Bob_Belville Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 From a Facebook post... cowl gone, engine vertical, wing gone, empennage ripped around, but the cabin was intact enough that the pilot survives! Thanks Al Mooney, et al! http://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/umland/flugzeug-abgestuerzt-pilot-ueberlebt Quote
Hank Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Wow! Proof of a sound, safe design. Wish I could read what they say happened . . . Quote
clh Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 The article credits the pilot's many years of experience in saving his life. It basically says that the plane had landed at several airports throughout Germany. The plane was making it's second approach attempt in thick fog and the plane clipped a tree and rolled. The tree tore off the wing. The plane was demolished but the pilot was pretty much unhurt. He was taken to a hospital for observation. 2 Quote
Bob_Belville Posted November 3, 2014 Author Report Posted November 3, 2014 The article credits the pilot's many years of experience in saving his life. I think the article missed the obvious credit due shown right in the middle of the wreckage: that steel "roll cage". It is reminiscent of a NASCAR crash. 1 Quote
bonal Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Glad it had a happy ending. Mooney's are tough airplanes seems like fire is the big worry and if it don't catch fire you have a good chance to survive. Perhaps the thing to do is role inverted before impact to keep the wings up. So happy he walked away. Quote
cliffy Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 The video shows the tree he hit with the wing next to it. He hit it about 8 feet from the ground. The Fire Dept is washing down the gas spill off the tree in the video. Wing looks to be right next to tree. Energy was dissipated slowly by having various parts leave the airplane over an extended time period, relatively speaking, thus keeping G loads to a survivable level. Kind of like an F! race car, controlled demolition in a crash. Quote
ArtVandelay Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 I think the article missed the obvious credit due shown right in the middle of the wreckage: that steel "roll cage". It is reminiscent of a NASCAR crash. I don't the steel cage qualifies as a roll cage but is design to act as a frame to attack panels, not sure I would give the pilot credit either, I give the credit to luck that he didn't hit the tree straight on 2 Quote
Bob_Belville Posted November 3, 2014 Author Report Posted November 3, 2014 I don't the steel cage qualifies as a roll cage but is design to act as a frame to attack panels, not sure I would give the pilot credit either, I give the credit to luck that he didn't hit the tree straight on Maybe, but I suspect that the cabin of a brand P or even a B low wing lying topside down would likely be crushed. Quote
fantom Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Strong plane and lucky/experienced pilot. And a parachute wouldn't have helped him. 2 Quote
Awqward Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 All four blades sheared off at the hub.... Quote
Bob_Belville Posted November 3, 2014 Author Report Posted November 3, 2014 Flight Aware does not have registration info on Europe. The tail # is D-EAJK, what model? I guess "D" is Deutschland/Germany? Quote
neilpilot Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Flight Aware does not have registration info on Europe. The tail # is D-EAJK, what model? I guess "D" is Deutschland/Germany? M20M, a Bravo, c/n 27-0148. Based at Augsburg in Bavaria (yes, D prefix is German registry) 1 Quote
Jim Peace Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Nothing short of miraculous. Sorry if I offend anyone and this is not directed at you flyboy0681,,,,but I find this nothing short of stupid. Flying around in a single with low thick fog is crazy. This type of weather is for multi engine cat2/3 certified airplanes with proper certified equipment and flight crews. Gives GA a bad name.... Just because you are instrument rated does not mean its safe to fly in these conditions. This movie gets played over and over...... 2 Quote
flyboy0681 Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Sorry if I offend anyone and this is not directed at you flyboy0681,,,,but I find this nothing short of stupid. Flying around in a single with low thick fog is crazy. This type of weather is for multi engine cat2/3 certified airplanes with proper certified equipment and flight crews. Gives GA a bad name.... Just because you are instrument rated does not mean its safe to fly in these conditions. This movie gets played over and over...... I was going to say something very similar but was afraid of offending my brethren here. Quote
Jim Peace Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 I was going to say something very similar but was afraid of offending my brethren here. That is the problem with many things in this world. People too afraid to call out stupidity....refraining to be kind seems nice but it just means more dead pilots. 4 Quote
carqwik Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 How does one wing shear off in a Mooney when it has a continuous wing spar? Quote
Hank Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 How does one wing shear off in a Mooney when it has a continuous wing spar? When you hit an immovable object at 90-100 knots. The tree was just stronger than the spar. Quote
carusoam Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Call it stupid if you want... Risk taker... If God wanted us to fly, we would have been born with wings... Where does one draw the line? GA has a bad name because what we do makes no sense to many people on many levels. I see a six cylinder Lycoming engine with a complex exhaust system, similar to my memory of a Bravo... We have a few Mooney pilot board members from Europe. I fear it may be one of us... Glad to hear the pilot is in better condition than the plane. Assaulting another pilot won't help us any. I'm sure he has suitable challenges of his own to handle. Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
ArtVandelay Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 How does one wing shear off in a Mooney when it has a continuous wing spar? You want it to shear off, dissipating energy, as a matter of fact if I had to ditch where there was no open area to land, aiming between two large trees 20-30 ft apart may be a good strategy, energy is dissipated and you leave the fuel behind you Quote
Jim Peace Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Where does one draw the line? You are right. Very low IFR in a plane that is basically a go cart with wings is just as good idea as any........ my bad......... there should be no line. If you are instrument rated then you are good to go.....lets throw in some ice too......cant have a party without ice.... 1 Quote
Fritz Kaiser Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Hello guys, The TLS driver tried to land in extrem foggy weather. After the second attempt the M20M hit a tree. The tree were burning. The pilot survived with minor hurts. ...i guess, his guardian angle flew also a mooney! Fly safe!! Greetings Fritz Quote
PTK Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 I was going to say something very similar but was afraid of offending my brethren here. In all fairness, there are politically correct ways to say it. Take your pick: a few beers short of a six pack! a few peas short of a casserole! all foam no beer! if he had another brain, it would be lonely! someone's village is missing its idiot! surfing in Nebraska! one fruit loop shy of a full bowl! It's unfortunate that the article gives no credit to where ALL credit is due! The legendary Mooney airframe! Instead they give all the credit to this idiot who took a perfectly good airplane and destroyed it! I am glad he got lucky as no one deserves to die for their stupidity. The poor Mooney didn't deserve him however. Quote
Awqward Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 The airport doesn't even have an instrument approach.... From their website: "Instrument approach: On June 15, 2012 Schoenhagen Airport was granted approval for instrument flight operations. Unfortunately, it cannot be flown yet. There is a court case against the obstacle clearance deforestation." Unfortunately this is common in Europe outside of major airline hubs very few airfields have IAPs....so some people make their own....hopefully not the case here.... 1 Quote
Awful_Charlie Posted November 3, 2014 Report Posted November 3, 2014 Somewhat unfair to castigate the pilot without looking at the forecast! God forbid you ever get caught out by the weather Like many smaller aerodromes, Shoenhagen doesn't have it's own official weather reports, so one takes them from other airports in the vicinity. 16nm NE is EDDB (Schoenefeld) TAF AMD EDDB 011945Z 0119/0218 18005KT 8000 NSC BECMG 0119/0122 3500 BCFG TEMPO 0119/0210 1200 PRFG PROB30 TEMPO 0119/0209 0300 FG= Note this is the AMENDED forecast, issued after the accident - the original was TAF EDDB 011700Z 0118/0218 18005KT CAVOK BECMG 0201/0203 4000 BR PROB30 TEMPO 0203/0207 0800 FG BECMG 0206/0208 8000= so you wouldn't plan a flight in those conditions to arrive at 19:00-19:30Z? Here's the TAF from Tegel, 22nm NNE: TAF EDDT 011700Z 0118/0218 14003KT CAVOK TEMPO 0204/0207 3500 BR BECMG 0204/0207 20005KT= And here's the METARS for the time: METAR EDDB 011850Z 14004KT 9999 MIFG NSC 11/10 Q1020 NOSIG= METAR EDDT 011850Z 00000KT 9999 MIFG NSC 12/10 Q1020 NOSIG= METAR EDDB 011920Z 15003KT 9999 MIFG NSC 11/10 Q1020 NOSIG= METAR EDDT 011920Z 03001KT 9999 R08L/1200VP2000D R08R/P2000N MIFG NSC 11/10 Q1020 NOSIG= See how quickly that has changed from similar to that forecast to considerably worse than forecast to the east? 1 Quote
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