Mooney down in St. Augustine FL

[MoonFlyer68]

I actually flew with the pilot when I was in the Army.  Glad everyone was able to walk away with just minor injuries.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.news4jax.com/news/local/st-augustine/airplane-crashes-into-marsh-near-st-augustine-airport

[RogueOne]

Comments to this “news” are classic.  Face palm.  So pilot has a loss of power and executes a successful water landing.  Were the minor injuries getting their feet wet while standing on the wing?  Good thing they were rescued.  Had more than their feet gotten wet....oh the humanity.

Nice job pilot.  Sorry the idiocracy got in the way of your apparent flawless execution of a water landing necessitated by a loss of power.

[Marauder]

3 minutes ago, RogueOne said:

Comments to this “news” are classic.  Face palm.  So pilot has a loss of power and executes a successful water landing.  Were the minor injuries getting their feet wet while standing on the wing?  Good thing they were rescued.  Had more than their feet gotten wet....oh the humanity.

Nice job pilot.  Sorry the idiocracy got in the way of your apparent flawless execution of a water landing necessitated by a loss of power.

Hey, maybe we can promote this as "The Miracle on the Marsh". 

[MoonFlyer68]

Spoke with the pilot on FB and was told the this was the first flight on the plane after annual.  Engine failed about 1.5 mile final forcing them to ditch short of the runway.  Passenger had a broken arm and the pilot had a 10 inch gash to the side of his head.  He also advised me that the water comes into the cockpit really quick.  Thankfully it was shallow water and they both got out okay.

[RogueOne]

1 minute ago, MilitaryAV8R said:

Spoke with the pilot on FB and was told the this was the first flight on the plane after annual.  Engine failed about 1.5 mile final forcing them to ditch short of the runway.  Passenger had a broken arm and the pilot had a 10 inch gash to the side of his head.  He also advised me that the water comes into the cockpit really quick.  Thankfully it was shallow water and they both got out okay.

Sorry about the injuries.  GLAD they are/were not life altering.  I appreciate having actual information.  Are you stating that the water was so shallow that they could stand on the wing while the airframe was resting on the bottom?  Did both pilot and passenger have shoulder harness?  If water is deeper than 64”’s it might as well be a mile because I can’t stand and breath.  Any window of time on “really quick”?  

[MoonFlyer68]

1 hour ago, RogueOne said:

Sorry about the injuries.  GLAD they are/were not life altering.  I appreciate having actual information.  Are you stating that the water was so shallow that they could stand on the wing while the airframe was resting on the bottom?  Did both pilot and passenger have shoulder harness?  If water is deeper than 64”’s it might as well be a mile because I can’t stand and breath.  Any window of time on “really quick”?  

I am not aware of the exact depth there in that marshy area, but the pictures of the plane show that it had settled mostly above water.  As for shoulder harnesses, I did not ask but I think (correct me if I am wrong) shoulder harnesses were standard on the mid 80's 20J.  He did not expand on the words "really quick" and I know I personally do not want to test how fast it is.  LOL

[Gagarin]

I am thinking of filling the wings with floating material for long term flotation. Or sealing the wings outside the fuel tanks. What do you think?

Edited November 11, 2019 by Gagarin

[jetdriven]

No.  How do you inspect the wing when it’s full of foam or sealed off with fuel tank glue?

[ArtVandelay]

Carry a couple of life jackets, put them on or in front of you they will provide extra protection. If hypothermia could be a problem, a cheap coastal raft could be a life saver.


Tom

[RogueOne]

2 hours ago, MilitaryAV8R said:

I am not aware of the exact depth there in that marshy area, but the pictures of the plane show that it had settled mostly above water.  As for shoulder harnesses, I did not ask but I think (correct me if I am wrong) shoulder harnesses were standard on the mid 80's 20J.  He did not expand on the words "really quick" and I know I personally do not want to test how fast it is.  LOL

I would be very interested in reading a write-up on the incident.  My questions?  Did harnesses get worn?  Did the grass grab the plane and cause a partial spin that resulted in the head and arm injury?  How long did it take for the plane to submerge?  Sorry I did not watch the video I just read the story.  Had I done so I would of known the plane was only partially submerged and that an occupant had a fracture to an arm.  Again, glad they received a rapid response/rescue.  Glad injuries were not severe.  Sorry for the loss of his airframe.  Maintenance induced failure?  We shall see.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Gagarin said:

I am thinking of filling the wings with floating material for long term flotation. Or sealing the wings outside the fuel tanks. What do you think?

You could fill the wings with ping pong balls, buoyant, non toxic and easily removed.  

[kerry]

I believe the above picture is a wood wing Mooney and wood floats.

[Gagarin]

43 minutes ago, kerry said:

I believe the above picture is a wood wing Mooney and wood floats.

There is a lot of ancient wood ships on the bottom of the ocean.

[kerry]

3 hours ago, Gagarin said:

There is a lot of ancient wood ships on the bottom of the ocean.

Regardless the photo shown is a wood wing Mooney and wood floats.

[skydvrboy]

4 hours ago, M20Doc said:

You could fill the wings with ping pong balls, buoyant, non toxic and easily removed.  

Yikes!  Have you ever seen ping pong balls burn? Sure they float, but a wing full, should they catch fire, would create quite an impressive inferno!

[ArtVandelay]

There is a lot of ancient wood ships on the bottom of the ocean.

They weren’t made of lightweight wood and I’m betting they were carrying heavy cargo like cannons, anchors, etc


Tom

[Guest]

6 hours ago, skydvrboy said:

Yikes!  Have you ever seen ping pong balls burn? Sure they float, but a wing full, should they catch fire, would create quite an impressive inferno!

While true, Jose’ would treat his balls with some special concoction of flame retardant chemical from Walmart!

Clarence

[Hank]

3 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

They weren’t made of lightweight wood and I’m betting they were carrying heavy cargo like cannons, anchors, etc

And woodwing Mooney pilots sat on the wooden floor, carried no baggage, had neither chrome-moly steel safety frame nor push-pull control rods, magical lightweight engines and balsa wood propellors . . . .

How does the basuc empty weight of an M20-A compare to that of an M20-B with metal tail conversion per AD? Thst will tell the truth about "wood floats" . . . . But ducks also float. Why? Because they made of _____.  

[Toothdok50]

Thanks to MilitaryAV8R for additional information on the St. Augustine crash.  Was looking for anything more the hapless media didn't report.

[0TreeLemur]

23 hours ago, MilitaryAV8R said:

Spoke with the pilot on FB and was told the this was the first flight on the plane after annual.  Engine failed about 1.5 mile final forcing them to ditch short of the runway.  Passenger had a broken arm and the pilot had a 10 inch gash to the side of his head.  He also advised me that the water comes into the cockpit really quick.  Thankfully it was shallow water and they both got out okay.

Thanks for the detail.  Look forward to hearing more.  Not surprised that water rushes in- non-pressurized aircraft leak like a sieve.

[Gagarin]

21 hours ago, jetdriven said:

No.  How do you inspect the wing when it’s full of foam or sealed off with fuel tank glue?

The access panels are sealed with custom made gaskets.

[Yetti]

On 11/11/2019 at 5:52 PM, kerry said:

I believe the above picture is a wood wing Mooney and wood floats.

So do empty fuel tanks.   I would guess this plane was full of fuel.   Only thing salvageable is the antennas.

[jetdriven]

23 hours ago, Gagarin said:

The access panels are sealed with custom made gaskets.

Water still runs in between the wing lap seams. The trailing edge spar. That’s not watertight.  The aileron pushrod exit hole. The entire belly. The landing gear wells have several fist size holes in them.  No. 

[DXB]

Could someone meet this flotation objective using multiple inflatable air bladders within the lateral wings maybe?  They would have to be easily deflated and removed for maintenance and inspection. 

But I suspect someone will easily deflate this idea as well .

Edited November 13, 2019 by DXB

[Gagarin]

Well, maybe a couple of tire inner tubes. If you happen to have a flat tire you can pull the tube from the wing