What is your experience of a plane crash or near miss? How did you cope with it?

Answer 1

Ok, Ok, I have one. A couple of years ago at Fullerton Airport, they had what they call Airport Days, where the public can tour the airport and get 15 minute rides on private planes for 20-40 bucks. I bought a ticket for 40 bucks to ride this 20 year old replica of a Ford Trimotor with 10 other people. We were on the edge of the runway under an EZ Up waiting for the plane to do a short test flight with just the pilot and copilot. The plane started its takeoff roll, built up speed, and veered 45 degrees off the runway directly toward us and hundreds of other people, dozens of parked airplanes, and a number of hangars. Instead of cutting the throttles, the pilot came straight at us, then about 50 yards before he hit us, the plane got enough aispeed to make a totally uncontrolled takeoff and went 30 feet over our heads, did a sharp banking left turn, missed the control tower by about 50 feet, and cartwheeled into the street, hitting a moving car, then coming to rest on top of a number of cars in an automotive shop parking lot. The pilot was injured, the copilot is now a badly-burned paraplegic, and I will never fly on anything but a commercial airliner. The wreck was caused because some idiot left a strap on the rudder, and the pilot could not control the plane.

Answer 2

As a youngster, I was on a TEA 737-200 out of manchester when we had an engine failure. I remember not being worried one bit, it was only the reactions after we landed of other passengers that got me worried, but when i got older and found out what actually happened and flew again, i was fine. Now I'm on the starting path as a career as airline pilot. I would imagine most of the pilots answering this would be pre-occupied with rattling off the emergency procedures as in training. When things go wrong, the training takes over and the brain works in a different way, not panicking. For a passenger, I would think it's better to research all they can into a near miss or an accident so they can look back and analyse the situation rather than run away from it, as in find out all they can about what just happened and the events leading up to it, and also get flying again.

Answer 3

I'm a student pilot in Egypt, two weeks ago i had a flight in a Cessna 152 which was around 20+ years old and it was falling apart, after taking off and reaching 700 ft I took the first turn to the left heading for the training zone, 2 minutes after the whole plane started shaking and I had a partial loss af power, luckily I was still near the airport, so I took a 180 degree turn and returned back and I asked the controller for priority cause of my problem, I landed safely while the engine was still generating minimal power to minimize the rate of decent.

while I was parking at the tarmac, the marshaller kept pointing at the belly of the plane, when I got out I found that mast of the engine oil was lost, and smothered all over the belly of the plane.

no one was Injured, but I couldn't fly again this day!!!!

Answer 4

As a private pilot and Army aviator I have survived three crash landings. All I can remember is that fear was not an element that came up because you are so busy running through emergency procedures that until you get on the ground you are completely focused. It is after you are down that the mind goes numb and you start wondering about the "what ifs".
1. Hydraulic failure in CH 47 Chinook Helicopter
2. Tail rotor failure in OH58D Kiowa Helicopter
3. Prop/Engine failure in 1948 Stintson Voyager Aircraft

Answer 5

I got to fly in the spare navigator's seat on a C9 flight going into Germany one time.
The airport was covered in fog, so made a long approach with the pilot keeping in constant contact with the tower while the co pilot flew. As we entered the fog everything around us went white but the tower said they had us on visual and were on a good path As we passed 500ft the pilot told me and the navigator to watch out the windows for ground objects while he tried to calm the co pilot down who was now getting very nervous and questioning his instruments.

The tower said the fog would break at 300ft but we had already passed 250ft and were still in the fog, the Navigator got up out of his seat and stared out the window. I on the other hand was trying to not make any noises or crap my pants.

As we passed 150ft the co pilot started calling out our altitude "100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50" Just then the navigator screamed "TREES!” The pilot shouted "GO AROUND GO AROUND" as the co pilot shoved the throttles all the way forward, the engines screamed in a way I have never heard a heavy's engines sound before. Just then, the numbers on runway popped up in front of us, the pilot shouted "NO WAIT, THERE IT IS, LAND LAND LAND!" The co pilot pulled the throttles all the way back, and dropped the plane neatly on the runway.

Answer 6

Kept flying the airplane all through the landing roll. Well, not a roll, but anyway. Once the airplane stopped moving, ran the emergency egress checklist just like I've done many times in the sim. No big deal.

Answer 7

A friend and I were heading to a airport by VOR at 4500ft.
We weren't talking to nobody and no flight following.Me reading chart checking landmarks.Friend flying,him looking at instruments I happen to look up,OH ***T.I point not pushing to yoke down because he might fight me.He sees dumps yoke,
Twin turbo-prop passes over the top of us by less than 20 ft.
Prop wash shakes our plane.WHOA THAT WAS CLOSE.
Now get flight following in almost all our flights.One flys one charts.I looked at this is to be vigilant and informed.

Answer 8

i had a crash in a helicopter during basic training in the army. and nearlly s**t myself. but then another chopper arrived to take us all to hospital. the instructors knew that if we didnt get back in the air, then we would be afraid for the rest of our lives. so we jumped in and the fear went away. we got a day off to get over it which me and the lads got extremly wasted.
so the answer to your question is, get back in the air and get extremly wasted. thats how i dealt with it.

Answer 9

I used to be in the RAF and was employed for a time on crash recovery and salvage operations. I had to search wreckage and pick up pieces of metal and human body parts on numerous occasions. On one occasion I helped to bag the bodies of ten fellow airmen whom I had personally known before their deaths. My method for dealing with it? I regarded the bits and pieces of wreckage, metal and human, as inanimate and therefore harmless to me.

Answer 10

I only crashed twice and both times I walked away unscathed...The planes were almost totally destroyed...One was a radio controlled and the other was a U-fly with srtings....
HENCE: I walked away...!!!!