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Propeller breaks 13,000 feet in the air
Tim Cassell crash landed his plane in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada and then he spent 18 hours in the cold before being rescued. The pilot took off in his signal-engine Piper Cherokee plane. However, 20 minutes away from his destination and 13,000 feet high above the San Joaquin Valley, the plane's propeller broke in half. (www.ktvu.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I've flown with Tim on this route before. It is very rugged terrain, and it's very fortunate he was able to put the plane down. Each time he flew this route, he would look for possible planes to set down in the event of an emergency. Tim was also very careful about maintenance and pre-flight checks.
Here is a link to the family's resort's Facebook page, which is where he was headed:
https://www.facebook.com/PanamintSprings
One of the sons wrote up some more detail.
Here is a link to the family's resort's Facebook page, which is where he was headed:
https://www.facebook.com/PanamintSprings
One of the sons wrote up some more detail.
He was lucky... The imbalance normally would have ripped the plane apart and not been a survivable accident.
I wonder why he didn't follow the EP's for loss of propeller. To descend at 2000 FPM and based on the comment he was found based on his ELT, not get off a radio call or 7700 beacon code, seems unusual.
Well, he was only at 13000 to commence with and everything was going to hell in front of him. I'm sorry but I imagine a radio call or 7700 squawk were the last things on his mind, not to mention trying to look for a hallway decent place to get down and still get out alive and in reasonably good shape, which he did.
Since we don't have a track for this flight or any recent flights, he was probably also operating VFR and not in contact with ATC, so it may not have been easy for him to change frequencies and communicate.
Well, now Jeff, I don't know why you weren't tracking but the story says he was at 1300, so he must have had something filed somewhere
You can fly VFR up to 17,500 MSL, so his altitude shouldn't have implied he was talking to ATC. Mode C transponder is required above 10k, but that doesn't imply a flight plan or ATC either.
I guess that transponder above 10 is what I was thinking about. Most assume if you are above 10 you have filed
Depends on AGL ---------- I've flown that area before. Not much room for things to happen, and Murphy's law seems to come into play at "just the right moment". I agree with the comments (No time for anything but get it down).
No reason to question anything, he's alive and not in ICU.