for the pilots out there

[mmglobal]

I just got this email from a friend. It is probably boring to not pilots, but the guy had a total engine out at low altitude over rough terrain. He managed to put it down on an island in the middle of Mono lake. The cause of the engine failure was a MOUSE in the carb!


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On Memorial Day Weekend, I flew the Cherokee up to the Lee Vining Airport and parked her there for a couple of days while I did some fishing in the Mammoth Area with a couple of old friends of mine. On Memorial Day Monday, I departed fairly early in the morning (around 9:30) to get out of the area before the thunderstorms began to form and before the heat caused the density altitude to go way up (Lee Vining Airport is at 6,800' and located near the Western shore of Mono Lake).

Anyway, I got about four or five minutes into the flight when I experienced a complete engine failure. I need to send you (and my other CFIs) a HUGE THANK YOU! Everybody asked me if I became scared out of my mind when this happened and the answer is "no". The adrenaline was definitely rushing, but rather than panicking I just went through all the "checklist" items that I had been trained to do. It was like I didn't have time to panic because there were things to do! Anyway, I credit my CFIs (including you) with the ability to do that in a stressful situation.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the engine restarted and I was forced to do an emergency off field landing. My first choice was to go for the North shore of Mono Lake, but I quickly realized I wouldn't be able to glide that far. Luckily, I didn't have to do a water landing. There was a small island (called "David Gaines Island") off the left side and I decided to put her down there. I know that you always said, "never below 80", but I think you'd approve of my slightly slower approach speed in this case. In any case, I was able to put her down very gently and apply full brakes. It was rough and bumpy, but in the end, there was nearly no damage. Piper made those Cherokees nice and tough! The only visible damage was a large crack in the right main wheel pant. Other than that, nothing! I did get kind of lucky since the very last thing in my path was a huge boulder that would have caused substantial damage. I was able to put in enough right rudder at that point to steer clear and come to rest. If that boulder had appeared earlier in my landing roll out, it would have been a lot worse.

I had been able to get off a call on 121.5 before landing and they heard my call, so I knew that someone would come to rescue me (there are no boats allowed on Mono Lake at this time, so nobody saw me go down). Anyway, after a minute, I figured out that I could try my cell phone. No knowing who to call, I dialed up 1-800-WX-BRIEF. The briefer immediately patched me through to the FAA. After talking to them, they suggested I call 911 to let them know that I was OK. About an hour later, a boat with some park rangers and sheriff deputies showed up to take a look and rescue me and my dog "Lucy" from the island.

An adjuster with Avemco traveled up there with a retired NTSB guy (he went for just to see it) and they used a helicopter to airlift the Cherokee back to the Lee Vining Airport. They were able to get the engine started, but when they attempted to lean it out, it wouldn't quit. They diagnosed a stuck float in the carburetor.

Lee Vining is a "nothing" airport--it's basically just a landing strip with a few parking spots and one hangar. There are no services there. Anyway, I had to wait for about a week and a half before a pilot-mechanic from Minden, NV could fly down to make the carburetor repairs and fly the airplane back to Minden. When the mechanic disassembled the carb, he found something he wasn't expecting; a mouse was inside of it. Yes...a mouse. Apparently, the Lee Vining Airport is know to have a lot of critters running around and one unlucky mouse found his way to a spot near the carburetor. The mechanic said that when I applied carb heat during the run-up, that was when the mouse likely got sucked in. After he took the mouse out and re-installed the carburetor, he was able to fly the plane to Minden. Over the next couple weeks, they did a complete "hard landing" inspection. They pulled off all the gear and found no issues. They did rebuild the struts. Also, they sent all three wheel pants out for repair. Since it was about time for the annual anyway, I rolled that into the work that was being done.

I picked her up a couple weeks ago and she's back flying again. The fiberglass guy did amazing work on the wheel pants--you can't tell there was ever any damage.

Anyway, if you're interested in seeing any photos, I have some posted on my Facebook page and also on Flickr: Wiblemo's Photostream

Again, sincere thanks to you as one of my flight instructors. I really do credit you and my other teachers with helping me to keep a very cool head in a very stressful situation.

See you in the skies,

Craig

[New-disc]

Great story..... happy ending

[mmglobal]

Here's some more interesting flying info.

Zeppelin Eureka

Great pictures!

When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to ride in one of the Goodyear blimps. It was truly a unique experience, and one of my cherished flying memories.

Mark

[dshobbies]

Really fascinating Mark. I'm not crazy about planes but this looks interesting. On another note from a proud Mom, Lorne just passed his instrument reating check ride and in 2 more months should have his commercil license. This is his dream since the 5th grade and it's wonderful watching it come to fruition. Now all he needs is a job!

Dale

[mmglobal]

You may remember this from a few years ago. It was like the OJ chase with all the news programs broadcasting this live. Jet Blue had TV news on the seat back TV's and passengers watched the aircraft they were flying in, live on the news.

The pilot was pretty amazing... with the nosewheel locked in a hard turn, he kept it on the centerline!

Mark

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/1493120...orwieltjes.wmv

[mmglobal]

Oshkosh 2010

[mmglobal]

Maybe a little too long and boring if you don't fly... it's about 15 minutes, but I enjoyed it. 800+ passengers!!!

The pilots sit away from everything, no yoke, etc. Captain pulls up a keyboard once in a while to enter info but the plane does most of the work.....
The humongous A380 makes its first landing at San Francisco airport. It seems extensively automated. The air traffic controller gives them heading, altitude and speed, and they dial it in. Pretty interesting.
For best results go "full screen" on your monitor. It will seem like you are in the cockpit.

Pilot's View: Airbus A380 approach and landing at San Francisco. [VIDEO]