The topic "Death Valley: Curious About Crash Site" brought to mind a thought I have harbored for many years about flying fixed gear small airplanes over water, so here is an idea for both the 'theorists' and the inventors among us to weigh in on:

The space program used 'exploding bolts' to separate rocket stages from each other in flight. What about the concept of using 'exploding bolts' to separate/drop the landing gear on fixed gear/Cessna like aircraft to reduce the chance of tumble when setting down on water or a coarse surface? (like in 'Death Valley...')

An advantage would be the weight penalty would be minimal. I realize the 'whole airplane parachute' concept/invention/installation would solve it, too, but with that there is quite a weight penalty-which is there for the life of the aircraft.

Just thinkin' (or tryin'....)
lc

MAN... I want a foolproof guard on that TOGGLE switch.

Yes, you wouldn't want the grandkids playin' in the cockpit much....

lc

the idea is fine but can you imagine the laughter around the local FSDO office after you submit the STC paperwork?

I can see the check list now.
gear check = GONE

The Pacific NW's own Clyde Pangborn's (born in Brewster, WA) Long distance record breaking Miss Veedol had a mechanism to remove the gear for aerodynamic purposes......:

Trans-Pacific flight

With their eyes on a $25,000 prize, Pangborn and Herndon next decided to attempt the first nonstop trans-Pacific flight. They flew from Siberia to Japan in preparation. In the spirit of documentation, Herndon took several still pictures as well as some 16mm motion pictures, which included some of Japan's naval installations. Because of the photography, combined with their inadequate documentation to enter the country (a fact they hadn't been aware of), the men were jailed. They were eventually released with a $1000 fine, but they were allowed only one chance to take off in Miss Veedol; if they returned to Japan, the plane would be confiscated and the men would return to prison.

Other complications hampered the flight. Pangborn and Herndon's maps and charts were stolen by the nationalist Black Dragon Society, who wanted a Japanese pilot flying Japanese equipment[7] to be the first to complete the endeavor. They also had extremely precise calculations for their flight, leaving no room for error; Miss Veedol had to be overweighted with fuel, way beyond the manufacturer's recommendation (650 gallons stock was expanded to 915[8]), and they would need to abandon their landing gear after take-off to reduce drag.

Pangborn and Herndon finally took off on October 4, 1931 from Sabishiro Beach, Misawa, Aomori, Japan. Their destination was Seattle, Washington, just under 5500 miles[9] (8500 km) away, a distance exceeding Charles Lindbergh's flight from New York to Paris by 2000 miles. Three hours after takeoff,[10] , a problem arose: the device intended to jettison the landing gear partially failed. The gear was ejected, but the two root struts remained. Pangborn was forced to climb out on the wing supports barefoot at 14,000 feet in the air to remove them.

Later, the engine nearly quit as Herndon neglected his responsibility to pump fuel from the fuselange tanks to the wing tanks, which feed the engine. Within a few hours, the upper[clarification needed] tanks again went dry--this time the engine did quit running. Because there was no built-in starter, Pangborn dove the airplane from cruise altitude and pulled out at 1,400 ft (430 m) to get the engine started.

They almost ran into Mount Rainier when Vancouver, BC, and Seattle were fogged in and the Herndon again had the airplane off coarse. From there they decided to fly to Boise where they could claim the furthest distance record along with the nonstop transpacific. Due to fog, Boise, Spokane, and Prosser, Washington, were unavailable, so they tuned back, to Wenatchee, Washington. They belly landed on a strip cut out of the sagebrush on Fancher Field near what is now East Wenatchee. Pangborn's mother, brother, and the representative from the Japanses newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, had already assumed Wenachee was their destination and were there waiting for their arrival. The flight from Japan took 41 hours and 13 minutes.[11] A memorial to the historic flight is located near the landing site, and the propeller damaged from the landing is on display in the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. The regional airport, Pangborn Memorial (EAT) in East Wenatchee, also honors his accomplishment.

Miss Veedol was trucked to Seattle where she was repaired and the landing gear replaced. Pangborn and Herndon left from Seattle and continued to New York to complete their world flight. Although news of the flight did circulate, Pangborn did not receive much financial benefit as a result; however, he continued to fly as an airmail pilot, air racer, a test and demonstration pilot and delivered multi-engine bombers to the alies during WWII. Pangborn's experience with trans-pacific flight and sighting of Japanese capabilities led him to warn of potential for Japanese bombardment of the United States as early as 1935.[12]
Source: Wikipedia