The point that gets overlooked sometimes is that the first priority is to
walk away from the landing. If the airplane is relatively undamaged, that's
a bonus.

Good point. Since our recent fatality here in Iowa City, I've spoken
with many people about emergency procedures. The number one thing
they all say is that, at some point, you must GIVE UP ON THE PLANE.

Apparently it's a fairly common thing for pilots -- especially young,
very proficient ones -- to forget that the plane is secondary to
their survival. They keep trying to save the plane beyond the point
where it is too late to save themselves. (No, this is not what we
think happened here in Iowa City, but it's just one of the many
possibilities.)

From what the "gray heads" have told me, stopping the engine, bumping
the prop till it's horizontal, and landing on the grass, gear-up, all
fall into this category. Doing stuff that might save the paint, at
the risk of catapulting you end-over-end, or doing anything that takes
your attention away from flying the plane (in what is, after all, a
VERY unusual situation) can cause (for example) an inadvertent
stall.

If you're in an emergency, your immediate thought has to be "this
plane is now the insurance company's plane" -- and fly it
accordingly. When you're talking about airplanes -- things that many
of us invest with almost human-like qualities -- this may be the
hardest part of any emergency landing.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"