Mustang Intermittent Engine Failure and Belly Landing

[Dave Homewood]

This is superb footage from the pilot of the Mustang that bellied into the corn field at Duxford last year, and his thoughts on it all

www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/may/17/inside-a-p-51-engine-out-off-airport-landing?utm_source=ePilot&utm_medium=email&utm_content=tts&utm_campaign=180517epilot

[planecrazy]

Wow what a dilemma, would be so confusing with the engine starting and stoping, fantastic result!

[Dave Homewood]

There was a concrete pole hidden in the wheat which did more damage than the landing I think. But a great result for the pilot and great airmanship.

[skyhawkdon]

Very interesting

[johnnyfalcon]

Those moments before his decision to abandon trying to make the field gave me an empty, sick feeling... The horizon climbing higher, the low height, the nose coming up, you can almost feel the temptation to stretch the glide, the threshold so agonizingly close... His decision and turn for the paddock couldn't have been any later, high sink rate and wings just level. Whew! Good object lesson and good outcome

[bevanid]

I'm very pleased they released this footage and did a talk about it. I have certainly learned a lot from it, from several aspects both as a pilot and passenger.

I was in the back of Miss Velma on the Friday before the show as self loading ballast for a photo shoot with the Grace Spitfire. It was all a bit of a rush and very last minute so I didn't have time to go to the hangar at the other end of the airfield to get my helmet and flying suit. We had a very thorough brief before we flew about the emergency procedures and the actions if the canopy is to be jettisoned. Seeing the way the canopy departed company when the mustang touched down in the paddock and whacked mark in the back of the head was the biggest eye opener for me. and I was in the back only a couple of flights before in shirt, shorts and a headset.. Don't fly in a fighter with out a helmet.. A nomex flying suit is a good idea too.

From a flying point of view its interesting to see how ATC handled the situation, yelling at him to put the gear down and then due to over load he did what he was told; a decision that almost cost him dearly. The split second decision at the last possible second to go into the paddock was a fantastic piece of airmanship and self control. This also shows there is no replacement for currency and knowing your aeroplane. even though Mark didn't have a lot of time in the mustang he did know the systems and the way the aeroplane talks to you, all things that aided in his safe off airfield landing.

[Dave Homewood]

Great post Bevan. Bloody glad the engine did not quit while you were onboard!!

[johnnyfalcon]

Was the cause of engine failure determined?

[markrogers]

The cause of the engine failure is still being investigated. A great interview with Mark about what happened. He had to think and move quickly in that situation so I'm not really surprised that overload happened, and I could see that he wasn't going to make the runway when that engine quit completely.
Glad he made the decision to pull the gear up.

[ErrolC]

Note that at the end of the Youtube linked to from the AOPA post is a link to a 35 minute version. I imagine it is very similar to the audio podcast also in the AOPA post, but benefits from the video from the aircraft being cut in as appropriate, as well as body language during the interview.

Excellent debrief, understandable by someone like me who has a decent aviation general knowledge, but minimal actual training or experience.

[isc]

I wonder if he left the gear up when called from the tower, would he have made it to belly on the grass beside the runway, no concrete poles there. I had always heard don't turn, land straight ahead, unless the consequence will be worse than it would be if you turn and stall, or land short.
Maybe just my idea of the situation as a non pilot. isc

[johnnyfalcon]

Straight ahead is often best but not always. Certainly immediately after takeoff, when low and slow, options are limited and 30 degrees left or right of heading is about maximum. Any turn will increase stall speed and rate of descent, but if you have height then you have options to maneuver for the best outcome.

[baz62]

Very informative video. What impresses me is he doesn't have much experience on the type but obviously had his head "in the game". Many of us who have gone through flight training of any kind, be it gliders to airliners will understand the overload feeling when there is so much to think about that you brain locks up. Worse when it's something unexpected. My last BFR I was wired to expect a simulated engine failure after take off but we climbed away and I just thought to myself oh well we aren't doing it then. Later on as we climbed away from a simulated forced landing approach THEN he shut the throttle on me. I was totally unprepared (which was his goal) and training took over after a second of WTF!. Later he said he could tell on the first takeoff that I was getting ready for an Engine failure as my right hand was suspiciously close to the flap lever and I seemed quite tense! Lucky escape for you Bevan!!

[isc]

There is another video of an interview done in a hangar in the States where the discuss the incident(I forgot to note it)The mistakes the pilot said that he made were, he listened to and acted on the sig from the controller, next he just opened the canopy(hand book says jettison), and the last one was that once committed to the landing he should have switched off the mags because the engine could have picked up at just the wrong moment. The field he landed on had been part of the air strip before the road was put in, and the post had been part of a fence on the air strip. isc

[Dave Homewood]

You'd have thought they'd have thought to remove the post before sewing the crop seeds, both because it is an over run area but also because surely the harvester may have hit the post too.

[bevanid]

it hit 3 posts... one that took the wing tip off, one hit by the right main get attach and the other between the fuse and the left main gear leg..

[Dave Homewood]

Ouch!!!

[isc]

No, the cocky just went round them. isc