Freak out moments?

[cputters]

Just thought I'd share an experience I had on my latest trip.

The wife and I were flying from Vegas to Boston during our US visit. The flight was a late/early departure (around midnight), so we were both keen to get on board ans sleep the 6ish hours to our destination.


Taxing was normal, take off was normal. (flying in an A-320) During the time to take off I'd grown quite weary and shut my eyes as soon as we were in the air.

A few minutes later, a screaming noise and a huge shaking of turbulance casued me to waken with a start. (As it did with almost everyone.) This noise was the typical noise from the movies of a plane going down. My first thoughts were.."HOLY S*#T, this is it, we're gone!!!"

A moment past (this is equal to around 10 minutes of panic time :) ) before I noticed we were still ascending. So it couldn't be anything too bad.

Anyway, the captain comes over the speakers and explains that they had a "hot brake" alarm from taxing so he was just dipping the wheels in the air momentarily to let them cool......I'm sure he anounced it after the fact on purpose. :)

My question is, has anyone else had a "no risk, near death" experience in the air?

[Wulf190]

During my commercial check ride I had a Cessna 172 nearly hit my plane when I turned from down wind to base. Came over the top of me and settled down in front. Tower never even saw what happened. Missed me by no more than 100 feet.

[TARPSBird]

I was a passenger in a Navy C-9 in 1978 and we had just touched down at NAS Oceana when suddenly the engines roared up to full power and we were airborne again. Turns out a F-4 had been cleared to taxi across the runway in front of us. Fortunately the Phantom was far enough down the runway that our pilot just put the balls to the wall and did a touch & go. Pretty much all over before I had a chance to be scared, unlike my seat partner who had flown as aircrew in A-3's - he knew something weird happened. :icon_lol: I'd never experienced climbing so fast off the deck in a C-9, pretty impressive.

[Astoroth]

On a flight in a EMB-120 from Salt Lake City to Cedar City Utah, on takeoff the flaps jammed down. The air was pretty turbulent and we were bouncing around all over the place. That combined with the whine of the motors trying to get the flaps up was pretty scary for a passenger that hadn't flown much back then. We had to turn around and go back to the airport and get a different plane. Was never really any danger, but knowing there was something wrong with the plane combined with the severe turbulence was pretty hair raising.

[Dev One]

In the late 50's I was training for my PPL from Fairoaks & was up with an instructor in a Tiger Moth doing spins. Weather was broken cumulus about 6/8ths & we climed to 5k' & did a spin down a hole in the clouds. We had just stabilised & I saw a Vickers Viking pass directly underneath us, another 500 ' lower & we could have been a statistic!
Keith

[ThinkingManNeil]

Closest I ever came was when I was a student pilot flying Cessna 152's out of Mount Hope outside of Hamilton, Ontario. Went out on a squally kind of day in early April with fast moving snow squalls crossing both the field and the practice area north of Dunnville. We had to wait to take off when a squall hit the field with gusty winds and wet snow so we taxied back to the ramp for about half an hour then had to clean the snow off the Cessna. Finally we got up and out to practice for about 25 minutes or so when my instructor got word that the tower called and was announcing a big squall was heading for the field from the wast and that they were closing down the field until it passed. My instructor decided we should head back in because we could see the thing heading across the landscape so he firewalled the throttle and headed back. While we were on final less than half a mile out from the threshold we could see this wall of white marching across the west edge of the airport, gobbling up the terminal, service buildings and hangars. Just as we crossed the threshold and were about 50 feet or so above the runway the squall hit us with a sudden gust and the world, including the runway, disappeared into solid white. The gust caused the Cessna to bob sharply and roll to the right but my instructor caught it and we carefully felt our way down to the runway. We landed well off center and long, but we got down OK and taxied back to the ramp slowly. By the time we'd gotten the plane hangared the squall began to clear and move off to the east, but there was a good possibility of other following so we called it a day.

N.

[Tako_Kichi]

When I was a teenager back in the UK I was a member of the Air Training Corps (the RAF cadet force) and took a gliding course as part of my training. One flight will always stick in my memory. I gave an account of it on another forum several years ago and repost it here for your enjoyment.

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I had already taken part in a couple of training days on the gliding course and was eagerly awaiting the next one but as winter was approaching I realized that I would have to wait until the spring before the training could continue. Imagine my surprise when the CO came into the training room one evening and pinned a notice up on the notice board and announced the next gliding course dates were out. There was a mad scramble to the board as soon as we had been dismissed as all those on the course tried to see when the dates had been set for. There was a loud groan from those nearest the board when they discovered that the first date had been set for the second Saturday in January! We were going to have to fly open cockpit gliders in the depths of an English winter! BRRRR!!!!

The appointed day duly arrived and we assembled at the HQ and awaited the arrival of the RAF transport to take us to RAF Tern Hill. The transport turned out to be a ram-shackled old bus that the heating system had broken down on and the seats were like iron. We arrived at the base like a package of frozen chips/fries! We did get a brief period to warm up during the pre-flight briefing when we were given the usual safety talks and the Met boys gave us a rundown on the day's weather conditions and then we were put into the back of a three ton truck and taken out to the field.

The gliders had already been towed into position at the downwind end of the field and the trucks with the winches mounted on the back were in position half way down the field instead of giving us the full length of cable available. We had a ceiling of 1,500 feet that day due to a low overcast so flights were only going to be 8-12 minutes in length, just enough for a single circuit and the landing approach. The winch trucks had been brought up the field in order to limit the amount of height we could get and to keep us out of the clouds. We jumped out of the truck and got ready for the first flight. There were three T.31Bs available that day and more than a dozen cadets so there would be long periods between the short flights. Luckily there were things to do on the ground like acting as the wing-tip man to hold the wing down while the glider was stationary and then running alongside the glider with the wing tip held at head height until the pilot had enough speed to be able to hold the wings level, operating the hand-held Aldis lamp that was used to signal instructions to the winch crew or riding 'shotgun' on the Land Rover that was used to retrieve the dropped tow cables and haul them back to the launch area. All the time we were out on the field the cold was biting at us as we were wearing the standard issue ATC woollen battledress of the time which was actually ex-RAF gear from just after WWII and knee length ex-RAF greatcoats (I still remember that the Ministry of Defence label in mine had the first issued date of 1945!)

The first couple of flights I had were chilly but no big problem. On the third flight I hit a snow squall just after dropping the cable and by the time I landed I looked like a snowman from the front as all the snow had stuck to my already frozen clothing! Flying in snow in an open cockpit glider is not the most enjoyable thing I can think of! Thankfully it was just a quick squall and did not curtail the flying activities for long but things were going to get a whole lot trickier on the next flight!

By the time my next flight came around I was really feeling the effects of the cold. I was shivering from head to foot and my hands and feet felt like solid blocks of ice. I ran over to the glider after it landed and had been pushed back to the 'start line' and switched places with the cadet getting out after handing my pocket log book to the instructor and strapped in. While this was happening the tow cable had been attached to the hook under the nose of the glider. I was at the point in the course where I was in charge of the glider from the moment I climbed in to the moment I climbed out so I told the guy on the wing tip to hold it up and I went through the pre-flight checks. There was actually very little to check on these old gliders and it was basically a case of waggling the controls to make sure the bits that should move did and the bits that shouldn't move didn't! http://a2asimulations.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif With the checks over it was time for a good look above and behind to check where the other gliders were and we were clear to take off.

I gave the order to 'take up slack' and the cadet on the Aldis lamp started sending slow flashes to the winch crew. The blinking light in the distance told me the crew had responded and the slack in the cable was being wound in. I watched the cable snaking across the grass in front of me and as soon as it went tight I shouted "All out" and the signaller started sending rapid flashes to the winch crew. A second later I saw a puff of black smoke go up from the diesel engine on the winch as the operator gave it full throttle and we were off! After a very brief period of noise and shaking as we bounced across the grass the old bird lifted off and all was silent save for the rush of wind over the wings. I eased the stick back until we were at the correct climb angle and then centred the stick and sat back to enjoy the elevator ride to the top.

All too soon we were at the top and I felt the typical 'nose bounce' that told me we were as high as we were going to get and it was time to drop the tow cable before the winch started pulling us out of the sky again. It was at this point the flight went to hell in a hand basket! I don't know if it was the effects of the cold or if I just had a mental freeze-up but I committed the ultimate sin when it comes to winch launches in a T.31B! Throughout all our training we had repeatedly been told that when it comes time to drop the cable we MUST push the stick all the way forward BEFORE we drop the cable to compensate for the effects of the cable drop as the sudden release of pressure on the nose WILL cause adverse affects on the glider if it is not in a nose down attitude!

Well there I was, frozen stiff with numb hands and feet and my mind a total blank when I felt the nose bounce so I reached for the big yellow ball hanging out of the dash and gave it a good old tug to drop the cable. I was instantly compressed into the seat and the nose of the glider catapulted upwards until the aircraft was sitting absolutely vertical and starting to fall earthwards in a tail down attitude! Yup, I had forgotten to push the stick forward BEFORE dropping the cable and I was now experiencing first hand what all the instructors had been warning us about! I was not feeling any effects of the cold at that point as I was now sweating profusely but my mind was still a blank as I sat there in a cloud of steam and the wind whistled past my ears going IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!

A bellow of "WELL F@$%#&* DO SOMETHING THEN!!!" from the back seat snapped me out of it and in a blind panic I worked the rudder pedals like a cyclist in the Tour de France and whipped the stick around as if I was trying to stir paint in a 5 gallon bucket! After what seemed like eons, but was probably only a couple of seconds, the port wing tip started to drop and the nose followed it. A second later and I was still dropping vertically out of the sky but this time I was nose down and I knew what to do about that! I waited one more second to build up airspeed and then pulled back on the stick and the old girl picked her nose up and settled into level flight .... PHEW!!! The only problem now was that I was heading off at 90° to the take off line and a quick glance at the altimeter told me I was 500 feet lower than I should have been! I had lost 500 feet (or a third of my total height) while trying to sort out my tail first plummet!

I quickly asked the instructor what I should do as we did not have enough altitude to complete the 'regular' circuit and he told me to immediately turn 90° to port and follow the airfield perimeter fence to the road (in effect shortening the cross-wind leg) and once we were over the farmer's field on the other side of the road we could do a 180 and make a short approach landing. If we lost too much height in the turn we could put down in the farmer's field and the cows currently grazing in said field would just have to get out of the damn way!

As it happened I was able to make the 180 without losing too much height but I swear that when we crossed the airfield perimeter fence there was less than 30 feet between the bottom of the glider and the telephone wires along the edge of the road! As soon as I crossed the fence I popped up the spoilers to slow the plane and reduce the lift from the wing and she settled softly onto the ground effect cushion at about 10 feet from the ground and then gently sank the rest of the way into a perfect no-bounce landing! At least I got that bit right! Within 40-50 yards we had rattled to a halt and I pushed the stick hard over to drop the wing tip onto the ground. The recovery crew were right there as soon as we stopped rolling and we were wheeled back to the 'start line'.

I unstrapped and clambered out and when I turned to look at the instructor he was sitting there as calm as could be, twiddling with the windswept waxed tips of his handlebar moustache with one hand while he filled in my log book record with the other. He looked up at me with a grin on his face like the proverbial Cheshire Cat and quietly said "Well done, you at least got us back to the ground in one piece!" and then in a parade ground bellow that I am sure was heard at the winches halfway down the field he roared "BUT DON'T EVER F@$%#&* DO THAT AGAIN!!!!!" I threw him a rather shaky salute and mumbled 'Yessir, nosir, thankyousir" and wobbled my way back to rest of the crew on very shaky legs.

I was immediately surrounded and bombarded with all sorts of questions about what went wrong but thankfully the arrival of the NAAFI truck bearing sticky buns and giant enamel mugs of hot, sweet, tea quickly diverted their attention. As I sat on the bumper of the NAAFI truck a few minutes later with my frozen hands wrapped around the mug of warming nectar I suddenly realized something that sent a warm glow right through my cold body. Not once during that entire flight had I felt the instructor's hands or feet on the controls! He had sat in the back and let me get on with it and never attempted to take control of the aircraft at any point in the flight. I put us in that difficult situation and I got us out of it again and back on the ground in one piece! Not bad for a 15 year old kid who was still in school!

It was a lesson learned the hard way but it is a lesson I have never forgotten and I bet if I were to climb into a T.31B today I would damn well remember to ram that stick forward BEFORE I pulled the bloody release cable! http://a2asimulations.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif

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[pfflyers]

Back in the 70s I was taking PPL flying lessons in a C152 out of an uncontrolled airport. We were doing touch and goes and my instructor was very diligent about making sure I announced my every move on the unicomm freguency even though were alone in the pattern.

On my third of fourth landing just as the nosewheel came down I was startled to see another airplane flaring at the opposite end of the rather short runway. The IP (wisely) took the controls, firewalled the throttle, and got us off the ground and off the runway heading in a minimum of space and time.

Turned out the other pilot was also a student who was flying solo and thought he was landing on the same runway (heading) that we were using.

[jbtate]

I recall a wide eyed dip and steep descent flying into a landing with the Kilgore College Band and Rangerettes.
When I was a kid, having an ice cream party on my folk's patio with a local Doctor and our Preacher ... The Doctor was a pilot, offered during the night to fly "the men" to Shreveport and back. Drove to Rusk County Airport in his Karman Ghia, pretty sure the plane was a Cessna 152, and navigated. Had a rough landing -- I remember the tower saying, "Whoah, one of them balloon landings!"
We drank coffee and hot chocolate from one of those '60s vending machines and flew back. I think I fell asleep 'cause I don't remember back to the house ...
I'll drink to that ...
jbtate

[AckAck]

Turned out the other pilot was also a student who was flying solo and thought he was landing on the same runway (heading) that we were using.

Oh - so that was you!

(not really, but mine is similar)

Was doing solo touch and go's in a 150 at an uncontrolled airport, and was dutifully calling positions on Unicomm. We could receive a fair amount of chatter from other also uncontrolled airfields around, and immediately after I called downwind to 36, someone called an emergency downwind for 18 at what I thought was a nearby airport (garbled) but it had 17/35, so I wasn't entirely sure where he was. I checked the pattern and didn't see any other aircraft, so I proceeded with landing - I called base and final for 36 and didn't hear any response, so I figured I had just heard the call incorrectly - started the flare and saw him at the opposite end of the runway also about to flare. Full throttle, quick jog to the right then left to clear the runway, got it to about 15 feet so I could clear the corn on the right, then slid over the field and gained speed enough to get the flaps off and back to takeoff configuration so I could climb out and go around. The next landing went smoothly, but I never did find out what problem the other plane had. At least I got to buzz a cornfield at really low level...

Then my solo X-Country into 1 controlled and 2 uncontrolled airports - NoRad and using signal lights...but that's another story. I probably should have aborted that one.

Brian