Aircraft/Car contact

[VEGAS]

Someone here could so easily have been killed.

I would say that observations from both Pilot and Car driver were poor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xU2HxqXUtk

[DaveB]

Having watched it a couple of times, the pilot was coming in perilously close to the end of the runway. I know that wasted things for a pilot are runway behind you but there are limits
Difficult to criticise any one party more than the other. The car driver should have been more aware and I guess you could argue that the pilot, although concentrating on landing, could have been more aware of the possibility of cars passing on that road. Knowing this was likely to happen, perhaps aiming so close to the runway threshold may not be such a good idea. An accident waiting to happen?

I like the woman claiming 'we didn't drive into a plane'.. but you did my dear
ATB
DaveB

[Archer]

It's on another forum as well and one of the comments was that this was a student pilot returning from his first cross country. So think low-time, focussed on a good landing as his wife was filming him (I'm not sure if he was aware of that, but it normally ensures bad landings), etc.

Indeed he did come in too low, he should have been at 50 ft at the threshold, but then again the driver of the SUV should have looked around a bit more too, especially before crossing an active runway.

Sad accident, easily avoided and I read that this guy gave up flying after this.

[DaveB]

Yep.. he says as much in the news footage. A shame really because there's no need for it. I didn't see from that report he was a student pilot. He really WAS focusing on getting down!

ATB
DaveB

[Chris Trott]

Yes, the plane was low, but not especially low for that airport, which has a short runway (3500 feet), a 10'+ hill, and the road within 100 feet of the threshold. Also, note he was landing without full flaps, another indication he was nervous (but not dangerously so). However, while this is the first accident that's occurred, there have been several near misses according to the guys who fly out of there on a regular basis and it's been an issue brought up with the city and the development that owns the road several times with no resolution. Hopefully now the FAA will take the issue more seriously and give the airport the help it's been asking for since at least 2000 in getting better markings made and possibly pilot controlled barriers that will activate when the pilot gives a certain number of clicks on the radio (similar to turning on the runway lights) or activated by airport personnel during the day. Northwest Regional wouldn't be the first in the US with such a system.

It's sad to hear the reaction of the vehicle occupants though. The stop bar is there, there's also yellow hold-short markings (which should be a clue to at least figure out what they're there for even if the average driver doesn't know what it means) and they didn't even have the sense to look both ways before proceeding, just driving through like the airport isn't there. In the end, I'm just glad that no one was seriously hurt. It could have ended much worse for any of the 3 involved.

BTW - more info on Northwest Regional - http://www.airnav.com/airport/52F

[dodger]

Hi,

Would'nt you think that just a set of traffics lights is all that is needed,

That is what we have at my local airport controlled from the tower,

Shame the Pilot is not going flying again and over here i would think three dots and a fine for the driver but i don't know what they do in the US.


Just my two pennies.

Cheers,

Roger.

[Garry Russell]

The pilot would have been looking intently at the runway and his instruments so I down see how he could be expected to notice a car to the side which would have been hard to spot in any event.

The pilot had right of way

The driver was negligent in ignoring signs and proceeding without any care, even the normal care at a give way junction would have sufficed...

Red lights might help, but drivers who do this sort of thing are often not looking or will ignore them anyway

[VEGAS]

I think the Pilot would probably be experiencing perceptual distortion Garry.

Kind of like 'over concentration' if you will.

A very common phenomena for an individual who is under extreme concentration.

Focused so much on the runway and the safe landing, the objects at the side that would come into view that may go unnoticed.

In this video its also a significant factor that the pilot is unqualified and is somewhat inexperienced.

I would imagine an experienced Pilot would be observing the environments outside the aircraft as well as the instruments in the seconds before touchdown.

I can't believe the attitude of the occupants of the car.

[nigelb]

I can imagine that the SUV occupants saw the other car travelling towards them, thought it was safe to proceed and did not stop and failed to check for the landing aircraft. Flashing lights combined with a stop light should help alleviate the problem.

Nigel²

[NigelC]

The pilot of the Cessna nor the driver of the SUV were responsible for this accident. Responsibility lies with the pillock that allowed an uncontrolled road that close to an active runway