The International Cessna^® 170 Association

The weather in Central CA has been beautiful for flying. Sierras are snow capped, the foothills are green and we haven't seen rain since early March. Ideal flying conditions. Unfortunately, we continue to have accidents. On friday, a Cessna 150 on floats crashed in Cherry Creek just west of Yosemite. A 39 year old instructor who had recently left his airline job to follow his dream of operating a seaplane school and a well known and highly regarded glider instructor from the Bay Area were killed in what appears to have been a stall spin accident involving an apparent climb towards rising terrain. On Saturday an Alaskan pilot reportedly testing his Cessna 175 following installation of an engine at Pine Mountain Lake (Groveland, CA) had an engine failure after takeoff and attempted to return to the airport. He too encountered a stall spin and is in critical condition at a Modesto hospital. Both accidents involve simple aerodynamics that we learn as students along with decision making that we never stop learning (if we are so fortunate). I don't mean to bum everyone out but I am really thinking through my flying routine and trying to figure out what can be learned from these continuing reports that can make me and maybe others safer. I don't think any of us start our day thinking it will be our last and I don't think most of us realize just how easy it can be to do just that if we aren't really carefull.

"With an overall gradient of 110 feet drop per mile and a "Miracle Mile" dropping at over 200 feet per mile, Cherry Creek is possibly the most challenging whitewater rafting run in the nation." (From "Whitewater Floats")

Where in the world could a float plane find a L/Z on this "white water" creek? Especially a C150 float plane with two people and fuel!

There are very few float planes in this part of California and if it is the one I'm thinking about, I believe it was powered with a 150 HP Lycominc O-320 engine too. Bad news.

blueldr wrote:There are very few float planes in this part of California and if it is the one I'm thinking about, I believe it was powered with a 150 HP Lycominc O-320 engine too. Bad news.

Seaplane Ventures, Inc. out of Calaveras is the owner of the aircraft. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/879613.html

I believe it is worthwhile to have a come to Jesus meeting with one's self at least once a year. I have been flying for quite a while now. I have had a number of close calls but never a serious accident. There are times when I find myself sitting at the departure end of a runway with the wind blowing at 18 Gusting to 25 and at 70 to 90 degrees to the runway (in my C170) telling myself you can do this - how many times have you done this in the past without incident - you can do this. At that point, alarms start going off in the back of my mind, I take a few more minutes and wind up asking for a different runway. We are the most dangereous when we feel the most confident.

flyguy wrote:"With an overall gradient of 110 feet drop per mile and a "Miracle Mile" dropping at over 200 feet per mile, Cherry Creek is possibly the most challenging whitewater rafting run in the nation." (From "Whitewater Floats")

Where in the world could a float plane find a L/Z on this "white water" creek? Especially a C150 float plane with two people and fuel!

Ugh.

futr_alaskaflyer wrote:

flyguy wrote:"With an overall gradient of 110 feet drop per mile and a "Miracle Mile" dropping at over 200 feet per mile, Cherry Creek is possibly the most challenging whitewater rafting run in the nation." (From "Whitewater Floats")

Where in the world could a float plane find a L/Z on this "white water" creek? Especially a C150 float plane with two people and fuel!

Ugh.

Oh my, that's not a pleasant site. May they rest in peace.