"Dude" wrote in message
...

That being said, putting a plane like a 150 into the trees isn't
impossible
at all. Simply mushing it into the foliage as slow as possible has been
accomplished many times, even if it is a crap shoot. Given the hieght of
some of those trees would make it interesting to get down afterwards
though.

I've been doing some reading lately that advises pilots to aim for the base
of the trees, not the foliage. Mushing it into the tops of the trees ensures
that you will stall as soon as the plane touches the first treetop. The nose
will drop and you will be going straight down from there. Unless the tree
branches break the fall on the way down, there is a good chance you will not
survive. The taller the trees, the farther you fall, the harder the impact.

If you aim for the base of the trees, you'll be under control as close to
the ground as possible when the stall occurs. You do have to be careful not
to hit a tree trunk head-on, but if you aim right, the wings can be used to
absorb energy, making the deceleration as gradual as possible. It's the
quick deceleration that kills you or renders you unconscious and if there is
a fire you are not getting out.

I also used to think that mushing the plane into the treetops was the way to
go, but obviously I've been rethinking that. And just reading the title of
this thread gives me willies. To be honest, I thought it was a joke or a
hypothetical question, not a recounting of an actual experience. Speaking
for myself only, outright emergencies notwithstanding, you won't find me
"Night flying in the mountains in a cessna 150".

-Trent
PP-ASEL