http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3611197

My Monday morning quarterback analysis: Poor mountain flying judgement; lucked out as he matched the glacier slope with his poor climb rate. Everyone survived unscathed. Even the aircraft looks relatively undamaged.

But "hero" as the article puts it, is a stretch. Mr. Hannah, if you're reading this per chance, I apologize for being so blunt. That was bad judgement, at least as I read the news article. Perhaps there are other unstated circumstances.

This is how our old BCP friend Berk died in 2007. He flew his 172 up the "wrong" drainage in the Frank Church and couldn't turn around, crashed into terrain under power. He died of head trauma, his wife survived with a broken neck.

"Safety is no accident"... Be well acquainted with terrain and/or your sectional, as well as doing some serious soul-searching prior to flying up a narrow valley below ridge top altitude. If you've got no climb performance remaining, definitely reconsider such actions. Hope and optimism have no place in the cockpit, at least in my opinion.

Zzzz

Woke me up there for a second with that last name. The article mentions a pretty full list of bad decisions, strung out and leading to the inevitable.

Clarification update.
The plane was spotted about 3hrs after it impacted the glacier by a couple of back country snowmobilers. They got within about 100' but did not cross the crevasse near the plane. He saw no one was in or around the plane so he thought it must have been an old site. Monday the snowmobile guy sent a picture to his friend and said "look what I saw yesterday". That friend is Brandon Campbell one of our Gravel Bar Cowboys based out of Langley CYNJ. Brandon told his friend to meet him at the airport ASAP. They headed for the site in Brandon's 180. While on route they contacted search and rescue through the BC General Aviation Association. Brandon contacted the Buffalo search plane and told them to follow them to the site. There was some hesitation at first but then SAR headquarters came on the radio and told the Buffalo if they make contact with Cessna 180 C-##### follow them to the site. The Buffalo followed Brandon to the site and then called in the Cormorant Helicopter. The chopper found the pilot and passengers about 20 minutes later.
Some interesting points:
- The Beach Musketeer had 3 big guys and full fuel
- the pilot said he could not out climb the down draft coming off the glacier
-the pilot said it was too narrow to turn around yet he flew up the middle of the valley
- the 180 and the Buffalo had no trouble turning around in the valley

This has been on the news all day here in BC.

Unfortunately the news has dramatised the incident into a "miraculous survival" tale. They got lucky. The weather is benign and at worst they would have been uncomfortable.

Glad everyone is ok, but a couple of questionable decisions - city clothing, no functioning beacon, no survival gear, left the plane, and maybe lost as well before the forced landing.

Had they gone south they would have probably been equipped to get to San Diego without drama in the event of a forced landing, but heading into the mountains has another set of requirements. As a mountaineer I can imagine the reaction if three guys had walked up to the Pemberton icecap in city clothes, (one of them being 83?) with zero safety gear, map or compass. And yet that is effectively what they did.

I'm sure that we can all learn a little something from this.

Agree with above.

Caught the news on CBUT last night .

The one tidbit that confused me on reporting was that the landing was "too soft" to trip the ELT and since it was not working they decided to walk out.

Manual switch??? ELT did not work? 122.5 ELT?

Even given the string of bad decisions in this case, he could have been OK if he had just adhered to one of the golden rules of mountain flying: "Never fly beyond the point of no return in upslope terrain."

I wonder if a stall/spin would have been next had the earth not gradually come up to meet him before he got to that point.

The fact that the plane was found only 3 hours after the crash even without signaling is another reminder to stay with the wreckage if at all possible, or at least leave clear information about which direction you went at the wreckage if you do leave it.

Sheesh!

Cary

The passengers think he's a hero. Well, I'll give them that thought since they lived to tell. It's too bad that they weren't left with a good impression of flying in general.

Bush wheels, we don't need no stinking bush wheels. Looks like a good landing, everyone walked away. LOL. Whats up with the like jacket?

OregonMaule wrote:Whats up with the life jacket?

Flotation on snow, like snow shoes......

I think only outer layer available

Dear Lord,

Please let me keep flying at least until I'm 80 years old, but please don't let me make a mistake and crash my plane, but if I do crash Lord, please please don't let the pictures of the crash end up on the internet, but if they do, please please please remind me to take off my life vest, but if I forget to take off the life vest after I crash, please please please please don't let it be shown on Backcountry Pilot.

Amen

SkyLarkin wrote:[-o< Dear Lord,

Please let me keep flying at least until I'm 80 years old, but please don't let me make a mistake and crash my plane, but if I do crash Lord, please please don't let the pictures of the crash end up on the internet, but if they do, please please please remind me to take off my life vest, but if I forget to take off the life vest after I crash, please please please please don't let it be shown on Backcountry Pilot.

Amen

Hahahahaha

Amen

I would sport a life jacket all over the internet to be flying and moving like that guy in my 80s. I hope he has many more adventures.

daedaluscan wrote:I would sport a life jacket all over the internet to be flying and moving like that guy in my 80s. I hope he has many more adventures.

+1 !! I'd wear a speedo or a clown suit.

Zzz wrote:

daedaluscan wrote:I would sport a life jacket all over the internet to be flying and moving like that guy in my 80s. I hope he has many more adventures.

+1 !! I'd wear a speedo or a clown suit.

Me too, I'd be fine with flying buck naked if I am still able to fly in my 80s. I just couldn't believe how critical a lot of people have been on this poor guy making the mistake of flying up the wrong canyon!?!

SkyLarkin wrote: I just couldn't believe how critical a lot of people have been on this poor guy making the mistake of flying up the wrong canyon!?!

I think it's because the news and his passengers hailed him a hero, which we in our sealed echo chamber must set straight.

SkyLarkin wrote:[-o< Dear Lord,

Please let me keep flying at least until I'm 80 years old, but please don't let me make a mistake and crash my plane, but if I do crash Lord, please please don't let the pictures of the crash end up on the internet, but if they do, please please please remind me to take off my life vest, but if I forget to take off the life vest after I crash, please please please please don't let it be shown on Backcountry Pilot.

Amen

Amen

Anybody else remember the first Back To The Future kovie, where the 1950's guy thought Michael J Fox's circa 1980 down vest was a life jacket. Personally, I think it's a good look. As every old Boy Scout knows, you can't be too prepared!

If I could caption that photo: "Maybe she's right... maybe its time to hang up the skates."