Ground Accidents.

[Tumbleweed]

(No reference to the latest incident)

These accidents scare me the most.

The idea fo a runaway trike scares the sh!t out of me and it's so quick and easy. I shudder to think of non flying guys /kids around a busy spot and not aware of a runaway trike and I think it could happen to the best of us.

Pull start, the 912's loooong warm-up, strapping up the pax;you can't always be seated. Then the hand throttle always seems positioned for the pax to kick foreward as they do a little leg stretch.

It's fine to have a block or baksteen at your hangar but are precautions at remote strips adequate?

I'm the 'loose a chequebook or a phone for a week' kinda guy so am certainly not looking at this from a critical standpoint.

[philipnz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJVfyRDC ... re=related

[Morph]

I agree,

I have an absolute panic everytime I see a plane standing on it's own, prop running, especially 912's that take forever to warm up. Man it gives me the heebie geebies.

I was the target of a runaway plane once, fortunately managed to get behind my plane which took the brunt of the damage. Not a nice experience.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2087

And now this weekend's accident. It just freaks me out. I know how easy in a moment of lapse in concerntration, to cut your hands on a RC plane's prop. Your prop on your little 503 can slice through 150mm telephone poles, and continue running. The human body is no match

Guys, please let's be careful. Do not trust your brakes, make sure you are with the plane, preferably in it at all times and keep a vigalent watch for animals, kids and bystanders. They cannot see the blade.

[Woody]

I agree
With our first two trikes it also used to give me the creeps to let the girl idle with just the average airfield brake known as the "brick" infront of the wheel.
luckely the scout comes out with the footbrake/parking brake solving the problem. .

[Gyronaut]

(No reference to the latest incident)

It is only in the microlight fraternity that I have ever seen an aircraft running without the pilot in command firmly seated behind the controls.

So you might have to sit in the machine a bit longer while it warms up but the downside is too horrible to contemplate, so I sit.
In my helicopter training I was taught that you dont even leave the controls for a second, even when firmly on the ground, collective fully down.
I am sure I would have been grounded/failed/smacked around the chops by my instructor if I even considered it. I was told a story about a pilot that walked into his own tail rotor accidently (fatally) after running to fetch a logbook and it stuck with me. Another argument in favour is that you can always move off if someone comes too close (imagine a toddler walking into your prop?)

Personally I consider it bad airmanship to let a machine run without someone competent behind the controls and have berated fellow pilots for doing it.

I took the attached picture as evidence to use against a mate for leaving his machine to go take a leak! Drinks were on him that night for messing up. You will notice that the prop is turning.

Switch it off, fit a thermostat, do anything but leave a running machine, please!

Fly (park) Safe!

Len

[justin.schoeman]

Not only bad airmanship...

Starting of engines
91.07.28 (1) Except when the brakes are serviceable and are fully applied,
chocks shall be placed in front of the wheels of an aeroplane before starting the
engine or engines, and a competent person shall be seated at the controls when
the engine or engines are running.
(2) Where the pilot of an aeroplane is the only competent person present
and it has been necessary for chocks to be used, he or she shall ensure that the
controls of the aeroplane are left unattended for as short a time as possible when
removing the chocks.

[Koevoet]

Somebody made a comment in a previous tread (non pilots sitting infront i think), that u can have the brakes applied, but trottle will override if its accidently opened. Does it apply to bigger planes (fix wings) aswell.

Don't think good idea to only rely on brakes then.

[Gyronaut]

Thanks Justin, thats sorted then! Its the law! Will pass this on to my berated friend (pic above).

Interesting point zulu4jaco, the above-mentioned pilot used his handbrake as a defence, only to be reminded by another pilot that he had actually taken off with his handbrake fully ON before!

Very few light planes have good enough brakes to hold against full throttle, mine even creeps forward during run-up mag-test with brakes full on.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Dumb question?

Why would 1 leave engine running when not in aerie? If it takes long to warm taxi slower or take the scenic route...

[Koevoet]

Dumb question?

Why would 1 leave engine running when not in aerie? If it takes long to warm taxi slower or take the scenic route...

My q dump?

Was waching a guy starting gyro, he was standing outside the gyro, after it started, he sets the trottle to let it warmup, he then turned around and walk to a nearby tap. I saw the gyro starting moving forward, yelled at the pilot but he could not hear me, had to run passed the gyro (was standing 30ft behind to its left). When i caught the pilots attention, he ran to the gyro which was on its way to the rw and stopped it. Don't know if brakes was on, but he climb in and took off.

(Het nogal funny gelyk - ma besef nou wat kon gebeur het - prop is oop)

[GR8-DAD]

I occasionaly get to fly a Bellanca Champ - (old tailie) you still need chocks in front of wheels and a good old hand start on the prop (even though it has a handbrake) - every time I start her I get the creeps - more of these aeries has run away pilotless than any other. Except for these semi museum pieces/oldies I'd be in support of legalizing elec start on all aeries. Also had a pull start Challenger II once running away with me, hung on to the wingstrut and managed to flick the mag switches just in time....shitty feeling.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Flying those old gems alone is a bit of a . The teenie I looked at a while back has no starter... Similar procedure, but I am bang to prop swing although I have done it with cubby (with P1 in plane) plenty...

[ICEMAN]

Its concerning to note the number of replies that have witnessed a "runaway" a/c......... clearly this seems far more common than it should be, and as far as i can see- if everything is done by the book (preflight and startup) it should never happen in theory........ (perhaps we should run a poll to see how many pilots have witnessed/ experienced a runaway)

Trikes are very light (and im assuming gyros aswell)- thus and empty trike with brakes locked and half a brick in front of a wheel probably wouldnt hold one back at 30-40% power.........

[cobra]

... thus and empty trike with brakes locked and half a brick in front of a wheel probably wouldnt hold one back at 30-40% power.........

Agreed, there is no way that it will keep the trike stationary at 100% power. My opinion, the problem is the position of the hand throttle and mag switches on some trikes. When it happens that you need to assist as a bystander, trying to get the position of these crucial controls especially if you don`t know the make of trike.

Some of the designs are terrible and I cannot believe that manufactures could oversee the bad positioning of these controls I hope that what happened at Microland will be and eye opener and that something will be done about it or safety features are added as with the GT

[Arnulf]

Not only bad airmanship...

Starting of engines
91.07.28 (1) Except when the brakes are serviceable and are fully applied,
chocks shall be placed in front of the wheels of an aeroplane before starting the
engine or engines, and a competent person shall be seated at the controls when
the engine or engines are running.
(2) Where the pilot of an aeroplane is the only competent person present
and it has been necessary for chocks to be used, he or she shall ensure that the
controls of the aeroplane are left unattended for as short a time as possible when
removing the chocks.

The rules/laws of aviation are written in blood! This is one of these rules.

Regards,
Arnulf