Quick thinking saves pilot from death after 120 foot crash into lake.
My world was silent and serene, the filtered sunlight dancing on the wavelets just a few feet away. My first thought was, "I'm alive." There were no overwhelming feelings, just calm. What had happened would ruin my day though. A hard landing a couple of days earlier at my home airport must have dislodged the clip holding two teleflex cables together. These cables actuate the flaps. Instinct told me to safety wire this clip as it was a loose fit, but in the excitement of a new project, was forgotten. Forgetfulness can bite hard.
It was during a dead stick landing, with full flaps, while turning a tight base to final, that the low, upwind wing flap cable came undone returning that flap to zero. Because I was already banked, the opposite aileron combined with 30 degrees of flap still locked in place on the opposite wing, instantly flipped me upside down and into a wild spin. All this occurred at maybe 120 feet above water level. The sound of the airframe screaming as I descended indicated a speed well in excess of my never exceed speed. It is said that the last words generally heard on the black box is, "Oh s---!" I didn't need a black box to remember those last two words as my RANS S-12 drilled itself vertically into the lake at over 100 m.p.h. The impact was deafening.
A new reality instantly set in as I vainly struggled to free myself from the submerged wreckage. I was trapped and quickly running out of air. My mind was like a steel trap. Figure this out or die! I realized my back was broken, but that wasn't my immediate problem. "Think!" My hands deftly started searching for the seatbelt clasp. I found it. Quickly it was undone. I tried to push free once more. I was still trapped, only seconds of air were left to sort this out and I knew it. Still calm, I realized the shoulder strap of this particular seatbelt design had to be physically lifted over my head as it was affixed to the short side of the lap belt, I pushed off again. Free this time, all that remained was to let the lifejacket do what it was designed to do and pray that it didn't hang up on any wreckage during the ascent. I surfaced, choking and gagging, trying to expel water and suck air at the same time.
Luckily I had punched in at a friends floatplane base. he was dialing for help as I hit the water. Two fishermen who happened to be nearby were to my aid as I was pulling myself up on what was left of the floating wreckage. Besides asking if I was alright, they asked if anyone was still in the plane. A sick feeling still haunts me from that question, when I realize how easy it could have been to break that rule of "no passengers" and what the consequences would have been. No, thankfully, I did not, and will not, ever illegally carry a passenger.
Enough thanks cannot be expressed to Full Lotus, the manufacturer of my float. The front four bags of the Mono 2000 float exploded much like an automotive air bag, cushioning the impact. Also, things came apart, as designed, enough to lessen the impact of a non-survivable accident.
Now, if you think that during this whole story I was right side up, you are thinking as I was. The optical illusion the sun dancing on the waves created actually shadows on the sand lake bottom just a few feet away. I was totally unaware on being completely upside down. All that was left of the cockpit were rudder pedals and the seat I was strapped to. The remaining four bags of the Full Lotus float had enough buoyancy left to save me from being pinned under the plane at the bottom of the lake. They also made a perfect spine board clear of the icy water that I had inadvertently just taken a swim in. As short as that swim was, it took nearly 12 hours for my body temperature to return to normal.
My gratitude and thanks to Full Lotus, rescuers and friends, who without which, I could not have been back pursuing my passion of flying, three months later. Currently I am privileged to be flying a Subaru powered RX 550 Beaver, on 1260 Full Lotus floats.
Russ White
My world was silent and serene, the filtered sunlight dancing on the wavelets just a few feet away. My first thought was, "I'm alive." There were no overwhelming feelings, just calm. What had happened would ruin my day though. A hard landing a couple of days earlier at my home airport must have dislodged the clip holding two teleflex cables together. These cables actuate the flaps. Instinct told me to safety wire this clip as it was a loose fit, but in the excitement of a new project, was forgotten. Forgetfulness can bite hard.
It was during a dead stick landing, with full flaps, while turning a tight base to final, that the low, upwind wing flap cable came undone returning that flap to zero. Because I was already banked, the opposite aileron combined with 30 degrees of flap still locked in place on the opposite wing, instantly flipped me upside down and into a wild spin. All this occurred at maybe 120 feet above water level. The sound of the airframe screaming as I descended indicated a speed well in excess of my never exceed speed. It is said that the last words generally heard on the black box is, "Oh s---!" I didn't need a black box to remember those last two words as my RANS S-12 drilled itself vertically into the lake at over 100 m.p.h. The impact was deafening.
A new reality instantly set in as I vainly struggled to free myself from the submerged wreckage. I was trapped and quickly running out of air. My mind was like a steel trap. Figure this out or die! I realized my back was broken, but that wasn't my immediate problem. "Think!" My hands deftly started searching for the seatbelt clasp. I found it. Quickly it was undone. I tried to push free once more. I was still trapped, only seconds of air were left to sort this out and I knew it. Still calm, I realized the shoulder strap of this particular seatbelt design had to be physically lifted over my head as it was affixed to the short side of the lap belt, I pushed off again. Free this time, all that remained was to let the lifejacket do what it was designed to do and pray that it didn't hang up on any wreckage during the ascent. I surfaced, choking and gagging, trying to expel water and suck air at the same time.
Luckily I had punched in at a friends floatplane base. he was dialing for help as I hit the water. Two fishermen who happened to be nearby were to my aid as I was pulling myself up on what was left of the floating wreckage. Besides asking if I was alright, they asked if anyone was still in the plane. A sick feeling still haunts me from that question, when I realize how easy it could have been to break that rule of "no passengers" and what the consequences would have been. No, thankfully, I did not, and will not, ever illegally carry a passenger.
Enough thanks cannot be expressed to Full Lotus, the manufacturer of my float. The front four bags of the Mono 2000 float exploded much like an automotive air bag, cushioning the impact. Also, things came apart, as designed, enough to lessen the impact of a non-survivable accident.
Now, if you think that during this whole story I was right side up, you are thinking as I was. The optical illusion the sun dancing on the waves created actually shadows on the sand lake bottom just a few feet away. I was totally unaware on being completely upside down. All that was left of the cockpit were rudder pedals and the seat I was strapped to. The remaining four bags of the Full Lotus float had enough buoyancy left to save me from being pinned under the plane at the bottom of the lake. They also made a perfect spine board clear of the icy water that I had inadvertently just taken a swim in. As short as that swim was, it took nearly 12 hours for my body temperature to return to normal.
My gratitude and thanks to Full Lotus, rescuers and friends, who without which, I could not have been back pursuing my passion of flying, three months later. Currently I am privileged to be flying a Subaru powered RX 550 Beaver, on 1260 Full Lotus floats.
Russ White