Thoughts on crash/article in Soaring?

I guess my question would be - why have an 8 foot berm at the end of a
runway? If it hadn't been there, would this accident have happened?

Has anyone not pulled back firmly on the spoiler handle on a Blanik and
wondered why the brakes didn't work? Easy to see in hind-sight, not so
easy when you're tugging on a handle. The wrong one. I saw it happen
at a commercial operation in a Discus, when the pilot wondered why the
brakes were weak; I pointed out the brake handle on the stick, and he
looked in disbelief; how could he not have seen it?

I commend the author - this is great education, people are talking
about something important.

DD

J.A.M. wrote:
Well if someone cannot stop in a 6000 ft runway then he/she shouldn't have
been soloed.
An instructor will not solo you if he sees you 'freezing and tunnel
visioning' at any time.
So at some point it may be an instructor problem...

"MS" escribió en el mensaje
oups.com...
Does anybody have anything to say about the accident described in
Soaring magazine concerning a pilot who could not land to a stop on a
6,000 foot paved runway or the parallel dirt runway to the South?

I know this sounds very judgemental and I don't ordinarily make
negative comments about an accident, but holy cow, if I couldn't make
a 6,000 ft runway with or without spoilers, I'll quit the sport. I
believe the private pilot PTS states the applicant has to land and roll
to a stop within 200 ft of a predesignated spot. Most students can do
that every time prior to solo. I fly at an operation with a 4,000 ft
runway where we only use 1/2 for landing and the other 1/2 for launch.
Even new solo students don't need the full 4,000 feet! I know the
pilot got the gear and spoiler handles mixed up, but good grief.

Also, what's with the dumbass "high parasitic drag approach"?
Spoilers and slipping works fine. If you can't hit a 6000 ft runway
from 350 ft on final with spoilers or a forward slip, choose another
sport. The high parasitic drag approach described in the article does
not sound like a stable approach to landing.


The article should be renamed "Is conservative safe? YES, but bozos
who blame their instruction/instructors for being clueless are not."
He mainly blamed his conservative instruction and instructors instead
of admitting he was not thinking properly that day. I can't believe
his instructors went along with that attitude. He must have a problem
with freezing up and tunnel vision if something goes slightly wrong and
he can't salvage the situation he got himself into.

Flame away if it makes you feel better, but nothing will change my
mind.

Dan'l wrote:
I guess my question would be - why have an 8 foot berm at the end of a
runway? If it hadn't been there, would this accident have happened?

Not this one, maybe, but surely a slightly different accident would have
sprouted from the same roots. An 8-foot, or 80-foot berm shouldn't have
much to do with crashing on a 6000' runway. Operating procedures and
training, perhaps.

Maybe the real fault is that the runway is twice as long as it ought to
be. Yeah, that's the ticket.


Jack