Backcountry Pilot • Insurance & Unimproved landings

Insurance & Unimproved landings

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Insurance & Unimproved landings

Assuming I have insurance for a 7GC Champ for approximately $1200/year, how much can I expect insurance to go up if I land on grass/gravel/dirt etc. Do you have to claim this specifically?
Preddriver offline
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

Not with Chartis.
Hafast offline
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Insurance & Unimproved landings

Not with Avemco. Don't care about skis either at least for my plane.
onceAndFutr_alaskaflyer offline
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

Read your policy, or contact the agent and ask the question to see if you are already covered. Many insurers don't restrict off airport landings. My AVEMCO folks told me I was covered, but if I had an accident off airport, that might change in future policies...

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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I don't know about insurance, but all my landings are "unimproved". Just ask my instructor.

tom
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

Preddriver wrote:Assuming I have insurance for a 7GC Champ for approximately $1200/year, how much can I expect insurance to go up if I land on grass/gravel/dirt etc. Do you have to claim this specifically?


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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I've used a few underwriters and have never had any off-airport restrictions but that may be related to where I live, because Lord knows Alaska policies are more expensive than lower-48 policies. Which brings up another consideration. You guys who intend to fly to Alaska for fun need to review your insurance coverage for flying north. I know some lower-48 based policies exclude Alaska.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

stewartb wrote:I've used a few underwriters and have never had any off-airport restrictions but that may be related to where I live, because Lord knows Alaska policies are more expensive than lower-48 policies. Which brings up another consideration. You guys who intend to fly to Alaska for fun need to review your insurance coverage for flying north. I know some lower-48 based policies exclude Alaska.


Good point, Ask your agent for an explanation for any thing you need to know as far as coverage. Ask specifically if your policy covers off airport non emergency operations. Document your conversation and what the Q & A's were on the policy or piece of paper date and time of conversation and who you talked to. All of these certified brokers and agents have "errors and omission" insurance for themselves :wink: If you don't know what that is ask them at the end of your Q & A with them. I'm renewing next month and I'll ask the one about Alaska :D
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

Glidergeek wrote:
stewartb wrote:I've used a few underwriters and have never had any off-airport restrictions but that may be related to where I live, because Lord knows Alaska policies are more expensive than lower-48 policies. Which brings up another consideration. You guys who intend to fly to Alaska for fun need to review your insurance coverage for flying north. I know some lower-48 based policies exclude Alaska.


Good point, Ask your agent for an explanation for any thing you need to know as far as coverage. Ask specifically if your policy covers off airport non emergency operations. Document your conversation and what the Q & A's were on the policy or piece of paper date and time of conversation and who you talked to. All of these certified brokers and agents have "errors and omission" insurance for themselves :wink: If you don't know what that is ask them at the end of your Q & A with them. I'm renewing next month and I'll ask the one about Alaska :D


Just thinking, too. How many (if any) of you fill out a W&B sheet and carry it with you for each flight? I never have. In fact, I've never done one for any of my flight instructors for an actual flight. Only during ground school and my check ride. But what I'm getting at. Is a friend of mine based at KSNA does a W&B for every single flight he does. I went flying with him once and he ask me my weight to fill in his W&B sheet. First I was thinking that was nut's because it was just him, his petite flight instructor, and me. He has a Cherokee Six with the big 550. He said he does W&B for every single flight mostly for insurance purposes. He knows a lot of pilot's like me don't do it and didn't want to take a chance of his insurance company not paying up if there happens to be an incident/accident during any movement of his plane.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I have sample W&Bs for my most forward and aft loading configurations. They're permanently attached to my on-board W&B and equipment list. These W&B samples are the limits and it's really simple to stay within those limits as long as I don't exceed my legal gross weight. And my aircraft weight is actual, not pencil whipped fiction. That's important to me.

Aircraft accidents tend to redistribute your load. The total gross weight will be an issue but unless you load like a bonehead the CG would be difficult to prove post-accident. I hear some guys in Alaska might drain fuel before inspectors can arrive if they bent an airplane that's pushing max gross. :-)
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

58Skylane wrote:
He said he does W&B for every single flight mostly for insurance purposes. He knows a lot of pilot's like me don't do it and didn't want to take a chance of his insurance company not paying up if there happens to be an incident/accident during any movement of his plane.


Insurance companies can't deny a claim for W&B or any other FAR violation...there are no exclusions in the policy for it otherwise they would never have to pay as most evey accident breaks an FAR in one form or another.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

stewartb wrote: You guys who intend to fly to Alaska for fun need to review your insurance coverage for flying north. I know some lower-48 based policies exclude Alaska.


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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

lowflybye wrote:
58Skylane wrote:
He said he does W&B for every single flight mostly for insurance purposes. He knows a lot of pilot's like me don't do it and didn't want to take a chance of his insurance company not paying up if there happens to be an incident/accident during any movement of his plane.


Insurance companies can't deny a claim for W&B or any other FAR violation...there are no exclusions in the policy for it otherwise they would never have to pay as most evey accident breaks an FAR in one form or another.


Thanks for making that clear. That's kinda what I gathered.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I don't recall the underwriter but at one time I had a policy for my C170 that excluded landing anywhere other than a recognized maintained airport except in the case of a DECLARED emergency. My current policy does NOT have this exclusion. Easy enough to read through the policy & see.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

lowflybye wrote:
58Skylane wrote:
He said he does W&B for every single flight mostly for insurance purposes. He knows a lot of pilot's like me don't do it and didn't want to take a chance of his insurance company not paying up if there happens to be an incident/accident during any movement of his plane.


Insurance companies can't deny a claim for W&B or any other FAR violation...there are no exclusions in the policy for it otherwise they would never have to pay as most evey accident breaks an FAR in one form or another.


My policy states that it must be a legal flight. I don't know specifically what that means but I would say if the plane isn't in annual it can't legally fly and would not be covered. If the pilot isn't holding a valid medical it would be the same?

My policy covers all of North America, on airport or off, all perils flying or hangared. Even to the point of insuring the parts that are removed and shipped to a different coast, such as my engine sent for upgrades. No mention of W/B. One stipulation: I am the only insured pilot.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I do a weight and balance on each flight using the Garmin 496. So easy so fast! :D
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

W&B???
My ass, full of gas and 200lbs...pretty simple.
..and I can land the plane anywhere I want to.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

I insure two Huskys and when checking with my insurance company in preparation for a trip to Alaska last summer, found one policy covered Alaska the other didn't. Same insurance company, same underwriter, same pilots covered. After some discussion they covered the second plane for thirty days for no cost, but only with me flying, not my sons. After a little discussion about the difficulty that might create on the trip they let that go too.

Dale
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

OregonMaule wrote:I think all the GREAT pilots in history have bent one at one time or another.

Good day


Are you great yet :?: :D

Ya me too. Renewing insurance on Monday anybody had or used a carrier named Chartis? Just did a Google search and I see it was AKA AIG.[/quote][/quote]

I have Chartis. It was a lot less money for the same coverage but I am experimental. 100 deductible for all of North America, Don't make me name Alaska,Canada, Mexico and gulf islands, On airport landings or off all perils,140,000 hull, 1,000,000 liability/occurrence, 100,000 liability/person, Medical expenses 3000/person. Premium 3358 and I had about 100 hrs in type when I applied. Never carried insurance before. PM for more info.

So far happy with the company and, yes I have tested it.

The topic "Unimproved Landings" seemed to be an appropriate thread to repost your question.
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Re: Insurance & Unimproved landings

Some insurance underwriters may not exclude Alaska, but they do exclude coverage north of a certain latitude, like N 60.

Read your policy carefully.

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