Previous Bravo Blog...

Following an oil change and refueling, I took off from Glendale Municipal (GEU) Airport's Runway 19 (elevation less than 1500 feet) at 6pm on a very hot and humid August afternoon.

My pre-takeoff run-up had gone just fine. AT 400 feet AGL I turned east and headed for Falcon Field (FFZ), across the Valley of the Sun in Mesa, Arizona, to avoid housing areas further south per airport procedures.

About thirty seconds later, my engine began hesitating, acting kind of like a car does when it experiences vapor lock. I went through my emergency checks: fuel selector, mixture, throttle, ignition and primer.

Thinking perhaps the engine was flooding, I leaned the mixture and, sure enough, the engine perked up and seemed fine. I continued on to my destination - just 15 minutes away.

But about thirty seconds later, the same thing happened so I requested, and received, approval to return to the field.

Just as I completed my 180 degree turn back to the west, I lost all power and began descending. I was approximately two miles from the field with less than 400 feet of altitude (just west of the new University of Phoenix Stadium used by the Arizona Cardinals) and I knew I was not going to make it back.

I spotted a flat-looking dirt lot between the busy 101 Freeway and 99th Avenue and made preparations for a forced landing. Because of the freeway light poles I couldn't land before the middle of the lot. The landing went very well... until I realized that I was not going to be able to get my plane stopped before reaching the chain link fence at the other end of the lot.

Upon striking the fence my plane went down into a roughed-out dirt retention basin and came to a stop. I was fine and reported that fact to the tower, requesting emergency assistance.

My plane, however - my first airplane, my "baby" - hadn't fared so well. The prop had been bent from wrapping up in the chain link, the wings and flaps suffered holes and tears from going over the fence posts, the starboard-side wingtip and stabilator tip were sheared off by fence poles and, most significantly, my nose-gear got jammed in the ruts and bent, along with the firewall it was attached to.

Because I had only insured it for what I paid for it and not for what it was worth, the difference between the insured value and salvage value was insufficient to cover the repairs, so my insurance company totaled my plane! The FAA started up my plane the next morning and ran it for a few minutes at 1000 rpm, and it ran just fine.

So what caused the problem? No one seems to know for sure. The FAA said I did a very good job of putting my plane down safely in a highly-populated environment, but they could not find a problem with the engine.

My mechanic wondered if it was bad gas, while some said it was low fuel (but remember, I refueled prior to departure). As I mentioned earlier, it seemed like vapor-lock or flooding to me.

My father-in-law, one of the original USAF Thunderbirds with over 30,000 flight hours in a vast array of aircraft, wonders if it may have been carburetor ice. He said he would not have suspected it either in those conditions, but that an old-time pilot/mechanic he knew was aware of it occurring in similar situations due to the small size of the venturi opening to the carburetor.

The NTSB called it an "incident" instead of an "accident."

Five news channels, six police cars, an FAA inquisition, an NTSB investigation and a lost plane later, I realize I have learned a lot from this bad experience. I share what I have learned in the hopes that it will be helpful to other pilots, especially low-time pilots like myself (185 hours):

My pride is hurt, my plane is gone... but the things my instructor taught me worked to keep me safe. I learned some things, and my lust for flying has not diminished one bit.

As proof, I share with you the fact that this past weekend, with my insurance check and bit more of my savings, I just purchased a slightly newer version of the same plane. Happy flying...

Article by Richard Harmon; Send him an email

Read the NTSB Report on this incident by clicking here