Daft move of the day.

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Scav
Senior Airman
Posts: 206
Joined: 02 Apr 2017, 20:02

Daft move of the day.

Post by Scav »

Or, more eloquently spoken, "How An After-Incident Report Should Be Written."

I've finally been Accusimmed (is that a verb nowadays?).

A half hour into the flight, Durango to the Grand Canyon and I'm trundling along at 12,500 MSL threading my way in-between a couple of cells of high cumulous in an otherwise clear day. As I'm arguing with my iPad over which audio to play next, I suddenly feel like both John Freakin' Glenn and Yuri Freakin' Gagarin combined! as the nose climbs sharply upward and I no longer see dirt in any of the windows.

We're talking "I just left my stomach on someone's front yard in Navajo land" sharply upward.

In the course of the next minute:

1. I gain a thousand feet of altitude before killing the autopilot and wrangling it back under control. I'm thinking the Finger of God came by and smote me silly with one hell of an updraft at this point.
2. I contemplate the firm metallic THUMP I heard come from somewhere abaft of me shortly after the aircraft got away from me like it weren't no thang. We're talking an "R2-D2 hitting the deck after being stunned by a Jawa" kind of thump.
3. Whilst simultaneously cursing like a sailor and pushing against the yoke like a cat trying to get away from a bath, I'm no longer thinking the Finger of God had anything to do with this.
4. I try to throw some trim in and realize to myself:
5. Hey, numbnuts -- you've got a stuck trim crank!

So. I'm actually near the Four Corners park and I have control which means I have options that go beyond soiling oneself and crying like a ninny with a skinned knee. The closest airport is the tiny airpark 5V5 which is not an option (there's nothing there and I don't fancy asking scorpions and lizards for mechanical assistance). KCEZ by Mesa Verde is an option (but it's over 30 miles distant and I'm not warm about fighting a crosswind in addition to the pitch-happy vibe I'm getting from the tail). Farmington, NM is closer, at about 20 miles away and I'm riding the tailwinds instead of the headwinds going back. Tuba City in Arizona is right out.

Needless to say my virtual arms are noodly, but I made it to KFMN and managed to avoid thumping it in on the way back onto pavement like a noob. Had a chance to shake my head at the stupidity of the situation and use some more rather vulgar language, but at least this, in the grand scheme of things, sure beat being squished into elemental goo in the middle of nowhere.

I'll post screenshots later. :mrgreen:

PA24 :: PA28 :: C182T :: BE35
"Tell me, have you ever met a Scav up close? Of course not . . ."

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Pistonpilot
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Re: Daft move of the day.

Post by Pistonpilot »

Sounds harrowing! Nice write up. Glad you and your virtual self survived!

-Ian C

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DWC Alumni. Commercial Instrument Single/Multi-Engine Land. [Former] Police, Fire, & 9-1-1 Dispatcher. [Former] MAINEiac Crew Chief.

Scav
Senior Airman
Posts: 206
Joined: 02 Apr 2017, 20:02

Re: Daft move of the day.

Post by Scav »

Pistonpilot wrote:Sounds harrowing! Nice write up. Glad you and your virtual self survived!
Indeed. :) And of course, sitting at my desk, it was a heckuva lot easier to stay calm and rational throughout the whole thing. I'm sure if this was for real and my cheese was up in the air, it'd be a completely different matter.

Anyway, a couple of pics from the event as I promised:

Image

Near as I can tell, the through-bolt securing the control arm to the trim tab and its accompanying castle nut sheared off / backed off, allowing the upper control arm to fall directly downward. I do remember very clearly switching to an exterior view and seeing the trim tab floating at a significant up-angle in flight. No wonder it wanted to pitch up! Once I was on the ground and slowed to taxiing speeds, it was hanging down as pictured here.

Image

Anyway, they said it was a 'million dollar mishap' but the government must keep all that money 'cause I haven't seen one cent of it yet.

PA24 :: PA28 :: C182T :: BE35
"Tell me, have you ever met a Scav up close? Of course not . . ."

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