"Out of fuel, out of hope: 'Help, I'm in the water'"

In article , Dave Stadt wrote:

In this case it would not have helped. Unfortunately, under the
circumstances, he was dead when the engine quit.

Even if the lake hadn't been so cold, he would be pretty much stuffed. 3
foot waves don't sound a lot, but when you're swimming only your head is
out. At night he could have had absolutely no idea which direction he
should swim unless he could astronavigate (which I suspect he couldn't).
There would be more chances of swimming in the wrong direction instead
of the most direct route to the shore if there's nothing to guide you.
The waves would have completely blocked his view of the land most of the
time, especially as he'd probably go under each wave regardless of how
strong a swimmer he was.

Even in daylight it would be difficult enough, but at least then you
could get an idea of which way to swim from the position of the sun
assuming it wasn't overcast.

The only thing he did right was not to panic, but unfortunately it
didn't help.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

I wonder what would have happened if he would have called 30 minutes before
running out of gas and had the Coast Guard giving him "Flight Following"
Maybe they could have got there before the plane sank.

When I lived in Racine, WI (on the western Lake Michigan shore), there was a
huge outcry when the Coast Guard eliminated the rescue helicopter nearby, in
favor of consolidating all search & rescue operations on the east side of
the lake.

I don't remember all the particulars, but I know that the boaters in our
area were really worried, since it would add 30 (or more) minutes to any
helicopter rescue efforts. (They still had boats on the western shore, of
course.)

In this case, having a closer helicopter probably wouldn't have mattered,
but perhaps if he had followed your plan of action it might have?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"Jon Kraus" wrote in message
...
I
don't even know if that was a possibility. Just a thought.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
'79 Mooney 201

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
"Chris" wrote in message
...

Its all speculation, the poor planning was one issue, poor execution of
his way out of the problem was the other.


Poor planning is a certainty, there was no proper execution out of this
problem.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Chris" wrote:

Its all speculation, the poor planning was one issue, poor execution of
his way out of the problem was the other.

Poor planning is a certainty, there was no proper execution out of this
problem.

Given the time of the accident (close to midnight) I'm curious about
where he might have dropped in for fuel along the way at that time of
night. He was visiting near Syracuse, NY, and it looks like about 575
nmi to Watertown, WI, which is near the maximum range of a Piper Archer,
obviously depending on configuration.

Is this perhaps simply a case of get-home-itis, and he pushed things too
far in trying to make his destination non-stop that evening?

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:42:54 GMT, James Robinson
wrote:

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Chris" wrote:

Its all speculation, the poor planning was one issue, poor execution of
his way out of the problem was the other.

Poor planning is a certainty, there was no proper execution out of this
problem.

Given the time of the accident (close to midnight) I'm curious about
where he might have dropped in for fuel along the way at that time of
night. He was visiting near Syracuse, NY, and it looks like about 575
nmi to Watertown, WI, which is near the maximum range of a Piper Archer,
obviously depending on configuration.

A westbound 575 nm is definitely outside the range of an Archer.
Eastbound might be do-able with a strong tailwind.

"Nathan Young" wrote in message
...

A westbound 575 nm is definitely outside the range of an Archer.
Eastbound might be do-able with a strong tailwind.


The 1976 "Flying Annual & Buyer's Guide" gives the range with maximum fuel
of the Archer II as 682 NM at 75% power and 838 NM at 55% power. Range
figures are given with no allowance for taxi, climb to cruising altitude, or
reserve.

"James Robinson" wrote in message
...

Given the time of the accident (close to midnight) I'm curious about
where he might have dropped in for fuel along the way at that time of
night. He was visiting near Syracuse, NY, and it looks like about 575
nmi to Watertown, WI, which is near the maximum range of a Piper Archer,
obviously depending on configuration.


A direct route between Hamilton NY and Watertown WI passes just a few miles
north of Muskegon MI. The FBO would have been closed by the time he was in
the area, but they probably have someone on call for after hours fuel.

James Robinson wrote:

Given the time of the accident (close to midnight) I'm curious about
where he might have dropped in for fuel along the way at that time of
night.

Grand Rapids is probably the closest to his route on the east side of the lake.
He would've passed right over Muskegon, but it closes at 9:00.

George Patterson
There's plenty of room for all of God's creatures. Right next to the
mashed potatoes.