The closest I have come to death in an aircraft.

[Austintatious]

So as I tell this war story, bear in mind that I have been in an accident in a turboprop that resulted in a totaled aircraft.  This story tops that experience in how close I came to death in an aircraft.

So I was in a Citation going from the DFW area to FLL many years ago.   As I got closer to FLL the controller descended me to 3000 feet and has me intercept the Loc for 10L/R (dont remember which one).  What I remember that stood out was how far out they did this... I was probably 20 miles from the field at this point.  This was unusual to me.   Flying along doing what I was supposed to, I was given a frequency change.  I looked down to tune the radio.  And for reasons unknown, rather than call immediately I looked back up to take a breath and look around outside... That is when I saw the tailfeathers of a C172 directly in front of me less than 1/4 mile.  I'm doing 250 kias and he is probably at 100kias.  A 150 knot overtake with very little time before impact.  The Ap was disconnected and a maneuver to the right was made.  I passed about 100 feet to the right of him.  The next thing I hear is a radio transmission.  " Approach this is cessna Nxxxxx, we just had a jet go past us really fast and really close, were are on the loc at 3000 as instructed"

Obviously 2 different controllers had put up both of us on the loc at the same altitude.  Had I looked up only a few seconds later a collision might not have been avoidable.  Had I not seen him, I absolutely would be dead as I was heading straight up his butt.   The severity of this situation didn't really hit me in the air.  I just did what I had to do and it was definitely a "wtf" moment.  However as I was reflecting on the entirety of the flight later that night, the severity really set in and I got the shakes thinking about the serendipitous nature of seeing him.  It was probably one of the first things that happened to me that made me realize that it CAN happen to me.  Unfortunately it wasn't the last reminder of this.

Even when flying on an IFR plan, when VMC, keep that head on a swivel at all times.

 

[steingar]

If you ever meet me in person and get me drunk, you can remind me to tell you about the time my autopilot turned into a killbot. entertaining story, albeit short.  I don't honestly think you were in all that much danger.  A Skyhawk would've just made a big splat on the windshield.

[N201MKTurbo]

The worst along these lines happened a couple of years ago. I was riding in the back of a Charokee 6 being hauled to Kingman AZ to ferry a Rocket back to Tucson. We were flying along and I saw traffic on ForeFlight than looked out the window and saw the traffic dead ahead. I told the CFI and pilot about the traffic and they both looked down at their IPads. I yelled at them to look out the (fing)!window! They both kept looking at their IPads. I was undoing my seat belt and trying to leap up to the yoke. The plane passed about 10 feet off the right wing. They never saw it and was wondering what I was talking about.

I have had nightmares about it....

[chriscalandro]

The only time I’ve ever been in a helicopter it crashed. 
 

I don’t like helicopters.  

Edited February 13, 2020 by chriscalandro

[mooniac15u]

I was once vectored into a developing thunderstorm cell at night.  While I held it level the VSI shot up to 2000fpm climb and then just as quickly swung all the way to 2000fpm descent. Approach helpfully reminded me to maintain 3000ft. It's the only time I've ever told ATC "unable." Just when I was sure that I was going to die we flew out the other side of the cell. That experience still bothers me a little every time I enter a cloud.

[bill98]

On 2/13/2020 at 4:24 PM, mooniac15u said:

I was once vectored into a developing thunderstorm cell at night.  While I held it level the VSI shot up to 2000fpm climb and then just as quickly swung all the way to 2000fpm descent. Approach helpfully reminded me to maintain 3000ft. It's the only time I've ever told ATC "unable." Just when I was sure that I was going to die we flew out the other side of the cell. That experience still bothers me a little every time I enter a cloud.

“Light chop”

[Mooneymuscle56m]

On 2/13/2020 at 3:24 PM, mooniac15u said:

I was once vectored into a developing thunderstorm cell at night.  While I held it level the VSI shot up to 2000fpm climb and then just as quickly swung all the way to 2000fpm descent. Approach helpfully reminded me to maintain 3000ft. It's the only time I've ever told ATC "unable." Just when I was sure that I was going to die we flew out the other side of the cell. That experience still bothers me a little every time I enter a cloud.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and stained underwear, thankfully I was in a Baron 55, thing was a tank.

[Jim Peace]

I had an FO on a lear that was lactose intolerant.......he ate milk and cereal in the catering.....that was long flight from VNY to TEB....

[kerry]

Years ago when I was learning to fly I was doing pattern work in a C150.  It was my first time out after I solo'd.  KVGT has parallel runways 12R and 12L.  The tower cleared me for the option on 12R.  When I went base to final I noticed traffic was on the 12R numbers getting ready to take off.  Being new to flying I got real nervous and I told the tower I'm going around and I made a left turn instead of a right turn.  When I made the left turn there was a helicopter right in front of me on final for 12L.  I could literally see the whites of the eyes of both occupants of the helicopter.  Luckily I pulled straight up and the helicopter went straight down.  With the stall horn going off I could hear the voice of the  controller say you are now cleared for the option on 12R.  I told the controller I'm done and made a final landing.  The helicopter pilot found me afterwards where I had rented the C150.  That helicopter pilot went off on me for a good 5 minutes which I definitely deserved.  I later told my flight instructed that flying is not for me.  My instructor told me not to give up and gave me encouragement to continue which I'm glad I did.  Overall I think the experience made me a better pilot with situation awareness.  Pilots are human and they do make mistakes.  Especially the ones just getting into aviation. 

[tigers2007]

The worst along these lines happened a couple of years ago. I was riding in the back of a Charokee 6 being hauled to Kingman AZ to ferry a Rocket back to Tucson. We were flying along and I saw traffic on ForeFlight than looked out the window and saw the traffic dead ahead. I told the CFI and pilot about the traffic and they both looked down at their IPads. I yelled at them to look out the (fing)!window! They both kept looking at their IPads. I was undoing my seat belt and trying to leap up to the yoke. The plane passed about 10 feet off the right wing. They never saw it and was wondering what I was talking about.
I have had nightmares about it....

Landing Light activates or blinking on both aircraft probably would have helped. I leave mine burning the entire time during takeoff/ascent/descent/approach.

[N201MKTurbo]

26 minutes ago, tigers2007 said:

Landing Light activates or blinking on both aircraft probably would have helped. I leave mine burning the entire time during takeoff/ascent/descent/approach.

That still requires the pilot to look outside. Maybe the other guy would have seen us and turned.

 

 

 

 

[Bob Weber]

On 2/13/2020 at 5:13 PM, N201MKTurbo said:

The worst along these lines happened a couple of years ago. I was riding in the back of a Charokee 6 being hauled to Kingman AZ to ferry a Rocket back to Tucson. We were flying along and I saw traffic on ForeFlight than looked out the window and saw the traffic dead ahead. I told the CFI and pilot about the traffic and they both looked down at their IPads. I yelled at them to look out the (fing)!window! They both kept looking at their IPads. I was undoing my seat belt and trying to leap up to the yoke. The plane passed about 10 feet off the right wing. They never saw it and was wondering what I was talking about.

I have had nightmares about it....

After takeoff in an old T210 from 17 out of GRR I was right seat and not running the radios against what I always insisted on.  I heard the chatter of an approaching aircraft on 26L just before I heard the instruction to make a 180° turn to the left and contact departure. I looked at the pilot as well as out to the east and told him not to turn. delayed responses from both of us resulted it the controller yelling at us for not turning quick enough. The call was made and the controller walked off the job.

 

Situational awareness... Today we have amazing amounts of information available, begging to be managed safely.

Fly Safe,

Bob Weber

webairconsulting.com

 

[MoonFlyer68]

My closest brush with death in an aircraft came in 2007 while I was flying Dash-7's in Iraq.  We were in a "stack" over a target at night.  We did not fly with goggles and were blacked out.  Our TCAS said there was an aircraft at our same altitude getting closer to us.  As it got closer still the TCAS started to give warnings.  Finally the intruder was close enough that the TCAS said "DESCEND DESCEND".  The pilot flying put the plane in a descent as directed by the indication on the VSI.  I was watching the TCAS and we were still same altitude.  The TCAS said "INCREASE DESCENT INCREASE DESCENT".  The pilot flying points the nose down to where our descent rate was in the green band on the VSI.  TCAS still showed we were same altitude.... we are not getting away from him.  Suddenly the TCAS indicated the target was 100' below and said "CLIMB NOW CLIMB NOW".  The pilot flying pulls back on the yoke hard and increased power to the engines.  My attention was focused on the TCAS screen.  The pilot flying said that at night and blacked out, he saw the C-130 pass right under our nose.  The next thing we hear on the radio is an aircraft saying they nearly had a mid-air.

The next day we got the chance to talk with that crew.  The plane they were flying was not equipped with TCAS.  They were using NVG's for collision avoidance.  As they said it, they were flying along and as they got close identified there was an aircraft in front of them.  The action they chose was to descend.  The only problem was our TCAS had just given us the same command.  The dove faster, and so did we.  Finally they were able to get below us enough that our TCAS directed the climb and the collision was avoided.

Obviously not something I would ever want to go through again.