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View Full Version : Plane barely survives 20,000 feet freefall



Jbb
04-06-2007, 06:30 PM
Whether they initiated a rapid descent or lost control and ended up in a steep dive is not known, as the two pilots have little recollection of the event, both fading in and out of consciousness until shortly before landing.
They took turns, unintentionally, waking up and blacking out and fighting to regain control of the aircraft. One pilot stated "I remember thinking we're in a spin and seeing that the airspeed was pegged beyond indicated. I thought, wow, we're going too fast, reached up and pulled the power to idle, then blacked out again."
According to the radar, they lost 20,000 feet in roughly a minute and a half.
Assume they were pretty much at terminal velocity headed straight down.
At 13,000 feet, (give or take), they started fighting to pull the aircraft out of a dive, it took both of them. The stress on the airframe must have been unreal, as you will see. From that point, parts started leaving the aircraft until landing.
They lost control of pitch and they went almost vertical again. It took both pilots pushing as hard as they could to get the aircraft to start descending. They regained some control around 7,000 feet and were close to cape where they diverted. It is fortunate that they did not have a tail stall as you will see, and I have no earthly idea how they controlled pitch.
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-1.jpg
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-2.jpg
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-3.jpg
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-4.jpg
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-5.jpg

Jbb
04-06-2007, 06:31 PM
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-6.jpg
http://cellar.org/2007/kingb200-7.jpg
Incident info.. (http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/23110283/m/8711080335)

Tom Brown
04-06-2007, 06:47 PM
What a couple of showboaters.
"Ohhh... look at me... I can land with only half of my horizontal stabalizer."

3 daytona`s
04-06-2007, 06:56 PM
I can only assume when they both get to view the plane will look at each other and know they may have had some special help along with their excellent piloting skills. Great story,great ending there may be some engineers scratching their heads also jbb.

lewiville
04-06-2007, 09:49 PM
wow, I think I'm going to postpone the licensing one more year.

ratso
04-07-2007, 05:56 AM
What a couple of showboaters.
"Ohhh... look at me... I can land with only half of my horizontal stabalizer."
lmao...:D

boatsnblondes
04-07-2007, 07:17 AM
I have a friend with a King Air,,he would take me up in it all the time, I would sit in the second seat and watch and learn and try to pick stuff up about what he was doing....I will say this...never felt safer in a small plane..if there is one plane that could made it through that scenario, I would put my money on a King Air...props to the pilots for keeping the thing together long enough to touch down....great story...
Just thinking...maybe a story for that show "I shouldn't be alive??"

Classic Daycruiser
04-07-2007, 10:06 AM
Two pilots passout in a 1998 king air w/ pressure cabin, and the latest in autopilot technology.
Sure sounds more like two pilots out horse playing around with a 4 million dollar aircraft....looping it. Was the pilots name Bob Hoover:D :D :D

BajaMike
04-07-2007, 10:27 AM
The King Air is one helll of a strong airplane.....:idea:

PHX ATC
04-07-2007, 02:12 PM
Amateurs!:D

SmokinLowriderSS
04-07-2007, 03:29 PM
This explains it all. A couple a hillbillies!!! lololo:D
Rio
Here Earl, hold my beer and WATCH THIS! :D :D :D

73kona455
04-07-2007, 05:06 PM
video of the landing.... http://www.kfvs12.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipid1=1213165&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Emergency+Landing&d1=223734&redirUrl=www.kfvs12.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage

ULTRA26 # 1
04-07-2007, 05:41 PM
f'n amazing.
JM

talkinghead
04-07-2007, 10:22 PM
This kind of BS should not occur, period.

73kona455
04-07-2007, 11:55 PM
they bent the hell out of it.........

Moneypitt
04-08-2007, 12:58 AM
So what caused this plane to fly straight down? The fact that they landed is a plus for the aircraft, but why?........MP

73kona455
04-08-2007, 01:34 AM
they passed out from lack of oxygen.. didnt have the auto pilot on....

Moneypitt
04-08-2007, 02:24 AM
they passed out from lack of oxygen.. didnt have the auto pilot on....
Any sex involved????

skygod73
04-08-2007, 09:27 AM
they passed out from lack of oxygen.. didnt have the auto pilot on....
Good thing, or they would be dead.

Sleek-Jet
04-08-2007, 09:47 AM
Two pilots passout in a 1998 king air w/ pressure cabin, and the latest in autopilot technology.
Sure sounds more like two pilots out horse playing around with a 4 million dollar aircraft....looping it. Was the pilots name Bob Hoover:D :D :D
The pilots side window cracked (but didn't blow out) in flight... so our intrepid flight crew depressurizes the cabin without arming the Oxygen system first... and then promptly go to sleep. :sleeping: They luckily woke up when the airplane reached a lower altitude.
Here's the kicker, it was the outside layer that had cracked, the checklist item calls for raising the cabin altitude to some nominal PSI, not depressurizing... the windshields are laminated glass, and I believe are certified to not rupture if one layer is cracked.
These guys should go buy a loto ticket.

Baja Big Dog
04-08-2007, 03:53 PM
YEA...YEA...YEA
Sounds like "BROKEBACK AIRPLANE!!":D