Thought this was interesting.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stor ... 3678e.html

With the weather today here in Baker County, I think the pilot made a great decision.

Yep we was sleding just over the hill and thought I heard a round motor... ha I wasn't loosein my mind.....

John dont say a word

I saw that on the news last night! I thought I should probably post about it, but you beat me to it pif. It's not everyday you see a Beaver on amphibs on the evening news.

Saw the Beaver/I-84 story on the TV news tis mrning. Sure glad they didn't have a close encounter with a powerline across the highway. Also glad the were allowed to depart after the wx cleared-- I've heard of people in similar circumstances being forced to de-wing and trailer out by the cops.
How far from the Baker City airport did this landing happen?

Eric

It was about 10-12 nm SSW from BKE. The pilot had no option to get to the airport with the weather the way it was. When the weather did clear he had to go back to Boise because there was still no way to get to BKE. I spoke to the Trooper who was on scene. He said it was a little surprising to see a plane being taxied down the freeway. I still think all is good, plane did not crash into a hill side, no body hurt and only a few freeway travelers a little inconvenienced for a short period of time. Plus it gives all of us something to talk about.

I'm going to speculate that the pilot might be telling the story to at least one other person before all is said and done... I'm glad the pilot had the werewithall to put that beautiful Beaver down on the only place available rather than risk spatial disorientation in an inadvertant plunge into IMC.

I guess I'm probably a minority, as I don't see him as any kind of hero... actually more of a zero.... I was taught to keep your eyes open and not get into those type of situations.... had he turned around earlier, he wouldn't have had to land on a freeway.... But that's just my opinion and worth all you paid for it.
JH

I wasn't going to say anything. When I saw this posted, but I work for ODOT and was one of the individuals on the scene. When this happened, and I also saw the plane fly by mileposts 353, or the port of entry on the freeway near Huntington. I have plowed snow in that area for the past six years and have a combined 11 years working for the Highway Department, I have been flying for about 15 years in a taylorcraft. First of all, I wouldn't say hero. I most definitely would say zero.

The beaver landed at milepost 320 but like I said, when I saw him at mileposts 353. He had roughly a five to 700 foot ceiling. At that point, and deteriorating due to elevation rise and rain snow mix. If I remember correctly, he took off from the weser airport flew up the river and then followed the freeway. His statement to me was that he couldn't turn the plane around due to tail wind. And like I said, when I saw the plane fly by me I could hit him with a rock and the wind was blowing less than 5 miles an hour, based on what I saw firsthand. This pilot had a least three warnings/opportunities to turn around and easily get back to wieser but he chose to ignore that and press on until he was ultimately forced down at milepost 320 for someone who claimed to have 21,000 hours in the Alaskan bush. I wasn't very impressed. I don't feel he made a very good impression on the public. As far as pilots are concerned.

We allowed him to take off, mainly because he was a bigger hazard being left there also shutting down a freeway be it one lane or two begins to be a big dollar issue.

Don't want to upset anybody here just want to state what actually happened. So everybody knows the whole story

Also, it's been my experience, mostly plowing snow in the area that if it is snowing in the lower areas. Boise. Ontario Caldwell Nampa etc it is almost impossible to get into Baker airport vfr due to the fact it sits in a hole that the majority of time is surrounded in clouds

Please do not misinterpret my statements about being glad the plane was landed safely to the guy being a hero. I agree he made some very bad decisions all along his route. Like I said I spoke with the Trooper who was on scene and heard the entire story. Most of it was not in the paper.

I learned to fly out of Baker City and have learned the weather in Baker can be deceiving some times. I just want to point out that if a pilot gets into that type of situation DO NOT FLY OVER YOUR HEAD AND CRASH THE PLANE. I would rather deal with the FAA than kill me or my passengers. Maybe with 21K hours he got a little complacent about flying. Plus in Alaska don’t planes have the right of way over a vehicle on a road? I just don’t want any pilot to make a decision not to land and get someone killed when they could have landed on a road. The only thing that is hurt is a little pride, some highway travels and the fact that he has to have a discussion with the FAA. Just my humble opinion.

pif_sonic wrote:Please do not misinterpret my statements about being glad the plane was landed safely to the guy being a hero. I agree he made some very bad decisions all along his route. Like I said I spoke with the Trooper who was on scene and heard the entire story. Most of it was not in the paper.

I learned to fly out of Baker City and have learned the weather in Baker can be deceiving some times. I just want to point out that if a pilot gets into that type of situation DO NOT FLY OVER YOUR HEAD AND CRASH THE PLANE. I would rather deal with the FAA than kill me or my passengers. Maybe with 21K hours he got a little complacent about flying. Plus in Alaska don’t planes have the right of way over a vehicle on a road? I just don’t want any pilot to make a decision not to land and get someone killed when they could have landed on a road. The only thing that is hurt is a little pride, some highway travels and the fact that he has to have a discussion with the FAA. Just my humble opinion.

That is pretty much my feeling also. I was not saying in anyway he was a hero, just that having found himself in well over his head, he made the most of a bad situation and was able to walk (or fly) away from it.

Now, if anyone wants to get into what they would have done differently, once the given mistakes were made, I would be curious about that.

By all accounts here, sounds like he pushed the scud-running beyond a reasonable limit. But let he who is without sin cast the first stone, brother. Who amongst us has NOT scud run? I know I have, sometimes pretty hard too-- just lucky I guess that it's always turned out OK. Some of these kinda situations, by the time you realize what a big mistake you've made, it's too late to do much more than say "oh shit". Glad those weren't this guys last words!
What's the expression-- good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement? Something like that...

Eric

Not usually one to chime in on a subject like this, but i think you guys should be careful talking down at anybody who ends up in a situation like this. I'm not trying to insult anyone, but it's talking poorly about guys like this one that may cause the rest of us when found in a similar position to do something stupid. To avoid an impending shit storm from our peers. Something i think everyone is at least a little susceptible to.

No he shouldn't have let himself get into the position but he did get everyone out of it alive and didn't bust a plane. More than we can say for the two piles of man soup that nose planted their 172 at my home airport last year.

Just remember every landing you walk away from is a good one , Highway or Runway. Just my 2 cents.

zero.one.victor wrote:What's the expression-- good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement? Something like that...
Eric

I also like what Sparky Imeson said: "Experience is a wonderful teacher, but it gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards."

Bless me Father Sheldon for I too have run the scud.

Years ago, I had an occassion where a route, that I had been flying regularly for a couple of months, had some enroute low ceilings. The flight was usually about 45 min to 1 hour and I had departed clear conditions with a VFR forecast both enroute and at my destination. To my surprise, there was a build-up over a mountain range enroute but there was room under the solid overcast. As we approached the pass we intended to fly through it became apparent that the ceilings were rapidly lowering and we were going to have trouble staying VFR. I dialed up center and was prepared to ask for a pop-up clearance (something controllers really love,,,) and knew they were going to give me something like climb present heading to 14,000 (the MEA in that area) from my present altitude, 6,000 in the pass. Twice my itchy finger was on the PTT and twice the forward visability improved to just above zero. We continued under the layer by referencing the highway in the pass below us out the side window more than anything out the front. Within five minutes (seemed like five hours) we were out from under the layer and landed in brillant blue VFR conditions at our destination. I would probably have done it differently today but I learned how easily you can fly yourself into a corner.

ShamuPilot wrote:

zero.one.victor wrote:What's the expression-- good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement? Something like that...
Eric

I also like what Sparky Imeson said: "Experience is a wonderful teacher, but it gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards."

Sparky has a way with words!

Dusty wrote:Not usually one to chime in on a subject like this, but i think you guys should be careful talking down at anybody who ends up in a situation like this. I'm not trying to insult anyone, but it's talking poorly about guys like this one that may cause the rest of us when found in a similar position to do something stupid. To avoid an impending shit storm from our peers. Something i think everyone is at least a little susceptible to.

No he shouldn't have let himself get into the position but he did get everyone out of it alive and didn't bust a plane. More than we can say for the two piles of man soup that nose planted their 172 at my home airport last year.

Just remember every landing you walk away from is a good one , Highway or Runway. Just my 2 cents.

Amen!!!!

Isn't this web site for guys (and gals) who fly taildraggers in the dirt???

It is NOT 100% safe out there, and to become experienced and proficient you have to push your, and your airplane's, envelope a fair amount. But damn, that's how you learn this stuff. You can't be suicidal, and Darwin will weed out the real dumb ones sooner or later, but it's amazing what your flying can evolve into with lessons learned from testing yourself. Conditions that 1000 hours before would have your knees shaking and you dribbling pee down your leg, now have you arm-hanging out the window relaxed and eating your sandwich as you flog along.

I wasn't with this guy in ID and didn't talk to him, so I can't speak for what his thinking was, or what his Plan B's were to stay out of trouble. But, he was in a big old Beaver on amphibs, and has somehow managed to survive 21,000 hours of AK time so far, so at least up until now he must have done something right.

And, like was said above, how many of the rest of us haven't pushed it while scud running, and just by pure luck didn't have that ceiling drop another 50 feet or vis go down to nothing at the worse possible spot. I know I certainly have run out of airspeed, altitude and options all at the same time more than once. But I'm proud to say I was, and am, still out there pushing. And so is that Beaver driver and his airplane.

Gump