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Fire department sent scrambling after amphibious plane lands in Mississippi River then takes off again
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Fire Department was sent scrambling Wednesday afternoon after a report of a plane landing in the Mississippi River near the Archgrounds. Luckily, the amphibious plane touched down intentionally before taking off again. Before the fire department was able to figure it out, however, they sent multiple fire engines and boats to the area. (www.ksdk.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Over 50% of fire callouts are false alarms. I guess someone called in and told them a Cessna had crashed into the river - because all light aircraft are Cessnas.
You are probably correct.... I just thought that this article was a little humorous and felt someone else could get a chuckle
“Mommy I saw an airplane went down the river and called 911”
I don't know which way to look at this: someone caring enough to take the time to make a call, or, someone not caring enough to take the time to figure it out. It's a toss-up. Hmmm.
In the pre-9/11 times a fellow with a Grumman Albatross decided to set down on the Charles River in Boston to see how feasible it would be to watch the 4th of July concert & fireworks on the river bank. He did this while in contact w/ KBOS and Boston Center, however no one informed Boston PD & Fire, and they turned out in force. It was a real mess with a MA State Trooper attempting to arrest the pilot and seize the plane. After all the excitement subsided, the authorities decided it would be best if the Albatross just left river. After a few high speed taxis to clear the river and ensure sufficient takeoff distance, the fellow did as instructed. The retractable nose wheel cavity floods with more than 200 gallons of water which is released upon getting airborne. This occurred as the Albatross was just clearing the Comm Ave bridge. That part of the story will have to be told some other time, but it was not pretty.
That’s over 1600 pounds of extra weight way forward of the CG. Picture four standard 55 gallon drums full of water sitting forward of the cockpit. I don’t buy it...
Sorry for the hyperbole, closer estimate is 125 gallons. "During water operations, the main gear well is flooded with approximately 1000 pounds of water." That quote is taken from an EAA Flight Report by Russ Erb, circa 1999. Ideally that water is suppose to drain aft and exit aircraft thru a pipe due to acceleration forces. Briefly commanding a wheels down opens the forward gear doors to drain residual. The resultant pitch-up has to be anticipated, also countermand the gear down before that becomes a drag issue and adds to the control problems. Looking for a POH reference. Thanks for your comment.
That’s the main gear well, not the nose gear well. 1000 pounds closer to the CG should be much more manageable, especially if most of it drains before the aircraft lifts off the water.