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Oops, darn it...

I saw another photo of that cub in the Colorado:

ESiIg1kUwAAb3zQ.jpg

If he flipped straight over, I think he had to pass below a low cable--looks like a river crossing tram.
 

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That line is even hard to see in the picture. That gives me the willies when you see it from that angle.....I also wondered about the prop. Looks pretty intact even though the spinner is crushed.
 
Don’t know what happened or if the cable was a factor, sure glad the pilot is ok. I grew up in that country. You are playing with fire flying in any of those canyon bottoms. I see those guys videotaping that stuff out there and it gives me a cold shiver. Came upon a smoking hole in the ground that was once a JetRanger. The rotor system was sheared off and laying behind and under the wire. 35 years have passed and the scene still visits me some nights.
 
Came upon a smoking hole in the ground that was once a JetRanger. The rotor system was sheared off and laying behind and under the wire. 35 years have passed and the scene still visits me some nights.
Was that in the southwest, Arizona or new Mexico? A fellow who I taught to fly seaplanes did that to himself about that time with a helicopter. Two people. I think that he had been doing some lifting work and was on the way home for the day.
 
Was that in the southwest, Arizona or new Mexico? A fellow who I taught to fly seaplanes did that to himself about that time with a helicopter. Two people. I think that he had been doing some lifting work and was on the way home for the day.

CO. Black Canyon of the Gunnison River just above the forks where the high tension lines cross.
 
Flaps are fully down, might have just been over braking on landing?


Sent from my iPad using SuperCub.Org
 
Anyone getting the idea to follow the Yellowstone River from the south, up to where it intersects with the Missouri, (a great scenic flight BTW) be advised there is one particular set of smaller wires about 40' above the river (but big enough), in an area that is far from any development/in the middle of nowhere, with the poles hidden by trees. We all look for the poles right? They are a pretty good indicator of wires are after all, but when the poles are obscured a bit it can up the ante quite a bit. Balls on the wire...ha! Nope, in this case ( I went around twice for another look) just the wires themselves were the indicator that you might have a real problem if you don't pull up real soon.

Making up somewhat for this bit of excitement was the big sand bar where the rivers tied in, custom made for a fat tired plane to land on and obverse the current flow.

Anyone following the Snake downstream out of Alpine WY, over and down from the dam about 8 miles, there are a large set of lines about 300' above the river. Their unusual height, though on not so tall towers, is because the river cuts so deep there and the towers are up on the bluffs. The few balls have faded and shifted their position, well off to the side. This situation is a perfect storm for the unwary pilot:a scenic and somewhat heavily flown route, and no notice on the SLC sectional. Someone, me I guess, needs to lobby the Feds to get a call out on the chart for them, a heads up. They've been on my radar for over 20 years, and I'd feel terrible to hear about an accident due to them. 43.488811° -111.428655° if anyone is interested, and yes the river has a lot of great gravel bars!

I HAVE been preemptive in personally taking down 2 abandoned MET towers, unlit, galvanized grey/no paint or lights, and 150' high! New regs on these things make these older ones technically illegal, or at least out of compliance. Hard as hell to see, and cable braced, cut a few cables with a battery operated cutoff wheel and they come down real easy, kinda fun too. The companies that put them up, after the wind farm idea falls thru, don't take them down! They are not worth the labor involved. It's up to us (no one else cares, maybe birds) to contact the landowners and get it done. They are always in quite remote areas, and have no ready vehicle access, if a road was cut in for it's erection it is long grown over. As a result, the light gauge tubing and cabling are left on site, though I did pack out a few hundred feet of the cable for misc. use, that was my pay.
 
Just SE of the Concrete WA airport is some low ridges that I sometimes fly between instead of above.
I was flying up that way a couple years ago, and saw that someone had a tower logging show going on.
(if you don't know what that is, google it or watch Axmen on TV)
The cables spanned from one ridge to the other-- that definitely coulda ruined someone's day.
 
I was a bit disheartened with the latest post with the Carbon Cub upside down in the river but it has brought up a good point. I fly our local river a lot just above the water. Several years ago I had my head up my ass and didn't verify I was where I thought I was. Decided this new bar looked worth investigating and dropped down to take a look. Saw and powerline, pushed the nose over and jammed the throttle in. Before I knew it I was carening down through the trees. Wasn't pretty, had to hike 5 miles to figure our where I was on the road system for Cathy to come a get me. Fracture my jaw in 3 places, broke my arm and there were other injuries that came up later. Lesson i learned was always fly high cover, verify everything and take nothing for granted. I love flying the river, landing on gravel bars and such but the older the get the more I learn and the more careful I am. Learn from me being a dumb ass so you don't have to.

I was lucky, small wire went through the leading edge.
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Hit the strut first, slid up it and got caught in the tie down fitting.
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Did this to the aileron.
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Was not a good day.
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That line is even hard to see in the picture. That gives me the willies when you see it from that angle.....I also wondered about the prop. Looks pretty intact even though the spinner is crushed.

I don't know that answer to this: if you have a prop-strike on water, do the tips bend back?
 
"didn't verify I was where I thought I was"!

Not to be confused with not knowing where you are! A subtle difference perhaps, you KNOW where you are, and act accordingly. I too got bit once by just that situation. I had let my guard down, "knowing" that the steep ridge landing, requiring a fair bit of throttle and a brisk taxi rate up so as to not get bogged down, had a clear area on top big enough to make my turn around. Problem was, I had gotten this ridge confused with the one right next to it. I had over flown it a few minutes earlier, eyeballed it, decided not to land it just then, and continued on. Then a few miles away I changed my mind and re approached it from 180 degrees different and 1,000' lower, and got optically fooled into the "not where I thought I was" thing. Instead of a clearing when I fast taxied up in the clearing (with the up angle and the viz over the cowl blocking my vision)I found myself in almost waist high thick sage brush and ended up on the spinner. Very few other pilots have mentioned this scenario, NOW I am much more on my guard for the
phenomenon. I landed exactly how and where I planned, but I wasn't where I thought I was, a sneaky thing to watch out for.
 
I think the props been forward when you hit water. Mike will probably try men here soon. Facebook has some more pictures he could’ve been doing a water assist landing and got low on power a bit too early. Hard to say, stuff happens.
DENNY
 
I was landing in Billington Sea pond just east of the PYM airport when suddenly I saw some wires right in front of my windshield. Pushed the nose down and just squeaked under them without touching. When I taxied back underneath them I spotted the poles hidden in the trees on opposite sides of the pond. I was in a Colonial C-1 and have no idea how the engine pylon missed the wires, it was that close.
 
Steve let's just not forget just how HOT it was the day we dragged ole' "Red1/2" out of there... Next time you get lost please do it in the winter!
 
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Worth repeating what one of my older seaplane mentors always says. " The wires are there, you need to prove that they are not "
Red placard that has been on his J4 floatplane panel for 40 years " THINK WIRES "

Glenn
 
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Awhile back I bought a cub from an IA representing the seller. Some weird "welts" on the leading edge of both wings got my attention. I brought it up with the IA who had been maintaining the plane since new, he informed me it was the result of a wire strike but assured me it was a non issue. Funny, no mention of the incident in logs, prop strike or otherwise. He assured me no prop strike and wings totally airworthy. I intended to completely rebuild the plane so wasnt too concerned over the matter.
We struck a deal and arranged a time to dismantle and trailer the plane as well as meet the owner to deal with paperwork.
On the agreed date I was introduced to the owner, a little crochety old cattle rancher who had used the plane to check on his stock, old age had set in and he quit flying.
I brought up the wire strike incident with him and commended him on his good fortune. "Hell" he said "good fortune?!!, I flew into the only wires within 10 miles, the power lines leading to my house!!" but no prop strike? i replied, damn lucky! with that the IA proceeded to slink out of the the room as the owner went into detail how he firewalled the engine as a last ditch effort in hopes of cutting the wires. guess it worked.
 
he firewalled the engine as a last ditch effort in hopes of cutting the wires. guess it worked.

We had an aerial applicator do that on our powerlines in the 70s. His prop and the knives on his landing gear made short work of the wires.

It only took MT Power a week to get it restrung. And our applicator went home, checked things out, and came back to finish the field. (He mentioned how much easier it was with those wires gone....).
 
Bigger wires mean bigger problems. This guy hit some cross-country lines. The Air Tractor rep said it was the only one he'd seen where the seat broke and the pilot survived.
 
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I hit a big wire doing about 130, sliced a wing off and in I went tumbling every direction. It was on fire as soon as I came to a stop, I don’t know how I never lost consciousness, I’d be dead if I did cause the cockpit was completely engulfed in about 30 seconds. The only reason I’m alive is a helmet, shoulder harness, and an Ag Cat. I’ve flown under that wire hundreds of times, but all I takes is one bad judgement to ruin your day. Stay safe.

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