P-51 belly landing vid

[Scott - A2A]

Pardon this post if it has already been posted, but I just saw this and found it interesting how something that was planned and expected to be a routine engine out landing ended up unexpected in the final seconds. This is just how things go, not always as planned. This could have been a lot worse, glad he was safe.


[youtubehd1002 606]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnODYKx5ics[/youtubehd]

[DHenriques_]

Pardon this post if it has already been posted, but I just saw this and found it interesting how something that was planned and expected to be a routine engine out landing ended up unexpected in the final seconds. This is just how things go, not always as planned. This could have been a lot worse, glad he was safe.


[youtubehd1002 606]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnODYKx5ics[/youtubehd]

I remember this well.
Assuming he did all that could be done he probably already had the fuel pump switch on, tried the mags individually and switched tanks, all he could do was "fly the plane".
That last second decision to nullify the bank and accept what was straight ahead most likely saved his life. He was sitting right on the edge of stall and the slightest increase in bank would have put him past his max CL.
All in all a very lucky guy.
It was interesting how fast the aircraft came to a complete stop once he made ground contact. As I remember the scene afterward he went into some tall grass or tall something anyway.

D

[Nick - A2A]

(...) As I remember the scene afterward he went into some tall grass or tall something anyway.

Yes, into a field of standing crops. Here's some footage of aircraft immediately following the forced landing.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLY438Uq_9k[/youtube]

Nick

[Ron Attwood]

I could listen to him all day. Fascinating.

[Lewis - A2A]

Snap, same here. Fascinating video I've watched it several times this morning with a cuppa.

thanks,
Lewis

[pilottj]

Great video, and fantastic flying by the pilot in an emergency situation.

[Buffy Foster]

Wow, just goes to show that there's really no such thing as a "routine" flight or maneuver.

[pjc747]

expected to be a routine engine out landing...

I don't know when an engine-out landing in any single, apart from a motor glider, could be described as routine.

I think the only real mistake here was not landing in a field after the it was clear the engine was not behaving properly as opposed to attempting a normal pattern.

[BrianW]

Well done with that last minute right turn instead of trying to stretch the glide over the M11 too!

[Nick - A2A]

Having watched the video again, I wonder if the pilot was lucky not to escape more serious injury from not jettisoning the canopy. The question of this was raised briefly in the longer discussion video, but if you watch the clip that Scott posted above, the leading edge of the canopy appears to strike the back of the pilot's helmet/neck at the 2:33 mark. Easy to see how this could cause a serious injury or worse if it strikes the exposed nape of the neck. In the longer vid, the pilot does describe "a bit of a stiff neck" which he attributed to the yawing motion during the touchdown, but I'm wondering if the canopy was also to blame for this.

Nick

[Jacques]

There is another link on the forum to his discussion with the host of the program, Nick. I tried linking it but couldn't. He did mention that it would heve been correct to jettison the canopy. But he also mentioned that events accelerated quite a bit between when he thought he could make the field and when he realized he could not. Having put the gear down, he realized that it now needed to be up, which he accomplished and after that, the ground was just seconds away.
(I see Tapatalk does not show Scott's link again...which is okay because I believe its the same video linked elsewhere that I mentioned above!)


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[Ron Attwood]

There is another link on the forum to his discussion with the host of the program, Nick. I tried linking it but couldn't. He did mention that it would heve been correct to jettison the canopy. But he also mentioned that events accelerated quite a bit between when he thought he could make the field and when he realized he could not. Having put the gear down, he realized that it now needed to be up, which he accomplished and after that, the ground was just seconds away.
(I see Tapatalk does not show Scott's link again...which is okay because I believe its the same video linked elsewhere that I mentioned above!)


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I think that particular conversation is an absolute must after watching the video. He makes a great point of recognising what he did right and importantly what he would have done differently. I'd be very interested to find out what DID cause the engine to play up.

"Monday morning quarter backs"

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

Incidentally, I shall be going to the Duxford shown in July so I'll keep a special eye out the plane.

[LZ-WIL]

Hi,

Hard to watch, but educating at the same time. I thought, he was going to make the runway at some point...

Thanks,
Will

[Nick - A2A]

There is another link on the forum to his discussion with the host of the program, Nick. I tried linking it but couldn't. He did mention that it would heve been correct to jettison the canopy.

Yes, that's the bit I linked in the text of my post Jacques. (Not sure if embedded hyperlinks show in Tapatalk.) Amongst other things, Mr Levy mentions that jettisoning the canopy may have caused it to fall onto the motorway below. And, as you say, during the final seconds of the flight he had plenty else to worry about.

I was just struck to see such graphic evidence of why the P-51 pilot's handbook may recommend that the canopy is jettisoned rather than just opened. And by his cool-as-a-cucumber radio call seconds after coming to a rest. (Even if, as he mentioned, it didn't transmit because the VHF antennas on the underside of the aircraft had been torn off! )

Thanks,
Nick

[clarkejw]

If only we had a Mustang with which to recreate the incident, and see how each of us would fare!