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The pilot took off from a remote island in the Torres Strait in his Cessna 172 carrying his wife and two students. During take-off, he realized he wasn't gaining enough speed down the short, grassy runway. He lifted off too close to the end of the runway and sank back down, barely clearing the trees. After gaining altitude, he discovered a vine was wrapped around the wheel.
The article analyzes what went wrong, noting that the pilot lacked experience on short, grassy runways and did not properly account for factors like the soft ground, high elevation, and extra passengers in calculating his take-off performance. Proper pre-flight preparation and understanding of aircraft limitations are essential for safe operations
The pilot took off from a remote island in the Torres Strait in his Cessna 172 carrying his wife and two students. During take-off, he realized he wasn't gaining enough speed down the short, grassy runway. He lifted off too close to the end of the runway and sank back down, barely clearing the trees. After gaining altitude, he discovered a vine was wrapped around the wheel.
The article analyzes what went wrong, noting that the pilot lacked experience on short, grassy runways and did not properly account for factors like the soft ground, high elevation, and extra passengers in calculating his take-off performance. Proper pre-flight preparation and understanding of aircraft limitations are essential for safe operations
The pilot took off from a remote island in the Torres Strait in his Cessna 172 carrying his wife and two students. During take-off, he realized he wasn't gaining enough speed down the short, grassy runway. He lifted off too close to the end of the runway and sank back down, barely clearing the trees. After gaining altitude, he discovered a vine was wrapped around the wheel.
The article analyzes what went wrong, noting that the pilot lacked experience on short, grassy runways and did not properly account for factors like the soft ground, high elevation, and extra passengers in calculating his take-off performance. Proper pre-flight preparation and understanding of aircraft limitations are essential for safe operations
Strait, this pilot heard a dull thump. Wrapped around the wheel and the strut was a liana vine.
David W.Mathison
the ground conditions. Also, I was not an
N A TROPICAL FRIDAY EVENING AT experienced pilot and I had only recently about 6 o'clock, I landed on "Mer" Island in the Torres Strait in my bought the aircraft, so I think there was a certain desire to prove myself a responsible and four-seater Cessna 172. The flight from thoughtful pilot - even at the risk of being Thursday Island had been uneventful. My wife and land two high school students over cautious. I aligned the nose of the plane with the centre were delighted at the prospect of a weekend away from the more commercialised life on of the strip and did the pre-flight checks. I then put down flap, stood on the brakes and Thursday Island. We were met by the families of the students applied full power. I distinctly remember rolling forward and waving to the families at the strip. On the trip down the hill the height of the waiting by the edge of the airstrip. My initial confidence disappeared in the strip above sea level was brought home to me. next few seconds. I remember turning to my I had been told that one of the hills on the wife and saying, "I'm not getting enough speed!" island had been bulldozed to create a wide, I could see the end of the strip looming ahead grassy airfield and that at both ends of this, with only sky beyond it. the island fell away with Although I was not yet steep and rugged slopes "The plane lifted at lift-off speed I was very into the sea. close to it, so I chose to But the strip regularly off and then, pull back on the controls. took a two-engined Islander which made unnervingly, settled The plane lifted off and commercial runs around back onto a fast dis- then, unnervingly, settled back on to a fast disapthe Torres Strait, so I was not overly concerned appearing airstrip." pearing airstrip. I thought of trying to stop, but I about take-off. knew it was too late. By 7 pm, my wife and I I could do nothing else but pull back again were ensconced in a room full of shadows, listening to the sea outside lapping on the sand. on the controls. The end of the airstrip was The weekend was a sublime dream. Recent immediately in front of us, then suddenly rains had taken the edge off the heat. When below the plane. We were airborne and we Sunday afternoon arrived we felt cheated that were sinking. There, right in front of me, was a ridge of time should intrude on "paradise". The trailer was loaded. We hopped on stone and grass topped with tall trees. We were board and the students and their families in a sort of valley or hollow heading directly for dense timber. I remember thinking - with joined us for the ride up to the strip. After sincerely felt farewells, the four of us absolute clarity - that to pull back excessively boarded the plane taking with us some small on the controls would be fatal; we would certainly stall. But I had to lift the nose. gifts and a few coconuts. I kept forward pressure on the controls for I was satisfied that we were well within the take-off parameters of the Cessna as we had a few more seconds to gain airspeed, then I burnt off considerable fuel. I remember pulled back firmly, but gently - overriding the thinking as I was taxiing out that a short-field fatal instinct - and almost at that moment, at take-off might be appropriate as I had a full tree top level, I heard a dull thump. We were flying away normally, it seemed, complement of people aboard. It was not a long strip, and I was not completely sure of and gaining height. I then looked out my side
10 FLIGHT SAFETY AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1997
of the plane to see what the noise had been.
Wrapped around the wheel and its strut was a liana vine. After checking thoroughly, I determined there were no other problems. We were safe enough in the air, but I was left with a nagging concern about landing with a vine around a wheel. Further inspections of the wheel convinced me we could land safely as the vine was not likely to present a serious problem. This has been my only close encounter with the prospect of catastrophe. But why had I got into this predicament in the first place? There were a number of now obvious reasons which at the time seemed relatively unimportant. The brief showers that had fallen over the previous days had softened the ground. The well-rolled soil of the airstrip did not escape this softening. This was pronounced in the centre of the strip. The tyre pressure of the Cessna wheels was not as high as it should have been for the conditions (yet I carried a hand pump with me). Another significant factor was the increase in grass growth on the strip over the previous days.
'Mer" Island: a short strip with uns
round conditions.
ANAUSIS US
importance of thorough pre-flight
preparation, especially when operating on unfamiliar grassy strips. It also emphasises the need to have a sound knowledge of your aircraft and of the factors affecting the aircraft's performance. It can sometimes be difficult to switch from a relaxed, holiday mode to the disciplined, professional attitude required for flight operations. However, flying is not like driving a car; we can't simply hop in or go on the hunch that we are "well within the take-off parameters". Before take-off, the pilot should have completed a weight and balance sheet for the aircraft and calculated his take-off distance using the appropriate performance charts in the Cessna 172 flight manual. His calculation should have taken into account all factors affecting the performance of the aircraft, in this case, density height (warm day, high field elevation) and the type of runway surface (grass strip, soft/short field). The pilot should also have selected an abort point before taking-off. This would have ensured that there was no hesitation in making a decision to abort if the aircraft has not reached take-off speed by the predetermined point. While it is true that most light aircraft, such as the Cessna 172, can take-off in less than 500m, it must be remembered that perfor-
mance charts are based on the following conditions:
Sea level. Standard temperature (15C). Hard level runway or short dry grass. Nil wind. New aircraft with the engine in excellent condition. Any change in these conditions can increase the take-off distance required quite substantially. For example, for each 1,000 feet above sea level, most light aircraft handbooks will recommend adding at least 10 per cent to the takeoff distance required. An increase of 10C can add 20per cent to the take-off run. In addition, the take-off distance can be increased by a further 25 per cent for operations in long or wet grass, or when taking-off from a soft field (see diagram). The pilot indicated that he "put down flap", but he does not say what flap setting he used. While the Cessna 172 pilot operating handbook states that 10 of flap should be used for short or soft field take-off, it must be remembered that
the use of excessive flap, in this case more than
10 during take-off, can greatly deteriorate climbing performance. Finally, the pilot may also have succumbed to the subtle pressures of showing his friends he was a skilled new aircraft owner. This, coupled with a lack of adequate preflight preparation, can easily trap the unwary pilot. Prue Anderson and Irene Henley, department of aviation studies, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur.