Pietenpol-List: OT - Pilatus lands on city street
Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2004 9:32 am
Original Posted By: Galen Hutcheson
fellow Aircamper friends,an off topic rant....this didn't make national news, but it's all over the South Bend, IN press. My cousin works at the Southbend airport and called me a couple days ago telling me that a Pilatus lost engine power 10 min. after takeoff. The Pilatus was at 7,000' and 7 miles away and could not make the field. Weather was cold with light snow showers and snow covering the ground. The pilot, a 25 yr old, had 5 passengers on board and decided to set it down on a street in town. There is a fast food restaurant, hotel, and retail shopping center within 100 yds. He managed to go over a set of power lines and then under a set right before setting down. The right wing clipped something but that the extent of the damage. No one hurt.In my opinion the pilot did a marvelous job getting that large aircraft down with not even so much as a bruise or scratch on anyone.And now we have people like this (click link below)http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories ... fen.stofor those who don't wish to read the article.... there is a guy who was driving on the street when he saw the plane coming down. He claims he had to jump the curb to miss a collision with the plane. Then he proceeds to bitch and complain about how the pilot made a bad decision trying to land on the street. his exact words are"I cannot believe they sent that plane down in probably the most congested area in Michiana. I'm thankful that no one was hurt, but it was an unnecessary risk."Who is this jackass?! I'm sorry a**hole, but the unnecessary risk would have been setting the plane down in the only other option which is the woods. Certain death.I'll bet anyone a million bucks that if that prick was sitting next to the pilot when the engine flamed out and the pilot said that he would set down in the woods and most likely there would be fatalities, but he should do that because it's an unnecessary risk to attempt to set down on a city street, I know for a fact that dude would be BEGGING the pilot to land on the street. You'd hear that guy whining, wimpering, screaming, crying, pleading to "please please please take the street option".This guy makes me want to find him and slap him upside the ass with my Tennesee Props 66" propeller.This is probably the same type of guy who buys a house next to an airport and then complains about the noise.DJ Vegh_________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:18:44 -0800 (PST)
fellow Aircamper friends,an off topic rant....this didn't make national news, but it's all over the South Bend, IN press. My cousin works at the Southbend airport and called me a couple days ago telling me that a Pilatus lost engine power 10 min. after takeoff. The Pilatus was at 7,000' and 7 miles away and could not make the field. Weather was cold with light snow showers and snow covering the ground. The pilot, a 25 yr old, had 5 passengers on board and decided to set it down on a street in town. There is a fast food restaurant, hotel, and retail shopping center within 100 yds. He managed to go over a set of power lines and then under a set right before setting down. The right wing clipped something but that the extent of the damage. No one hurt.In my opinion the pilot did a marvelous job getting that large aircraft down with not even so much as a bruise or scratch on anyone.And now we have people like this (click link below)http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories ... fen.stofor those who don't wish to read the article.... there is a guy who was driving on the street when he saw the plane coming down. He claims he had to jump the curb to miss a collision with the plane. Then he proceeds to bitch and complain about how the pilot made a bad decision trying to land on the street. his exact words are"I cannot believe they sent that plane down in probably the most congested area in Michiana. I'm thankful that no one was hurt, but it was an unnecessary risk."Who is this jackass?! I'm sorry a**hole, but the unnecessary risk would have been setting the plane down in the only other option which is the woods. Certain death.I'll bet anyone a million bucks that if that prick was sitting next to the pilot when the engine flamed out and the pilot said that he would set down in the woods and most likely there would be fatalities, but he should do that because it's an unnecessary risk to attempt to set down on a city street, I know for a fact that dude would be BEGGING the pilot to land on the street. You'd hear that guy whining, wimpering, screaming, crying, pleading to "please please please take the street option".This guy makes me want to find him and slap him upside the ass with my Tennesee Props 66" propeller.This is probably the same type of guy who buys a house next to an airport and then complains about the noise.DJ Vegh_________________________________________________________________________________Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:18:44 -0800 (PST)