What scared you in an airplane?

[bushman]

I did my pvt part 61 and my instrument part 141. Found out today that the aircraft had a mag problem which contributed to it not getting airborne. The particular club has a history of bad maintenance as well. None of this means much to me though because it was my own fault for not doing the proper checklist procedures. Never flown with two buddies asking questions every five minutes, just my teeth grinding eyes covered wife.

 

[MarineKC130]

Descending out of IMC at around 5000', no t-storms around. FE sees static building up on windshield wipers then all of a sudden, very loud boom and flash of white. Everyone's blinded for a second and when I can see again, I expect to see all our electrical systems screwed up or out. Everything ended up being fine, but it blew about a fist-sized hole in our radome and fried the antenna.

 

[InHot]

"Chapter 11"

 

[Snakum]

What has scared me over the years ...

In the summer of '95, as a primary student with about 4 hours, taking lessons in NC from a Dutch kid who liked to have a little too much fun Saturday nights (showed up reeking of alcohol) ... 'Dutch' decides to show me what a spin looks like one inibriated Sunday morning. I didn't fly again for almost a year.

Or ....... on climb out in a spam can at 20 hours ..... ink wet on a solo endorsement .... over nuthin' but trees the engine starts sputtering. It felt like I had ice in my veins for a couple seconds.

Minh

 

[starchkr]

A couple of stories here...

First, initial flight training in AUS (when it was still open), cleared to takeoff while approaching the hold short line. My instrutor yells STOP and hits the brakes as we make the turn onto the runway. Not knowing what he is so verbal about, just before i can ask what is wrong, a C-421 (tail number 666N, no kidding) lands over top of us. Without hesitation my instructor questions the tower as to what they were thinking, and the ensuing convo with the 421 and the tower reveals that the 421 was cleared to land on the parrallel or intersecting runway, but not the one he decided to land on.

This was a good one... on my private checkride, returning to AUS for the final landing before i was issued my ticket, we hear tower trying to talk to a lynguistically challenged person about which runway he is to land on. To no avail he just cannot understand the difference between 13L and 31R, we were following him to 13L, well we were going for 13L at least. On about a 2 mile final we were told to do a couple of 360's to the north to give way to the 150 landing on 31R who was cleared to land on 13L. I tell you what though, from our vantage point, he made a fairly nice pattern to the runway. Needless to say after we landed and taxied into the ramp, he was there talking on the phone to the tower, with my DE ready to rip him a new one when he was done with them.

Finally, the last thing that got me was flying into HOU a month ago in solid IMC with ceilings at 500 and vis at 3 miles. My aircraft decided it was time to start pouring smoke into the cockpit. Knowing that because of the low weather i couldn't just immediately turn off the master, i had to sit there and pray while i diverted to the nearest field to shoot the ILS. Talk about the scariest thing i have ever done... i had to actually catch myself from going full deflection on the localizer a couple of times while trying to figure out what is burning so i can try to stop it. The only thing i could do was to keep telling myself that if that **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** smoke/fire wasn't going to kill me, i wasn't going to let the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** ILS do it either.

 

[aero99]

Not my story, but everytime my Father-in-Law tells the story of when he was flying in Hawaii, and the plane turned into a convertable, I get chills. He was in the row just aft of where the top came off, saw one of the FA's shoot out the top, had a piece of metal lodged in his head about 12 inches long and took 20 min to land in that condition.

He worked for Delta so he knew aircraft, and thought there was no way in h*ll he was making it out that one alive. When they were still flying the convertable, he thought they were just free falling because of all the wind. He said he was in shock for days after the incident.

 

[bobbysamd]

Hawaii B-737

Was that the famous incident about which they made the movie and all?

Chills and shock would be an understatement. I hope your father-in-law is doing well.

 

[aero99]

Yes sir.

Right after that happened, the Dr.'s told him he was going to lose a leg due to bad arteries (not because of the flight, just health problems) and that he probably only had a year or two left before a massive heart attack would take his life.

He is still alive and kicken- with both legs!

Tough ol bird. Stubborness has its virtues!

 

[A1FlyBoy]

I saw still shots of that 737. It is truly amazing that the crew got it down and not any more souls parished.

The UAL 747 that had the forward cargo door blow and peel several feet of skin above it off, sucking rows of passengers out, and losing two engines on the same wing enroute and over the Pacific... yet returning for a landing is another story that gives me chills.

 

[MarineKC130]

Clear right and above

Starchkr, never had that experience, but am glad that I got into the habit of looking and verbalizing every time I cross a runway, "Clear right/left and above." This habit pattern forces me to look down the runway and scan the approach corridor for the runway before taking/crossing. Since I fly multipiloted, it also gets the other guy to double check his side, even though I usually check both if the angle of the cross allows me to see across the cockpit. I try to pick up every safety habit pattern I see other pilots use. Another thing thats nice about flying multi-piloted cause you learn something to do or not to do almost every time you go flying.

 

[BradG]

Ok, so i only have a little over 300 hours, and i have been lucky "knock on wood" to not have REALLY scared myself while I was flying yet. I have been in 2 situations that have REALLY scared me, with others flying. Both times, i was in the back seat.

The first one, me and a couple of friends took a 172 from Kansas City to Chicago (Meigs) for the day. i flew up there, and we spent the day. One of the guys that went was also a pilot, he had just gotten his private and had about 65 hours. He flew back, with someone else, who was a student pilot, up front with him. We left at about 8 or so, and headed for St. louis for a fuel stop. I fell asleep in the back seat, and all i remember is waking up , seeing nothin below but the approach lights, they seemed REALLY close, the stall warning going off, the student pilot saying to the PIC to watch his airspeed, to Add power, and the PIC did nothing to correct. Did i mention that the flaps were inop? They broke on the way up, and the FBO from which we rented the plane said to bring it back with them inop. anyway, he then decided he's high, and SLIPS it. We BARELY touched down on the runway, almost short, and its wasnt exactly a landing, more of an arival. VERY rough. That one really scared me.

The next one, me again in back, was on a very short flight for dinner. A pilot with about 350TT up front, a unrated pax, and me in back. Anyway, we entered the pattern (uncontrolled field) and made our downwind pretty much over the runway. it was a terrible entry, horribly wrong. Then we made our teardrop to final, and he decided he was too fast, so in went the full flaps. Then he was too high, so a slippen we went. Unfortunatley, when he slipped it, he pulled the nose up, and the airspeed went way down. As this was happening, he decided it would be a good time to look at his AFD. Airpeed coming down, altitude goin down, im yellin "put the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** AFD away and fly the F***ing plane". This woke him up, and he slammed it onto the runway, resulting in a pretty good bounce, which he added some power and managed to keep the second "arrival" from bouncing. I either gotta start sittin up front, or choosing better people to fly with.

 

[gundriver]

Ok, Ok, I know it says "airplane" but I have a helo story...
We were in Bosnia in the AH-64 which as you know has tandem seating (front and back). Anyhoo my CPG (Co-pilot/Gunner) and I were flying around in support of an infantry unit that was trying to keep an angry mob from crossing a bridge. The mob was getting pretty out of control, they were starting to throw things at the 5 or 6 infantry guys. We were flying around attempting to intimidate the croud, slewing the 30mm gun around. The first few passes and they got the message. They started to back away.
We didn't see any weapons, but it was always a major concern for us since we fly low and slow. The croud was slowly dispersing when suddenly I heard a loud thud, followed by the aircraft shaking ever so gently. It got my heart racing. I said what in the **** was that?? I quickly scanned all of the instruments, caution/warning gauges etc etc... The CPG said I don't know, are we getting shot at?? I said I sure as hell hope not because tonight is steak and lobster night at the mess hall and I want to make it back in one piece for that. Ok, Ok I didn't really say that, but it sure would have sounded cool if I did.. So we started maneuvering and scanning the ground for a weapon in the crowd.
Then suddenly, Thud it happened again... I said what in the **** is that?? My CPG looked around, and sheepishly said; Oh, I'm sorry I think that was my seat collapsing..... (The seat in the AH-64 can raise and lower about 4 inches, not to mention the seat is made of Kevlar armor so it is extremely heavy.) Why he didn't catch that the first time I'll never know.

 

[dav8or]

What scares me is looking at the planes I flew as a CFI.

 

[bobbysamd]

Unsafe training aircraft

I am grateful that I flew good equipment for most of my time in aviation, except . . .

I worked at MAPD when Larry Risley still owned the company. Risley came from a maintenance background, but he wasn't Mr. Maintenance, he was Mr. Bottom Line. He would not fix airplanes until he absolutely had to. This sole example sticks out: One day, a Bonanza had inop flaps. Instead of that airplane being shoved into the hangar to be fixed it was put on the flight line and people were being told to fly it! I refused to fly that airplane. See the FARs about unairworthiness and inoperative flight control systems. Students, and instructors, were under great pressure, and threat, sometimes, to log as many hours as possible on the aircraft. Perhaps my act of courage was empty because I had handed in my resignation and was working off my notice and DID NOT care. I left Mesa in part because I would not abide such monkey business.