Tous
← Back to Squawk list
Google Maps catches aircraft mishap on the runway
(Usually opens in default ROADMAP view, you may have to click on SATELLITE to see the airplane on the runway) What are the chances that Google would be directly overhead right when this happened? Or if you already have Google Earth installed and want to see it there, cut and paste: N 40.8748, W 81.8886 (www.google.com) Plus d'info...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Looking at the Google Earth wayback machine, there are more or fewer planes there depending on the time of the year, and there is one shot with a helicopter on the helo pad. I didn't find one on the beach, but maybe a truck.
There is definitely a plane on the beach there...no idea why though. Looks like it's stuck in the sand.
I have seen numerous planes caught on camera in the air, as well as one at the bottom of a lake in the past. Satellite imagery has come a long way since my Pops looked at such while in the Air Force.
The Mooney’s propeller doesn’t look like it had any damage. So, the pilot must have cut the engine and stalled to stop the prop windmilling and landed without power.. Either a very good pilot or a foolhardy one. Take your pick!
I see damaged prop tips. Power was probably cut in the flare but both tips were dinged before the prop stopped. It looks like the pilot also elected to use only a few degrees of flaps to save flap damage. All in all, not too costly of a landing. Mooney gear, if maintained properly, is bullet proof. Not sure what issue caused the gear up.
Not Luck and not foolhardy, just a good mechanic plus a savvy pilot. Flat 6 aircraft engines have a piston at compression TDC (top dead center) three times per revolution. When you bolt-on a two-blade prop you make sure two of those TDC events happen with the prop 30 degrees off horizontal. Note the pic shows this, the prop stopped a bit more than 60 degrees past vertical. If you are facing a gear-up landing and the prop stops vertically, just bump the starter and it will stop at one of the other two positions. By the way, doing this avoids the engine rebuild since there is no prop strike.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ocracoke+Island+Airport/@35.1033749,-75.9627502,282m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89a5d8991005b7f7:0x9d717cfef153e2f1!8m2!3d35.1043317!4d-75.9625571