Forced Landing VH-UST 6 Feb 2023

[pmccarthy]

BREAKING NEWS: emergency services are currently on the scene in Balwyn North after a light plane was forced to make an emergency landing at a reserve, next to the Eastern Freeway. It's understood the pilot was travelling from Bendigo. 

 

It's a Cherokee six, nice landing!

Edited February 5, 2023 by pmccarthy

[440032]

Some people will do anything to avoid road tolls.

 

[SGM]

A photo taken by my father as he cycled along the bike path.  It's from Lilydale Airfield - great advertisement for their practice forced landing training!

Edited February 6, 2023 by SGM

[facthunter]

Well done by the look of it. Now to get it home.  Nev

[RossK]

Very well done when looking at Google maps - shows about 630m of open space from tree line to tree line and they've used about 500m of it.

Yes, getting it out is going to be tight 😬, or on a truck ☹️

[facthunter]

The Authority could never permit taking off from there.  Nev

[SGM]

Looks like they were almost home - but at 1500' and had to act quick.
 

Edited February 6, 2023 by SGM

[onetrack]

Carb icing problem? Fitted with an O-540-E4B5, a carburetted engine.

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by onetrack

[RFguy]

Pilots  should get an OAM when they manage this in the suburbs.

Edited February 6, 2023 by RFguy

[facthunter]

Pilots still licensed are only criminals we have  not yet caught up with (CASA.)   Optimal Aircraft Management award. with clusters from ME. . Nev  

[440032]

Landed right between the cones too - great job.

[CT9000]

Just heard on the news that there was nothing in the tanks but air. Also a pilot witness said they heard it surging before it stopped. It was reported that when it left YBDG it was low on fuel.

[Thruster88]

Bit silly to do a city orbit in that case.

[RFguy]

take a news report with a grain of salt.  I reckon

[440032]

Grain of salt? The whole salt shaker me thinks!

[RFguy]

I dont buy it . Pilot of a substantial airplane isnt going to do an orbit low on fuel.   As for media reports " It was reported that when it left YBDG it was low on fuel." . what half tanks ?. sure lower than full. 

Let's wait to find out. 

[Cc Evangeline]

This narrative can simply not be true. I was at the trail today and this story came straight from the mouth of an onlooker who claimed “it would’ve been an easy landing”… I disagree. No engine failure is easy. 
 

The news report discredited the story from the moment it displayed footage of the fuel tanks being drained. I’m not sure what they could be draining if there was no fuel? (See image below from channel 9). The news reporter said that they really didn’t have much information so have obviously chosen to use what they had. They have quite clearly spun this way out of context, clearly not with any general aviation knowledge themselves.
 

The Pilot has done an amazing job, and executed his training well. 

[RFguy]

I would be sueing the media for deformation if they broadcast that I had run out of fuel when I had not. 

[turboplanner]

12 hours ago, Cc Evangeline said:

This narrative can simply not be true. I was at the trail today and this story came straight from the mouth of an onlooker who claimed “it would’ve been an easy landing”… I disagree. No engine failure is easy. 
 

The news report discredited the story from the moment it displayed footage of the fuel tanks being drained. I’m not sure what they could be draining if there was no fuel? (See image below from channel 9). The news reporter said that they really didn’t have much information so have obviously chosen to use what they had. They have quite clearly spun this way out of context, clearly not with any general aviation knowledge themselves.
 

The Pilot has done an amazing job, and executed his training well. 

Did they drain the tanks or did they put fuel in them. Channel 9 footage last night showed the engine started and running like a Cherokee 6 with those red jerry cans sitting where they are.

[RFguy]

it would need alot of jerry cans.  

 

according to a 1968 PA32-260 POH I have :, and assuming it is a CS prop , 

at 3400 gross, it needs 1240'  over 50'

at 2900 gross it needs 1020' over 50'

remove the seats and it is 1661 lbs empty. add 2 hours of fuel , and a pilot its likely to be 1950 lbs

extrapolating the above, it might get off in 750' to 50 '  ?

but that's on bitumen .  not grass !

Wow it must have some super performance with 260 hp and 1661 empty .

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by RFguy

[RossK]

21 minutes ago, turboplanner said:

Did they drain the tanks or did they put fuel in them. Channel 9 footage last night showed the engine started and running like a Cherokee 6 with those red jerry cans sitting where they are.

I can't see why they'd put 80L in that wing just to test run the engine.

The jerrys seem to be nicely arranged around the fuel drain too.

10 minutes ago, RFguy said:

remove the seats and it is 1661 lbs empty. add 2 hours of fuel , and a pilot its likely to be 1950 lbs

extrapolating the above, it might get off in 750' to 50 '  ?

but that's on bitumen .  not grass !

 

It might actually be able to get off in the area they have (600m), that would be impressive.

Can't ever see CASA allowing them to do it though.

 

[spenaroo]

14 hours ago, CT9000 said:

Just heard on the news that there was nothing in the tanks but air. Also a pilot witness said they heard it surging before it stopped. It was reported that when it left YBDG it was low on fuel.

im wondering if everything is partially right.
and a fuel selector was the issue. happened to pilots before.
gives both fuel in one tank to drain, but run dry in the other with nothing but air.
pilot too low to run through the full checks and committed to the landing instead of trouble shooting

[RFguy]

Just a side interesting point - I read in the POH, burn inboard tanks first because of wing loading limits.

[facthunter]

Not an uncommon thing to do. Another way it may be put is ALL  weight abv xxxx must  be "Loaded" as fuel in certain tanks. That' in principle applies to having engines underwing as compared to fuselage mounted Pods in the basic design.  Nev

[turboplanner]

1 hour ago, RFguy said:

it would need alot of jerry cans.  

 

according to a 1968 PA32-260 POH I have :, and assuming it is a CS prop , 

at 3400 gross, it needs 1240'  over 50'

at 2900 gross it needs 1020' over 50'

remove the seats and it is 1661 lbs empty. add 2 hours of fuel , and a pilot its likely to be 1950 lbs

extrapolating the above, it might get off in 750' to 50 '  ?

but that's on bitumen .  not grass !

Wow it must have some super performance with 260 hp and 1661 empty .

 

There's a PA32-300 model which was popular for the Melbourne- Port Augusta- Coober Pedy- Ayers Rock-Alic Springs-Darwin- Gove-Whitsundays-Melbourne with six pilots.