Leighton Beach WA light aircraft ditched 20.04.2023

[trailer]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-20/two-people-to-safe-after-plane-crashes-in-sea-leighton/102249554

[Cyrano]

I think the carby's flooded...

[Marty_d]

Good on her.  Both uninjured and no one else hurt, can't ask for much more than that when the fan stops.

[rgmwa]

Just watched the video of the ditching. Great example of how to do it well. Calm ocean and bystanders nearby also helped. 

[hkaneshiro]

great skill and was lucky to be near the shore. 

watching the video maybe makes you a bit less hesitant to ditch in the ocean? i always thought the risk of doing a cartwheel was fairly high on a fixed undercarriage plane.

Edited April 20, 2023 by hkaneshiro

[Thruster88]

Looks like they had the door cracked open prior to touchdown, text book perfect.  

[440032]

View from the helicopter - they left the door open! DOH!

 

Good work all you peeps who swam out to assist.

[kgwilson]

With only one door on the RH side of a PA28 you need to get your passenger to unlock the top latch as you can't concentrate on the landing approach & do this as well. Then unlatch the main door lock. There was little swell  so that was a bonus but landing along the swell line is the recommended and best way. Fully stalled from about 20-30 feet, the prop stopped windmilling & a perfect ditching was executed. This should be incorporated into a ditching training video. Hats off to you Michelle Yeates.

[facthunter]

Never seen stalling from THAT height mentioned along the swell and into wind in that order.  Slow speed touchdown is good. Bounce off a wave into the next is bad. Nev

[kgwilson]

20-30 feet was my estimation of height when the yoke was pulled right back. That was when the left wheel was about equal with the horizon. On closer inspection I reckon about 18-20 feet. Anyway it worked out that on touchdown with the sea she had the least amount of forward speed and descent rate. Faster and it may have nosed over. Slower and with increased vertical speed the wheels would likely have dug in more quickly and may have also nosed over.

 

Even the ABC couldn't help themselves with a witness statement. "When it nosedived, that's when I started screaming". When was that? Once the wheels were in the water stopping most forward momentum, the tail came up & settled down in less than 1/2 a second.

[facthunter]

It wouldn't be the least descent rate. When you stall you fall. Lower stall, you'd not start to fall and you'd be stalling in "ground" effect more which is slower.  Nev

[dlegg]

Young son should be very proud of mum

[facthunter]

I'm not saying other wise Just  dealing with a few points arising from the discussion  not infering criticism as the results are good. Having the door ready to open is important in this plane.  Nev

[RFguy]

I dont think it stalled at all, looks like a perfect flare and land on the ocean, with enough energy / airspeed to get a GOOD flare (lots of tail authority) 

[red750]

When I was learning (1968), although not actually done in training, I was taught that in an actual forced landing, you unlatch the door, at least in a single engined one door such as Musketeer or PA28, in case the fuselage deforms jamming the door.

[kgwilson]

I reckon the perfect landing is when you are fully stalled when the wheels grease the ground. You don't want the aircraft to keep flying. You will still have rudder authority until steering/ differential braking takes over.

[danny_galaga]

Great airmanship. I hope I can do as well if the time comes. And congratulations on channel for not calling it a crash landing. 

[onetrack]

The aircraft has been recovered, and fortunately, with its condition, it's likely the source of the engine stoppage will be found.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-21/wreckage-removed-of-light-plane-that-crashed-leighton-beach/102250564

[poteroo]

Well, I thought it was the best example of a water ditching that I have ever seen. I know that the PIC received absolutely the best instruction in this procedure, was very competent, was current, and was cool under pressure. You can't get better than this. 

 

bravo, 

[Marty_d]

Would ditching and submersion in sea water automatically write off the aircraft, or could it be restored?

[facthunter]

I don't believe it would ever be a good aircraft after being immersed in seawater. Seaplanes etc have extra corrosion proofing but suffer badly from corrosion unless operated in freshwater situations.  Nev

[kgwilson]

2 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Would ditching and submersion in sea water automatically write off the aircraft, or could it be restored?

I think it is theoretically possible, but there are so many parts that would require complete replacement and the cost of restoration would far outweigh the value of the finished product, plus there is that niggling thought that something was missed and continues to corrode.

[planedriver]

I would have the same concerns, much the same as possible corrosion on electrical connectors when i've seen helicopters posing on the back of mega-yachts in the Mediterranean. 

[BrendAn]

On 23/04/2023 at 9:09 AM, Marty_d said:

Would ditching and submersion in sea water automatically write off the aircraft, or could it be restored?

 every nook and cranny now has salt in it. Would be a mission to get it all out.

[danny_galaga]

Pretty sure it's only value now would be for scrap. Imagine how much time and effort it would take to fix this rather common plane. Insurance certainly wouldn't wear it...