N120GX Ovation Lands safely on road, gets clipped by truck

[DXB]

So this happened today:    

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/09/small-plane-makes-emergency-landing-on-alligator-alley/?fbclid=IwAR1Rrp65O-DUIVBEAKqsi9aqEiUaXYWk-wGNEzS7JV2IW79GTbz3GbFHmgk

Sounds like everyone is ok.

[Bug Smasher]

Glad everyone is ok. What are the odd the driver of the truck was looking at his phone? He didn’t even slow down. 

[skykrawler]

Out of gas?

[kortopates]

2 hours ago, Bug Smasher said:

Glad everyone is ok. What are the odd the driver of the truck was looking at his phone? He didn’t even slow down. 

My thought exactly!!

[kortopates]

So great no-one got injured on this one!

Maybe it's just me, but it would be really upsetting after all the stress of making an emergency landing and getting stopped without damage only to get hit by a distracted driver? 

Since planes aren't meant to land on highways, I wonder who will be responsible for the damage - could it the pilot?

Luckily, It does look like only a couple skins, and an aileron will make it whole again. 

It may take awhile before we hear what brought it down.

Edited September 9, 2020 by kortopates

[carusoam]

Landing on roads has too many scary things that can happen... (Are there many other choices near Alligator Alley?) 

Speaking of which... have we seen the finished accident report for Mark’s Acclaim..?

That would be two dead engines, causing two Landings, off airport... one TN’d and the other NA...

Congrats for getting down safely...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[kortopates]

13 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Speaking of which... have we seen the finished accident report for Mark’s Acclaim..?

just a preliminary so far.

[Hank]

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Hank

[flyboy0681]

This took place not far from me. Other than somewhere out in the deserts of the west, Alligator Alley is one of the best places to set a plane down due to long stretches of wide, straight as an arrow roadway.

I agree with the comments here on the boneheaded truck driver.

[Missile=Awesome]

17 hours ago, kortopates said:

So great no-one got injured on this one!

Maybe it's just me, but it would be really upsetting after all the stress of making an emergency landing and getting stopped without damage only to get hit by a distracted driver? 

Since planes aren't meant to land on highways, I wonder who will be responsible for the damage - could it the pilot?

Luckily, It does look like only a couple skins, and an aileron will make it whole again. 

It may take awhile before we hear what brought it down.

Guy in truck is overtaking on the right shoulder with a vehicle to the left IN THE LANE and strikes the wingtip.  The truck driver is AT FAULT.  Humans...

Face palm.

Nice job getting your plane down safely.  Glad the bonehead is on video.  Hope repairs are expediated and you are back in the air soon.

[EricJ]

There's a video of the truck colliding with the aircraft on FB on the Mooney Pilots page.     Totally stupid and avoidable.  

 

[Davidv]

The insurance implications here are interesting to me.  Since a Mooney is not legally allowed to drive on roads in FL, I suppose the truck driver's insurance doesn't have to cover this? Or does it?  It's a shame if the airplane owner's insurance would need to step up the plate here.  I'm sure there are some precedents and easy answers @Parker_Woodruff?

[Hank]

1 hour ago, Davidv said:

The insurance implications here are interesting to me.  Since a Mooney is not legally allowed to drive on roads in FL, I suppose the truck driver's insurance doesn't have to cover this? Or does it?  It's a shame if the airplane owner's insurance would need to step up the plate here.  I'm sure there are some precedents and easy answers @Parker_Woodruff?

If the truck was illegally passing on the shoulder, I think the Mooney's responsibility will be negligible . . . . Driver may be cited fir a variety of traffic violations up to reckless driving. 

Can someone share a link to the video? All of us are not on F-book.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Hank

[carusoam]

https://www.facebook.com/AviationAccidentsThisDayInHistory/
 

simple search... Mooney aircraft Ram truck accident video...

The tail number is there as well...

Video taken by somebody else driving down the road... at the right time...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Niko182]

Is there anything saying you cant be on a road? Legally speaking? Ive had my mooney on route 66 before.

[WaynePierce]

I had read originally that the truck driver didn't slow down and just kept driving leading to questions about his legality to be in Country, one video I saw this morning did show the truck pulling over and stopping on the shoulder. I hope he stayed for the accident report. I would also think it would be fairly easy to track the individual down there has to be a heck of a gash on the right front of the truck.

[carusoam]

Watch the video...

See if you could decide that there was something stopped in the road in front of you...

You are looking at the knife edge of a wing...

Right or not, it is unlikely the truck driver knew there was something in the road...

He is stopped, not too far from the plane... after the accident...

 

If you leave something in the road... do yourself a favor... most people won’t recognize something not moving in front of them...

Even if it is car sized...

PP thoughts only, not an accident expert...

Best regards,

-a- 

[Davidv]

2 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Watch the video...

See if you could decide that there was something stopped in the road in front of you...

You are looking at the knife edge of a wing...

Right or not, it is unlikely the truck driver knew there was something in the road...

He is stopped, not too far from the plane... after the accident...

 

If you leave something in the road... do yourself a favor... most people won’t recognize something not moving in front of them...

Even if it is car sized...

PP thoughts only, not an accident expert...

Best regards,

-a- 

Agreed, it did look like he noticed and was trying to brake but with that size truck and heavy trailer it’s not going to be immediate.

[EricJ]

If you can't see something like that in front of you, you should not be driving.    If you don't see it in time, you weren't looking far enough ahead given your speed and the conditions.   There are far smaller hazards, animals, people, motorcycles, bicycles, joggers, fallen trees, whatever, that are hard to see but also should not be hit.

Nothing about that was not only unavoidable but anything that shouldn't have been easily avoided.

Sorry, I've been teaching racing to adults and road survival driving to teenagers for a few decades and it's one of those very simple concepts that too many people don't get or aren't even aware of.    It is, though, not at all an unusual thing to happen, unfortunately.  Inattention or distraction or impairment or whatever is a way too common thing for drivers.   I hope it works out okay for all involved, and it's good to know that there weren't any injuries.

 

[Parker_Woodruff]

3 hours ago, Davidv said:

The insurance implications here are interesting to me.  Since a Mooney is not legally allowed to drive on roads in FL, I suppose the truck driver's insurance doesn't have to cover this? Or does it?  It's a shame if the airplane owner's insurance would need to step up the plate here.  I'm sure there are some precedents and easy answers @Parker_Woodruff?

This is going to be really difficult in Florida to get the truck owner's insurance to pay.  Florida or otherwise, the best bet is to file a claim with the aircraft insurance company and let them subrogate, if possible.  Of course, get the driver's insurance info and furnish to your insurance co.  You don't want to be going back and forth with an auto insurance company for aircraft damages.

Wings can appear really thin.  Even on an airport ramp this stuff happens all the time.

[Guest]

A client of mine sent me this video taken by one of his transport trucks a few moments after it happened.  The offending truck is on the side of the road.

Clarence

[Schllc]

Threw a piston through the cowling. Also told me he lost 60gallons of gas, but never explained that part. I didn’t press him because he obviously had enough on his plate. 

[philiplane]

I would surprised if the plane is not totaled. The wing is not intended to take a hit like that. You can be certain there is damage throughout the left wing, from the force required to smash the outboard wing in by two feet, and then spin the plane 180 degrees around in a tight pivot. 

[GeeBee]

Sad to execute a forced landing successfully then have that happen.

 

[Nick Pilotte]

To support what @EricJ said....  there was traffic slowing down (evidenced by the footage already available) and an open right lane.  Even in Florida, that’s rare so that should have been the drivers first clue.   The plane was in a quartered position but not quite at a 45 degree angle to the road.   If you have clear road in front of you and can’t see that..... I’m sorry, that should (clearly in my own opinion) require a check ride in a truck.  If the truck was “legal” with trailer brakes, it SHOULD stop in a pretty good distance (hence commercial vehicle stopping distance requirements).  I’d be interested to know if there was dash cam video from any other vehicles. That footage from Doc is pretty high res and that’s a fairly well travelled road for commercial traffic.  
 

All that said, if the plane occupants walked away and we(Mike) aren’t mobilizing the Foundation, I’m very happy.  Yes that plane took a hell of a hit and I’d guess gear side loads, spar and sheet metal damage, as well as whatever prompted the emergency landing (piston left the cylinder), I’d be shocked if it isn’t totaled.