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Robyn Beck/AFP – Getty Images
An investigator shines a flashlight on a single-engine plane that crashed in the front yard of a home in Glendale, Calif., home.
A Cessna 210 crashed in front of a Glendale, Calif., home Monday night, tearing down power lines and cutting electricity to surrounding homes, authorities said.
The fixed wing single-engine plane, registered to a man in Moreno Valley, landed upside down on the sidewalk in the 1200 block of Glenwood Road near Grandview Avenue about 8:30 p.m.
As of 11 p.m. Monday, about 1,600 homes in the area were without power.
The pilot, a 55-year-old man, was treated on the scene complaining of shoulder pain and was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, according to aerial communications.
For more, visit NBCLosAngeles.com
No other injuries or victims were reported.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, told air traffic controllers that he would try to land at Van Nuys Airport after noticing engine trouble, according to Ian Gregor, with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Pacific Division.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
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Leave a Comment:
There's some good luck mixed with the bad there.
How does one land upside down due to engine trouble? Can't you coast if you lose power?
You know that the plane had to be flying/gliding right side up - my bet is that as it approached ground, the landing gear caught the power lines which then flipped the plane upside down. Pilot is absolutely lucky, could have been killed by the crash, or combination of electrical short and gasoline could have made a really big fireball. Maximum best outcome of a bad situation.
I am sure it's exactly how he planned the landing. Wtf? Those kinds of things make you appreciate life. Well, they should, unless one is a dumb*ss.
They'll be fixing the wings again.
Randy, yes, till you hit power lines and or trees which could cause the plane to flip upside down
When I'm flying I want a "fixed wing airplane" vs one of those with the wings flopping around during flight.
Yet another stupid caption from MSNBC ...the plane obviously flipped over...it did NOT 'land upside down'
As a private pilot, my interpretation would be: the plane landed right side up, then flipped over just before coming to a complete stop. Doesn't sound as dramatic, does it? That would explain the minor injuries to the pilot.
If its a twin engine some of those will turn turtle when one engine quits- I believe its when the right one goes, but could be wrong.
To answer your main question, "How does one land upside down", here's one way:
proairshow.com/images/Double%20Take.jpg
And yes, that's real.
Sauve-3568661
The article states it was a single engine... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_210 for specifics.
And NO on a light twin turning turtle on a single engine failure. Yes there will be adverse yaw but the plane won't just fiip... part of the training to be signed off in a multi engine is how to recognize and correct for engine failure. As to which engine... depends on the model and has more to do with whether systems are redundant on both engines or single driven... i.e. hydraulics for flaps, landing gear, electric generation.
In this case it sounds like fuel issues... perhaps a fuel pump or... hey he didn't turn the tanks on... since there was not a massive fire after the crash my guess is he didn't have fuel... tanks would have leaked once upside down and the wings coming off.
Prediction for results of NTSB investigation... Pilot error. Engine failure due to fuel starvation. Pilot failed to visually check fuel tanks during preflight and did not follow checklist item to verify fuel gauges. During forced off field landing aircraft encountered multiple power lines. Aircraft was a total loss. Pilot, sole passenger, suffered non life threatening injuries.
It will most certainly just flip (as in depart controlled flight) if you go below Vmc(one engine out) and have the other at full power. Then again, avoiding loss of control is some of the training you mentioned....
Yes, this type of 152/172/182/210 are notorious for braking off nose wheel in hard landings, and flipping over, but he proly could not see pwr lines, that is why I always hated to fly single engine in the dark, because if your engine quits, you will be landing soon somewhere, and that is impossible to see even radio tower guy wire, and electric wire.--Also if it was PWR lines huge chance of fire right afterwards, due to fuel spills, from the nose gear being broken off, and the the little tank under the engine starts leaking.
It's called "Running out of altitude, airspeed and ideas" all at the same time!
You can tell from the comments witch one's are from pilots and which one's are from the Terriost Flight simulators dudes! Just Saying!
By the way! Do any of you notice the front nose gear IS still attached along with the mains! Oh, where's the engine and prop?
"Fixed Wing" means not a helicopter
Are you buying
It ended up upside down so in effect the headline is right. But any reason, justified or not, to bad mouth the media is not to be wasted.
Ji(G):
I think they call that floppy wing kind a bird.
Viperguy46
"You can tell from the comments witch one's are from pilots and which one's are from the Terriost Flight simulators dudes! Just Saying!"
You are correct.
From the picture it looks like his gear is partially retracted or deployed which ever way you look at it. I still don't understand why people are talking about two engine aircraft when the 210 is a single engine aircraft. I think the title of the article is misleading as well. When we talk about "landing" we think of the verb, not the noun. Sure it is upside down (noun) but the pilot was attempting to land (verb) as the aircraft was designed to do. Wheels on the ground. The power lines look to be on, around, and nearby the aircraft (meaning not above the ground, but on the ground) and the article mentions 1600 people without power. Hmmm, makes me think he hit the power lines. I'm just saying.
The caption under the picture reads: An inspector shines a flashlight on a single engine plane...Very illuminating comment there. I thought for sure he was lighting a match to see where that second engine went.
Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.
Now go buy a lottery ticket
To the pilot,
Buy a lottery ticket.......you sir, are one lucky person. Glad you're ok!!!
If he EVER bought a lottery ticket....today would be a great day to buy another. You don't get any luckier than this.
Totaly lucky, next time glide to nearest highway. loss of aircraft very unfortunate.
Gliding to a highway is not a good option either.
No especially in USA where they still have telephone poles, and then the dark--not me!
how safe are small planes?
"How safe"? They average about 47.5 units on the safety scale.
.
.
They are very safe, when you land on their wheels.
(I'm a commercial pilot, and I approved this message)
Looks like he did have engine trouble ..... IT'S GONE !!!!! No prop also.
truthhurts---much safer than traveling by car.
These kinds of airplanes usually develop engine trouble when there's no fuel in the wings.
Well, comparing car crashes to plane crashes - when there's an aircraft accident it's big news. So you figure it out.
The latest: almost as safe as commercial, which has gotten worse, and small planes have become far less active, but experienced fliers. Young people--can not afford it! 6 Dollars a Gallon and at 7- 15 Gallons an hour, and a cheap old junker costs at least 20 K.--never mind ins!
Small plane travel does not meet the safety of airlines, which are about the safest traveling there is, probably safer than walking. They are about the same as morotcycles, not as safe as cars, but if you don't do stupid things pretty safe. But like a motorcycle, it is not very forgiving of stupidity.
Small planes are relatively safe. Note that a non-fatal accident in California made the national news! That seems to indicate that this is relatively rare (even flipping the plane on landing is not enough to justify a national news story, unless it is pretty rare). As others have pointed out, like automobiles, they are not nearly as safe as commercial aviation. Almost every accident is due to pilot error, so for the most part, any accidents are not because small planes per se are not safe.
You see quite a bit of these older single engine planes crash. I really think many have seen better days and the owners do not spend enough on maintenance. I think small aircraft is the dark side of aviation where their is not enough regulations or inspections on aircraft. But I guess unless we see more people being killed on the ground. I guess those that fly can do whatever. Its one thing to skip that tuneup on your car. Its another to skip a important repair on a airplane.
I'm in the process of getting a pilots license and trust me there ARE enough
regulations. All aircraft must be inspected yearly from top to bottom. That's
not just a visual, but it's almost taken apart. On average, that starts out
from $2000-$3000 and on up. Then, that paperwork is like your registration and
must be up to date and kept in the plane. Unfortunately, you have people that
don't follow rules and try to save money. Also, the engines on a plane have recommended
hours that they should be rebuilt, but people tend to push those hours since
that can cost $15,000-$25,000. Unfortunately accidents can still happen, you
just don't have anywhere to pull over.
EVERY General Aviation aircraft MUST undergo an annual inspection. During this inspection, the plane is basically torn down to the metal, and everything is inspected. As part of the inspection, the spark plugs are pulled, inspected, and cleaned (or replaced). A compression test is performed to insure there are no leaking cylinders. In all cases the annual is a lot more rigorous than what people do to their cars.
ANY engine, whether it be auto, marine aviation, etc, can breakdown at any time, regardless of how well maintained that engine may be. To all those who do not understand how the pilot could land upside down, go back and read the article. The plane hit electrical wires, and that is enough to cause the plane to flip over. This pilot is extremely fortunate to have survived this crash.
There is the adage that 'any landing from which you can walk away from is a good landing'. Nothing could be truer in this instance. As far as buying a lottery ticket, this pilot already used up more than his fair share of luck for one day, if not a lifetime.
And YES, the plane alongside my name is mine.
p
You see just as many newer planes like Cirruses crash too. And they have parachutes. I won't rehash what 2Cents and Hawkeye wrote, but your post reads like somebody who doesn't know much about general aviation. I've been flying for 17 years, and have been an instructor for 11 of them, and (knock on wood) have never been in the type of situation that 210 pilot found himself in. He was VERY lucky to have walked away from that.
If you think small ac are dangerous ........... then you had better not drive a car , much more dangerous.
I'm a small airplane pilot myself, and I can tell you the regulations are dinosaurian (is that a word?) - VERY conservative.
You guys all whine about regulations yet time after time after time in these bug smashers there's no post-crash fire because there's nothing to ignite. And you insist on killing other people with you.
cheetah-822547
Less than 1000 people die from plane crashes annually, including military accidents and commercial worldwide. Over 30,000 people die annually in automotive crashes in the USA alone. Rarely is there a fire in a car crash either.
You might feel differently about pilots whining about the regulations if a regular driver were tested to one one hundredth the knowledge and skill level. Even a European International Drivers license has less regulation. We may whine but most of us comply.
Now that we're down to the comment section , where people who know something about airplanes .
Where would the fuel pick-up on this plane be ? Sure he would have noticed engine troubles . If he was flying up-side down and the fuel pickup was now at the top side of the tank .
No , I don't think he was flying upside down . But just toying with the idea . All the blood rushed to his head , and all the fuel was at the top of the tank . Away from the fuel pick up .
Unless he had an inverted fuel and oil system on the plane, he would be losing oil pressure and prop control too. Note, also the by the FAR's the aircraft fuel gauges only have to be accurate when EMPTY...
Fortunately, most manufacturers do better than only being accurate at empty.......
"Less than 1000 people die from plane crashes annually,..."
That's always the first defense of the indefensible - shoot for some relativity. Bullshlt - it's your sport, keep your toys out of my neighborhood.
When I was a child , fifty plus years ago . The air guard unit was stationed not far away . One of the pilots had done a barrel roll and was flying upside down , at an altitude of about 200 feet . He was flying parallel to main street . I was looking up at him and he was looking down at me . I know the air speed had to be very fast . He was gone in a split second .
That is just something you don't forget .
If they actually fly they are inspected every year, including engine pressure etc, and aluminum rot on wings and all over, and mandatory replacement/rebuild of prop and engine, at hours running, which is recorded on a meter.--Any engine can sputter and die any time,(hopefully not due to carb ice), but other problems like oil ran out or a piston ring etc. thus the reason we traine to land in the field every year at pilot certification(check ride). I was once on a 747 without 1 engine out over Greenland.---if we had gone down we would need all the lotto tickets the next 400 years!--But at least we can see ground now many places there even though global warming is an opinion, right?--and no telephone poles!
I once flew with Chuck Jaeger in Ohio in a mustang P and given the fact that I am a major engineer, I did think about that old piston engine, but they also get taken apart often, that is why they now cost 2-5 Million Dollars., the few left--But I do not agree that the age is a problem---with the exception of the pilot! worst are very young, or very old, but everyone can get a heart attack!!
John Scott
You are obviously not a pilot and not involved with aviation. Everything you said is absolutely 100% wrong. The annual inspection your plane requires is very thorough and it's the law. Also, there are very few small plane crashes, it's just that you hear of every one. If this was a truck that hit the house and there were no seriouos injuries, it might not even make the local paper. There are plenty of regulations, many more than for autos. Also you need to ahve a biennial review of your flying skills. When's the last time you had to prove you could drive a car since your 16th birthday?
Cheetah
You are so off base I don't think you deserve a response....ooops I responded...damn
Cheetah, what is your problem? If you have an axe to grind, why not spell out what your issues are, instead of making up nonsense. Who are the pilots you think are complaining about the regulations? Where did you get the crazy idea that they "insist on killing other people"? Why don't you look at the accident statistics to see how many innocent bystanders are killed by aircraft accidents? (Hint: it's remarkably close to zero.) Then you can come back and apologize for your wild generalizations. If you really want to take on a cause that might make life safer for you, try pushing for even slightly tougher standards for getting a drivers license. We lose as many people on the highways every 18 months as we lost in the entire Vietnam war (roughly 50,000 U.S. lives). Much of that is because of the large number of drivers who should not be driving, either because of lack of skill, substance abuse, or poor judgement. I can't even imagine most of them being successful in getting pilots licenses, based on their performance on the highways. Try focusing on issues that really could save lives, instead of wasting your passion on a vendetta.
Another justification for empty tanks.
Seriously cool accident.Other than loss of electricity to some people, no deaths AND one hell of a story.The guy must be Irish.
The guy must be Irish? Why, because he was smashed drunk?
On the flip side, this may be caused by job turn-over in the flying industry. A sudden reversal in the economy may might have turned this around. Its time for a reverse course. Straighten up and fly right!
Thanks Mario made my day.
?
Mr. FakeIron -
I do not understand your question mark.
I am not surprised with the irrational comments and the level of ignorance towards general aviation. It's true that some aircraft owners lack funds and perhaps the maintenance regiment might not be adequate. That being said, the owner/operator/pilot in command has the responsibility to keep the aircraft in airworthy condition and ultimately decide whether the flight should be conducted or not. Another issue is the pilot's ability to handle the emergency given his/her flight proficiency. General aviation is safer than most people think. Lack of training, maintenance and proper planning will adversely affect the outcome of the flight.
I'm not surprised either. People complaining about regulation should think about it. The pilot and passengers can't pull over to the side of the road when something goes wrong.
Maybe he was lost. If he would have been landing in Australia he would have been right side up.
As an airplane owner (who has never missed an annual or a 50h oil change), my experience is that most mechanical problems immediately follow maintenance. That said, most engine failures are simple: empty tank or completely out of gas.
And yes, I'm sure the plane flipped when the gear or wing caught on something ten to thirty feet over the ground.
Lots of car accidents. Let's regulate that: every car should have a TV monitor with a real time feed to the local police and a little speaker so they can correct your mistakes. Problem solved!
I agree. Once, after an inspection, I took off to make a little trip to be sure all was well with my Piper PA-28 "Dakota". I did the usual walkaround inspection, and the engine looked clean. I obviously didn't do a good enough inspection of the engine compartment. I didn't even think to check the oil filter. As I began climbing out, my windshield was suddenly covered with black, thick oil. I had one hell of a time getting back around the traffic pattern to land, and my engine quit when I was on final approach to land. I managed to get it down OK, and raised hell with the mechanic/inspector. He had forgotten to secure the oil filter with the proper wire after filling the oil, and it had been blown off the engine when I hit the throttle to take off. He "graciously" redid the oil and filter, and checked out the engine for no charge. I didn't sue him for what might have been, but he and I both learned from the experience.
SHlT Happens! Lucky Bird!
mandy-749824, well put. In addition to pilot training, aviation decision making might have played a part in keeping damage and injuries to a minimum. The "Miracle on the Hudson", the loss of power of an airliner due to a flock of geese, could have been much worse had the pilots not made the decision to land in the Hudson. Similarly, the decisions made by this pilot might be what what saved his life and minimized damage on the ground. It might not be just luck that saved him.
Good landing!! He walked away, didn't he?
I can't help but wonder: often, in a right-side-up crash, there's back injury, and sometimes, a survivor actually ends up shorter due to compression of the spine. Since this guy was upside down, he was hanging from the seat belt. So did he get stretched instead?
Very true.
I've always wanted to be taller but, dang, I'm not going about it that way. A good pair of heels will just have to suffice. I'm glad the pilot and all the residents of the neighborhood are safe.
One lucky pilot!
I'm an A&P (aircraft mechanic) and I work on small planes. I must say that I'm delighted to see so many level headed comments here. I used to get my news from another site and the comments section on any aviation crash article would be filled with nut-jobs screaming about banning airplanes and jailing all pilots (or whatever extreme measure schizophrenics think of). Thanks for being sane MSN commenters! ;)
Tim Baker
One lucky pilot!
LOL give it a little time... It's just lunch time on the east coast. I've already seen a few negative comments above.
I see the problem,, the engine is missing!
If it was a female pilot I would say she had a hairy crack up.
Hilarious, thanks. Tasteless, but belly laff of the morning.
Is this pilot from Australia?
John Scott, your an absolute blithering idiot. I own 2 small planes Both Cessna's one is a 1957 and the other a 1966, both planes are kept in meticulous condition. The Mechanic I hire works on the very types of planes people fly in and haul cargo with. Age of an aircraft means nothing. I have seen people that have no right driving a handshake or less from me on the road. God I think I am responding to one. Your comment fits right in with the MSNBC sheep media feeding frenzy. I bet your a bleeding heart, your lack of basic lack of understanding in aerodynamics and propulsion systems is obvious.
I bet you believe General Aviation is the cause for all the problems in aviation, it is not the big airlines have gouged and ripped it apart at the seams. The reasons for delay's are for poor planning and overbooking of flights, and stupid management practices.
Do the world a favor and keep global warming at a minimum keep Your Mouth Shut. Good luck John, I just hope you don't have kids you might throw the baby out with the bath water!!!
you are absolutely right. there is no question: This is all Obama's fault
HaHa. Boy you have hit the nail right on the head! These pinko commie rats like John Scott with their global warming theories and their absurd theories about metal fatigue....who ever heard of such a thing! Metal fatigue!? Jeez...what a complete joke! Just 'cuz a plane is old doesn't mean it can get metal fatigue....everybody knows that!
I've got some metal things that are over a hundred years old and they aren't fatigued!! They aren't even tired. Just another MSNBC nutjob theory. Where do these libs come from? He was probably born in Kenya!
Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.........lucky man
No fire. Fuel lines could be plugged with air.(Out of gas)
bwaldo
NO wings, no fire = no gas in wings Guess someone forgot to check for gas.
Fires are rare in crashes, even with full tanks, just like in cars. The movies like to show firey crashes, but they are quite rare in small planes.
Whoa, that is just a couple miles away from me, who knew?! Lucky pilot!
The guy is 'complaining' about shoulder pain. Good Complaint.
Given all of the more or less educated guesses offered here regarding what caused the a/c to go down, I'm surprised that no one has yet hit on the single greatest contributing factor to plane crashes: Gravity. In my experience, gravity, coupled with negative lift, is almost always involved in these types of accidents.
What is negative lift?