Plane hits car...caught on video
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I think there was no way the pilot could see SUV.
Hill obstructed him from getting the whole picture and he could not see approaching vehicle.
By the time he got to the threshold, part of the plane obstructed him from seeing what IS actually on that piece of road.
I would bet he didn't see it coming.
(why he was so low, or was he - is a different question)
The same thing about SUV - drivers don't look UP, they usually look to left or right ( apart from looking into normal for every driver direction)....and there was a hill - so nothing dangerous.
Hill obstructed him from getting the whole picture and he could not see approaching vehicle.
By the time he got to the threshold, part of the plane obstructed him from seeing what IS actually on that piece of road.
I would bet he didn't see it coming.
(why he was so low, or was he - is a different question)
The same thing about SUV - drivers don't look UP, they usually look to left or right ( apart from looking into normal for every driver direction)....and there was a hill - so nothing dangerous.
Psychophysiological entity
The kid obviously hadn't got things quite right. Bad mistake and one that has made him resolve to give up flying. Sad, but not as sad as his wife filming his total demise. He, and the SUV driver should be thankful.
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What we don't know about is how clear are the road markings to the driver. From the video they appears to be no landside or airside kind of boundary. and the road appears to be well inside any airfield boundary. IMHO the hazards should be clearly marked and perhaps a single word painted in the road is not good enough.
That said I agree with others in that the driver of the SUV should have been more alert and perhaps the occs need to test their hearing aids as they dont seem to have heard the cessna either.
That said I agree with others in that the driver of the SUV should have been more alert and perhaps the occs need to test their hearing aids as they dont seem to have heard the cessna either.
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The Laudos are aviation enthusiasts, and they visit the airport a lot. The road to get there is adjacent to the runway.
"We go out there a lot," Frank said. "We're used to the whole protocol of how to wait for the runway and everything like that."
But on Saturday, even following the rules wasn't enough. They were hit.
"We go out there a lot," Frank said. "We're used to the whole protocol of how to wait for the runway and everything like that."
But on Saturday, even following the rules wasn't enough. They were hit.
I saw him and he couldn't have been more than 10 feet away," Frank said. "I thought, 'Wow, he's a little low.'"
"We couldn't see anything at all, and then... all of a sudden... equipment was falling into the car," Heather said
'We've just been hit by an airplane!' | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth
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Looks like there were quite a few factors here. The student appears to be conducting a flapless approach and, although it is difficult to tell from the photos, may have landed short of a displaced threshold if the SUV hadn't 'intervened'. The google earth photo shows displaced threshold arrows and rather indistinct threshold markings.
So the stude would have had more of a nose-up attitude on approach, reducing the chances of seeing the vehicle from the left-hand seat. The SUV driver on the other hand would have been on the 'correct' (left) side of his vehicle to see the aircraft and with the lower glide angle of a flapless approach, the aircraft should have been more obvious than usual.
I had to chuckle at the quote from the SUV passenger "we've been hit by an aircraft"; no, your hubby decided to drive out in front of one - not quite the same thing!
Thankfully the outcome was only bent metal and hopefully the stude will get back to flying after the shock has worn off.
So the stude would have had more of a nose-up attitude on approach, reducing the chances of seeing the vehicle from the left-hand seat. The SUV driver on the other hand would have been on the 'correct' (left) side of his vehicle to see the aircraft and with the lower glide angle of a flapless approach, the aircraft should have been more obvious than usual.
I had to chuckle at the quote from the SUV passenger "we've been hit by an aircraft"; no, your hubby decided to drive out in front of one - not quite the same thing!
Thankfully the outcome was only bent metal and hopefully the stude will get back to flying after the shock has worn off.
Last edited by znww5; 7th Nov 2012 at 09:47.
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This video made me feel angry not at the pilot but at the Moron of a car driver.
Firsly there should be lights stopping cars crossing with an aircraft on approach! At minimum there should be written warnings and stop lines placed either side of the runway so that drivers can stop and check nothing is about to land before proceeding.
This driver drove blindly across totally oblivious to his surroundings!
Whether the aircraft was low flapless or whatever is irrelevant.
He could have picked up a downdraught or a multitude of other reasons for being lower than ideal!
The fact is that area is the very final bit to touchdown and belongs to the aircraft not the car!
I very much hope the authorities learn from this and place car prevention safeguards in place to stop idiots like that car driver doing that again.
Thankfully the pilot was not injured!
Pace
Firsly there should be lights stopping cars crossing with an aircraft on approach! At minimum there should be written warnings and stop lines placed either side of the runway so that drivers can stop and check nothing is about to land before proceeding.
This driver drove blindly across totally oblivious to his surroundings!
Whether the aircraft was low flapless or whatever is irrelevant.
He could have picked up a downdraught or a multitude of other reasons for being lower than ideal!
The fact is that area is the very final bit to touchdown and belongs to the aircraft not the car!
I very much hope the authorities learn from this and place car prevention safeguards in place to stop idiots like that car driver doing that again.
Thankfully the pilot was not injured!
Pace
Last edited by Pace; 7th Nov 2012 at 10:52.
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I've just viewed the viseo and very largely agree with Pace - the car driver is a complete Pi$$ock. But such is the nature of the public when they are around aircraft.
Try landing a floatplane on a recreational lake - within seconds you'll have clueless morons on jet skis trying to race across the nose etc etc.
We have a similar incident to the one filmed at our local strip - the 172's wheels took out the front and rear screens - doing almost no damage to the aircraft. But in our case at least the road was outside the fence so the issue was much more clearly the pilots fault!
Try landing a floatplane on a recreational lake - within seconds you'll have clueless morons on jet skis trying to race across the nose etc etc.
We have a similar incident to the one filmed at our local strip - the 172's wheels took out the front and rear screens - doing almost no damage to the aircraft. But in our case at least the road was outside the fence so the issue was much more clearly the pilots fault!
The runway has a displaced threshold which is the primary means of preventing confliction between road vehicles and landing aircraft, the road markings are a backup safety measure at best.
The point being, with the displaced threshold and an aircraft on a standard visual approach into that field, a car/SUV on the access road should NEVER violate the approach surface.
A quick trip to Google Earth indicates the road, Kelly Drive is 440ft from the displaced threshold of rwy 17. Even on the worse case 2%/28:1 glideslope* the clearance over the road surface should be 15ft!
Regardless of the actions of the driver the pilot of the C172 also shares the blame. He was simply too low on approach and it is interesting to note that he also had no flap deployed, again indicative of a shallow approach.
*VERY shallow for a VFR approach, the terrain at NW regional probably doesn't even allow it!
The point being, with the displaced threshold and an aircraft on a standard visual approach into that field, a car/SUV on the access road should NEVER violate the approach surface.
A quick trip to Google Earth indicates the road, Kelly Drive is 440ft from the displaced threshold of rwy 17. Even on the worse case 2%/28:1 glideslope* the clearance over the road surface should be 15ft!
Regardless of the actions of the driver the pilot of the C172 also shares the blame. He was simply too low on approach and it is interesting to note that he also had no flap deployed, again indicative of a shallow approach.
*VERY shallow for a VFR approach, the terrain at NW regional probably doesn't even allow it!
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Seems from the video that the accident was caused simply because the car driver just failed to stop at the stop sign and got in the way.
The "pilots" here criticising a pilot on his first solo probably haven't done theirs yet, or were born with 20,000 hours as 747 captains.
The "pilots" here criticising a pilot on his first solo probably haven't done theirs yet, or were born with 20,000 hours as 747 captains.
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Shy torque
I believe he was returning from an early cross country so still inexperienced but not quite first solo!
Regardless there are multiple reasons why an aircraft maybe low from wind shear to engine failure to a mistake etc!
The area to touchdown must be protected and aircraft given priority!
My airport had traffic lights! Cars are not allowed to cross the runway approach with an aircraft on final!
I appreciate smaller airfields may have to rely on warnings and do not cross unless clear of approaching aircraft lines!
But aircraft like sailing boats have priority and the blame lies fairly and squarely in the idiot car drivers court
Pace
I believe he was returning from an early cross country so still inexperienced but not quite first solo!
Regardless there are multiple reasons why an aircraft maybe low from wind shear to engine failure to a mistake etc!
The area to touchdown must be protected and aircraft given priority!
My airport had traffic lights! Cars are not allowed to cross the runway approach with an aircraft on final!
I appreciate smaller airfields may have to rely on warnings and do not cross unless clear of approaching aircraft lines!
But aircraft like sailing boats have priority and the blame lies fairly and squarely in the idiot car drivers court
Pace
Last edited by Pace; 7th Nov 2012 at 12:50.
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Agreed, as no doubt the car driver found out to his cost when the insurance claims went in 
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This driver drove blindly across totally oblivious to his surroundings!
Those exclamation marks must be contagious!
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"I knew it was a plane immediately, because when I looked to the left, I saw him and he couldn't have been more than 10 feet away," Frank said. "I thought, 'Wow, he's a little low.'"
The single-engine Cessna was operated by William Davis, a student pilot returning from a solo cross-country flight to Possum Kingdom Lake.
"We couldn't see anything at all, and then... all of a sudden... equipment was falling into the car," Heather said
The single-engine Cessna was operated by William Davis, a student pilot returning from a solo cross-country flight to Possum Kingdom Lake.
"We couldn't see anything at all, and then... all of a sudden... equipment was falling into the car," Heather said
Where does it say they saw the aircraft on finals? Not from the piece I pasted above.
Had they seen the aircraft on finals more reason to stop and allow it to land before crossing the runway.
If the truth be known more likely they did not bother to look
Pace
Last edited by Pace; 7th Nov 2012 at 13:47.
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"I knew it was a plane immediately, because when I looked to the left, I saw him and he couldn't have been more than 10 feet away," Frank said.
Or unless there is something really wrong with your head, in which case you most likely forgot to ingest something you are really supposed to, and on a very regular basis...
Last edited by Dg800; 7th Nov 2012 at 14:55.
But aircraft like sailing boats have priority and the blame lies fairly and squarely in the idiot car drivers court