wsbtv.com/news/25088938/detail.html
Looks like a saratoga.
Pilot Matt Conway told Channel 2 Action News that the plane’s engine failed, forcing him down onto the freeway. He was not injured. Conway said his training and experience allowed him to land the plane safely…
Well, either the engine was running, or that training and experience left out the part about feathering the prop to avoid further damage. (I will assume that Saratogas are not equipped with blow-down bottles?) Prop is definitely done…maybe the engine too… But the plane itself really doesn’t look all that bad. A while back, a Cardinal RG came in here gear up…it’s flying again.
Ive never heard of a PISTON single with feathering cabalitity.
Somebody please prove me wrong if i am. And as far as the gear piper uses hydraulic pressure to hold the gear UP. and for emergency extension its just a little knob to release the pressure and the grear drops into place. There again i dont know why he didnt put the gear down but that will be left up to the investigation.
I believe you are right on all points.
Nearly right on both points.
I know there is an STC for some Mooneys and Some Bonanzas to put on a full feathering prop just for those pilots that expect the engine to fail and want the extra glide. Not sure how many planes got modified or if the mod is still available, but it is out there.
Piston singles don’t feather, no, but you can greatly increase your glide distance by moving the prop control to the low RPM (high pitch) position, but you’d need to do it before the prop stops windmilling. That said, a stationary prop has WAY less drag than a windmilling one, regardless of prop pitch.
Also, the constant speed prop system on a single almost always works opposite than in a twin. In a single, the oil pressure works to force the prop to the low rpm, high pitch setting. On a twin this works opposite, the oil forces the prop to a low pitch, high RPM setting.
The reason for this (we’re talking about the latter, on twins) is that if you loose oil pressure it’ll automatically tend to move towards the feather position, the best situation to reduce drag and enable you to continue flying on one engine. A twin with a windmilling dead engine is usually unflyable. A (piston) single with a windmilling dead engine is going down regardless, and the extra weight and complexity of a fully feathering prop system is prohibitive.
By the looks of the gear in some of the photos tht I saw, it looked like the pilot had deployed the gear. If the plane lands at about 90 knots that is quite a bit faster than prevailing traffic speed. I would suspect that he was beginning to overtake the traffic ahead of him on the interstate and forced the plane down to initiate braking.
Not in Jersey, it’s not.
What I should have said is that traffic speed during rush hour rarely exceeds 90 knots. Since most of Jersey has moved to the south, I guess it only follows that you have no traffic jams anymore. Welcome to the south!
You haven’t driven the waterwork curves of I55 during Jackson MS rush.
Makes Daytona look (and probably feel) like “kindergarten” Nice thing is that there is no stop and go traffic or rubbernecking as they will mow you down.
I tell all my yankee cohorts, traffic is the ONLY thing that moves fast in the south. 