Ed_Wischmeyer
Well Known Member
The AOPA Air Safety Institute has a well-done podcast on this topic, talking with Patty Wagstaff whose Bonanza ran off the runway, apparently due to a locked brake, hit a berm, and flipped over. They wound up exiting through the window emergency exit as the door could not be opened. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/podcasts/podcasts/there-i-was
A few takeaways:
* She used to carry a canopy breaker only in her Extra, now she takes it in every plane that she flies;
* In the accident, small cockpits items went everywhere. (I can imagine that an unsecured canopy breaker could get lost and unreachable in an accident if it wasn't secured in easy reach);
* Make sure that those small items can't hurt you in such an accident;
* In some airplanes (e.g. Navion), the fuselage can distort enough in an accident that the canopy cannot be slid open;
* Even though the accident occurred at a towered airport, help was relatively slow to arrive. If there had been a fire...
Highly recommended.
And I'm reminded of an Arizona RV-3 off field landing quite some years ago where the plane flipped and the pilot was unable to extricate himself. Help came about 45 minutes later, if I recall correctly...
Ed
A few takeaways:
* She used to carry a canopy breaker only in her Extra, now she takes it in every plane that she flies;
* In the accident, small cockpits items went everywhere. (I can imagine that an unsecured canopy breaker could get lost and unreachable in an accident if it wasn't secured in easy reach);
* Make sure that those small items can't hurt you in such an accident;
* In some airplanes (e.g. Navion), the fuselage can distort enough in an accident that the canopy cannot be slid open;
* Even though the accident occurred at a towered airport, help was relatively slow to arrive. If there had been a fire...
Highly recommended.
And I'm reminded of an Arizona RV-3 off field landing quite some years ago where the plane flipped and the pilot was unable to extricate himself. Help came about 45 minutes later, if I recall correctly...
Ed
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