Saw this posted at Supercub.org:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVwlodvWh7w

Yikes! Luckily no one was injured but it's always hard to see a nice plane get torn up. At least it's captured in HD.

Ouch! Looks like the pilot had plenty of runway ahead. I suspect some kind of directional control problem. Is that's the case, I wonder why no abort?

Saw the wreckage on trailer -Firewall toast -wings toast -floats toast .Cabin survived ok looks like everyone got out ok, Where utube video was shot we were right there day befor yesterday watching lots of float planes come off. Channel (runway) is 10 yards from windsock in video . The overall run to the point where it looks like he started having trouble is probably 2000 + ft. where channel starts.

The pilot said in the newspaper article that the plane was caught by a "gust" of wind on takeoff resulting in the crash. Youtube video tells a bit of a different story - looks like the winds kicked up on the takeoff run - notice how his track changes in the water and where the windsock is as the camera flashes by it briefly. Oh well, all's well that ends well, everyone walked away

You guys are very kind. When I poke the pooch (and I have and will) I hope you are as kind to me. After looking at this video several times I am amazed that he didn't pull power and try again. Those things stop very quickly when the fan is shut off. AND add the fact that he had a channel to go up if he had gone a bit to our left seems very suspicious. I am not buying the gust theory. If he was that close to problems on the right that is even more of a signal to abort or steer left. Maybe it was the infamous "stuck throttle" theory as was once offered in defense of a FUBAR I knew about.

He is very lucky somebody isn't dead and he would have nobody to blame but himself.

He put on a hell of a show for the camera. Famous last words..."hey watch this".
But than again, who hasn't said that at one time or another.

Small Tail Caddy wrote:He put on a hell of a show for the camera. Famous last words..."hey watch this".
But than again, who hasn't said that at one time or another.

Hold my beer and watch me scare the camera guy.

I thought I might make a comment on this one. I have flown floats in a few aircraft but I am no expert. From what I saw that aircraft never got on the step and if I recall (experts please help!!) floatplanes wont take off from that position in the water especially when loaded. It appeared to take off but not very well. Glad all walked away safe.

WW

What amazes me the most about this video is the relatively tame response from the camera man. I mean the man came within inches of becoming road kill by a wayward Beaver! And all he says is "Holy crap" I am sure my reponse would have been less than G-rated at having to dive out of the way by a Beaver bearing down on me to witness it go tumbling off into the weeds as I made my escape. Anyway, its good to see a hard lesson learned at no ones expense, save the insurance company (and the pilots pride).

After seeing the video my guess is that the the step turn was not going well and when the pilot realized that he was heading towards the shore he tried to horse it off the water before it was ready to fly. The water surface, windsock and riverbank foliage did not show any strong gusts, but the there was a crosswind from his right. Engine torque in a Beaver is pronounced and he would of had to hold a lot of right rudder to counteract it while also making a step turn to the right. While the plane did get on the step he did not hold the sweet spot long enough for it to fly off. I think he panicked and tried to pull it off before it was ready to fly. The steep climb at low speed put it into a stall.

I'm glad no one got badly hurt. I'll bet that Beaver get rebuilt.

No step turn required. THe initial turn was just to get lined up with the channel. He was taking off the West channel at Lake Hood, which is VERY long, and where he crashed is in about the middle, nowhere near the end. Where the photog was standing was alongside the channel, near the State DOT parking lot. Plenty of room left in the channel.

The plane looked like it was pretty heavy. He never really let it settle cleanly onto the step and accelerate, then he tried to horse it out. When you do that, you drag the heels of the floats, and with the nose waaaaaay up in the air, you are at the mercy of ANY little puffy gust that comes around, or any roll that's induced in the plane. He drug the left float, then the right float, which slewed him around to the right, then the plane came out of the water, but with the nose hooted waaaaay up like that, there was no way it was going to hang. He needed to get the nose down, and fly it in ground effect, but there was "stuff" (like a photographer, wind sock, etc) in the way the direction he was headed. If he'd stayed over the water (like ten degrees to the left of course), he could have lowered the nose, and it would have accelerated in ground effect, but at the point and direction it did go flying, he was pretty much screwed, and with the nose way up like that, ALL deHavilland airplanes sink like a rock.

Lucky they crashed on land--a better liklihood of everyone getting out alive.

The Beaver is a beautiful, faithful and sparkling performer on floats. Unfortunately, the pilot in this case just didn't give the plane a chance to show its prowess.

I would second the comment on the photographer. That's the guy I want with me in an out and out emergency.... Course, he may still be trying to clean out those jeans...

Bummer in any case, but fortunately nobody got killed.

MTV

Some of the YouTube comments are priceless.

carp man, that plane wanted your ass dude, you're lucky you got out fine. Nice quality btw, great details.

Pilot should have aborted when it became obvious he wasn't climbing fast enough!

he tried to show off, but sucked at doing so.

What the fuck are you talking about? The guy had the rudders up on his floats in a cross wind... Granted, I'm a helo guy... but how fucking smart is that? Go punch yourself in the face for being retarded.

Dude really?

There are so many things that you just said in that little paragraph that show you have absolutely no fucking idea what you are talking about.

Harrison Ford flys a DHC-2 Beaver.

FloatFlyer wrote:You guys are very kind. When I poke the pooch (and I have and will) I hope you are as kind to me.

Well, if someone had happened to video my crash-on-takeoff sequence a few years ago I would have hoped for the same

Being a Monday morning quarterback, I'll put in my 2 cents
I looked at the Beaver on the ground flew back into the gravel about 4 that day.
Looking at the video!!!!WOW
I agree with what MTV said, only thing I can add is that when you have a Beaver pulled way back there like it appears he did, the lever or arm on the keel is real short, and when a Beaver finally lets loose there is know way to make it stop unless you slam it forward and get the float back in the water, pulling the power is not any good as your toast by the time you get it slowed down.
It looked like he just horsed it out of the water and then it did the classic stall spin real close to the ground! Full up on the elevator, full right rudder, and full right aileron?? If he would have practiced a departure stall at full power at 5000 ft he would have gone right on over the top to the left like he did but would have been in a inverted spin if he had left the power in full. Just real lucky no one got hurt!!
He also has a 185 that looks almost as bad, it was on skis last winter??? I think he needs a good instructor maybe to break some bad habits or to gain a little more knowledge.
Like every one else you have to be very careful about throwing stones in a glass house, it seems to me every time I do it, some of the stuff that goes up in the air always comes down and sticks to my face??
Very glad it was him and not me
GT

read about it here very crazy and all in HD! always sad to see a Beaver go down.

TrevDog wrote: always sad to see a Beaver go down.

Nobody likes a disabled Beaver!!

I flew to Birchwood last evening in the 195 to test drive a Canadian Glastar. While there I was shooting the breeze with a friend of mine and he said the guy flying the Beaver was done flying!!!!
I quess this is #4 for him and his wife said he was done!!! no more kids wives or dogs were going with him!! Just hearsay, but sounds right. I have a couple of exwives that said no more airplanes also!!
GT

GT. When are you gonna be back at Merrill? I wouldn't mind meeting some of the backcountry pilots guys. I plan on being at Slipstream Hangers next door to Take Flight Alaska shortly after 10:00 on Friday to install an extended baggage in my 182. I'll be at the red hanger where the green L13 is parked. Maroon over lt grey 182.

Pat

Pat
I pm'd you my #, I'll be leaving for the Lower Yukon tomorrow about noon, so will need to try and hook up today or first thing in the Morning. Sorry to have missed you at the breakfast as I was late. Not to many times in life have I been late for free food!!!!
GT

Having made that takeoff well over a thousand times over 30 yrs on Lake Hood. Like MTV said a step turn is seldom required. East-west take off is the longest available area on the lake. A normal takeoff would be right down the channel to the west. With a slight north wind a take off opposite of what he did would be advisable if loaded heavy. A slight angle into the wind would help getting on the step then straighten out down the canal. With the north crosswind helping to align with the canal, He did the opposite, trying to get on the step going cross wind to the SW, resulting in non alignment with the canal. As MTV said he never got on the step and tried to horse it off without accelerating to flying speed to maintain directional control. Had he pushed the nose over for just a few seconds he would have made it in my opinion. De Havilland wings develop more lift with a lower angle of attack. I doubt he was heavy enough to cause the accident. Seldom have I seen a Beaver, loaded go into the canal on takeoff, most of the time they are flying before entering the canal.