When I first saw this video, I wondered if the plane was twin-engine, and I was surprised by the absence of profanity. I sent an inquiry to my brother-in-law who is an ATC, and this was his reply:
It is a single-engine plane. To have a prop shatter creates a dynamic imbalance that is extremely dangerous and often leads to catastrophic airframe failure. There was substantial damage to the cowling. I do not have my speakers unpacked yet so limited with info, but he got the engine shutdown pretty quickly.Once he got the engine shut down, and being as that the damage to the airframe does not seem significant, then he is merely an unwilling glider pilot. Which is why all student pilots spend a lot of time practicing powerplant failures. So not necessarily difficult. Had the engine been running, or the prop windmilling, the vibration would exacerbate the handling, perhaps to exceed the ability of the airframe, or pilot, to successfully land.Profanity? No time! The concentration--and perhaps shock and fear--overrides the conscious thought it takes for most people to utter 'choice words.'
Found at A Welsh View.
Dang, that's really impressive. I'm surprised there's no "Mayday"/permission to land to air control in the audio...
ReplyDeleteSpyra, my brother-in-law did detect a faint "Mayday" amid the background noise (not the rescue truck on arrival). I presume most of the directions from the tower were received via headset and are not audible here - and it looks to be a remote field with little traffic.
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