see how the head moves around and seldom settles for long.

I should explain - I am most certainly not trying to be critical here - a good result to walk away from that. I'm trying to figure out the last few seconds. (And put myself into his mind)

Dead easy to be an armchair critic.

Great work to manage to nurse the machine away from the Lakes area which is darned hard to land in. As a glider pilot I've landed in quite a few fields, some better than others. I've also had to do precautionary landings with partial engine failure, though never yet total (Touch wood), except by deliberate choice. It concentrates the mind. We tend to use the continuous curve approach which looks to me what this pilot is doing. He so nearly aces it into the first field too!

I was wondering about those last few moments. I'd be trying to keep wings level for a clean touchdown. That last wee jink seemed to me to be to try to aim for the best remaining option. Which worked, whew. And is what I hope I'd have done too.

I was taught long ago it was better to step out of the wreckage at the far end than get dug out at the near end. Like this.

I wonder if he took up smoking again after that ? That's a darn long time sitting planning, wondering, hoping it will work out as the altimeter winds down inexorably. And whistling Dixie......

John B

Edited October 15, 2010 by John B (Sc)