I admire the honesty of this man when he admits that it all happened because of a mistake he made. I mean, sharing the story with all of us so everyone can learn from it is a truly nice act.

Note to self: accept no phone calls when performing pre takeoff checklists.

@gringoloco8576

6 күн бұрын

Note to self....own a plane that can carry enough gas.

@theonlywoody2shoes

6 күн бұрын

Just a PPL, but I was always told; if you are interrupted or distracted for ANY reason during a checklist run though (on the ground, or if sufficient time in the air, and if not go around if it isn’t an emergency) - go back and start again!

@gdwnet

3 күн бұрын

@@theonlywoody2shoes This. If you get interrupted you start again. Checklists are written in blood for a reason.

@esenel92

2 күн бұрын

Or if anything interrupts you, or you feel your "flow" has been disturbed or something feels off, start the entire checklist (and maybe the one before) over again..

@FrancSchiphorst

2 күн бұрын

@@gringoloco8576 Problem was not how much gas the plane can carry.

Mad respect for just admitting you screwed up, taking it on the chin and learning from it.

You are a smart pilot. You didn't turn to go back, landed flat and survived. Lesson learned, lived to fly another day!

@FLYBOY123456789

4 күн бұрын

many have done the math regarding landing straight ahead, or turn back or pull the CAPS. mostly depends on altitude...

@steilkurbler4973

2 күн бұрын

​@@FLYBOY123456789 Exactly this, there is no solution that fits every situation equally as good. It depends on height. CAPS also depends on what your landing possibilities are.

@RetreadPhoto

2 күн бұрын

@@FLYBOY123456789does it have CAPS?

Man! I'm happy to hear that you are ok. Thank you for your humility and willingness to share with everyone.

New checklist item. Shut off Phone before opening the hangar door.

@erosnemesis

8 күн бұрын

Unless you use your phone for everything, including checklists.

@mwb7121

8 күн бұрын

Same sort of distraction can easily occur from radio calls.

@EJWash57

7 күн бұрын

@@erosnemesis Airplane mode?

@EJWash57

7 күн бұрын

@@mwb7121 Phone calls have nothing to do with radio calls. Unless it's the Feds calling...

@oldmangaming1297

4 күн бұрын

@@EJWash57 except that they can be distracting if they happen during the a checklist, which was his point... 🙄

1. Glad you are ok! 2. Huge points for sharing the errors you made. This is how we learn. Good luck on the rebuild.

Those shoulder restraints saved you from a lot of facial and head trauma. Always fill your tanks if for no other reason than to keep moisture out.

@jimml1938

9 күн бұрын

Also do it to avoid insurance companies from declining to ever insure the accident pilot ever again. Most, if not all, insurers will decline to insure a pilot who was in a pilot caused accident within the last three to five years. (Don't ask me how I know - fortunately a pilot's current insurer may continue carrying the pilot if only to recoup the payout, so when time to renew stick with the same insurer. Letting the existing insurance lapse would be a big mistake.) If the cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion due to pilot error the pilot may never again secure aviation insurance. Or so I have read.

@adamr9215

8 күн бұрын

@@jimml1938Lmao, if they are refusing to insure you, then it was a huge problem and you shouldn’t be flying.

@jimml1938

8 күн бұрын

@@adamr9215 It was a taxi accident in which the tip of the left wing of a C-150 slid over the top of a pickup truck. Cost to repair was about $10k (a roof protrusion on the pickup cut into the forward wing skin and bent a stringer.) Misjudged the distance needed to clear the truck during a right turn from the spot where the FBO had parked the plane. I then made the mistake of letting my coverage lapse several months later. When I went to buy a plane I discovered many underwriters don't insure anyone who has had a pilot-caused accident in the last three years. Hence my warning post. In the end I got reinsured with AIG via AssuredPartners at about the same premiums I had before the accident (same hull value and liability coverage.)

@jimml1938

7 күн бұрын

@@adamr9215 My previous response was deleted. One last attempt: The accident I had was a taxi accident during a turn that damaged a wing that cost about $10k to repair. Several insurers informed me they would not sell a new insurance policy to a pilot who had an accident in the previous three years that was due to pilot error, regardless of the claim amount.

@OldGlaseye-gf7si

7 күн бұрын

What he said..the last thing before you turn your back on your aircraft, is re-fill the tanks.

Rule one , if checklist interrupted, start over No checklist should be done by memory , not saying you have no paper checklist

@dputub

4 күн бұрын

I was going to mention this, as I had heard it before. Especially in an airplane with as simple a checklist as a 601 has. Yet another valuable lesson for me here. Unfortunately, hard won.

A good policy I found is if you get distracted by ANYTHING during your checks, start over from the beginning. The extra couple of minutes in this case would have averted the crash.

It's very unfortunate it didn't restart but the good news is you kept flying the plane and are here to talk about it. Thanks for the honesty.

Glad you're able to tell the story. Thanks for sharing, hoping for a speedy recovery for 8LN!

How important and how useful are these kind of testimonies for the safety of all of us. Thank you.

Hi Larry, I'm glad your okay and didn't suffer injuries. Any landing that everyone walks away from without injury is a good landing. The machine can be rebuilt or replaced. Thank you for sharing. I've enjoyed your channel for several years. Sincerely, Will

Glad you made it out in one piece! It takes guts to admit to such a mistake. Hope the rebuild goes smoothly and successfully for you! 🖖😀

Huge respect how honest he is! His mistake, no excueses

Glad you’re ok. I always set my phone on airplane mode when I fly to avoid distractions. Lessoned learned. Plane easy to repair, your well being priceless. keep posting videos of your progress.

@sgtjonzo

3 күн бұрын

ironic isn't it lol

Thank you very much for your testimony which can help us all to consider that we must always be focused on our checklists and start again at the beginning if we are distracted during it. So many accidents due to empty tanks! It's sad for your plane, good luck with the repair!

Well done with the landing and for sharing your experience so others can learn. I often wonder if similar situations occur when pilots are taxiing out, working through a checklist and getting interruptions making and receiving radio calls.

Oh dear. So sorry about this Larry. Very glad you are ok. And glad you can see your way clear to get the plane repaired. Your spirit is undefeated and that is fantastic. You'll be back in the air soon. Thanks for sharing. Of course we all know the lesson to be learned, but to have someone we know (or at least know about) have such an experience makes it stick in our brains a lot more. I certainly will benefit from your misfortune as I will be thinking of that shot of your sickening stop in that field every time I run my checklist. So again, thanks for manning up and letting us benefit from your pain.

@joseluisvalencia22

4 күн бұрын

Idb d w=

Your honesty is commendable and refreshing. You flew that airplane all the way to a successful off field landing and we've all learned something. Glad you are safe and able to fly another day. Thank you and you have a new subscriber.

So thankful you are safe!!! Good luck with the rebuild!!! I hope you post the entire process...very interesting.

I rarely comment on KZread videos, but this sir, is an incredibly valuable lesson for all pilots and even day to day life. Incidents/accidents are a sequence of events that, at the time get lost, but if the line up in a perfect storm, they can lead to things like this. I’m extremely glad you’re okay and taking this as a learning experience, and sharing it with the community by being honest with only facts. Cheers to you.

“I fucked up and here’s how” Honesty is the best policy

I’m glad to see & hear in your voice that you are ok. I appreciate you sharing. I’m in the learning process & learned something from you today.

I was just thinking this morning that I hadn't seen any of your videos for a while, now I know why :( Glad to see you could walk away and have something to rebuild, lessons for all of us even that they would never happen to us, of course!!!! Thanks for your honesty, and good luck with the rebuild

Glad you're OK, Larry! Rebuild and keep flying.

Thank you for sharing this and helping make GA flying safer. This confirms to me that it's a good idea to restart the checklist if being distracted etc., I'll need to try and remember that.

Four point harness for the win!!! After seeing your video I believe I'll be installing a set. Thanks for sharing, great message we can all learn from. You'll have it all fixed up in no time. If you need a ride to the Zenith Homecoming my right seat is open! Take care buddy!

That’s a tough lesson, but I’m thankful we all can learn from you. Thanks for being so clear. Phones are wonderful most of the time.

I did something similar ONCE in that I taxied out on a low fuel level tank to use up the fuel while on the ground, with the plan to change to a full tank before takeoff. Except I forgot! Got about 300 ft off the ground and the engine started to sputter. Knowing exactly what it was, fast on tank swap, boost pump on, maintain airspeed and the engine cleared up and all was good. Talk about a huge wake up call!!

@papadopp3870

8 күн бұрын

Luckily, you didn’t have one of those old complicated fuel selection. At 300 feet, that could be catastrophic. Glad you made it in style!

@5.43v

4 күн бұрын

Do the impossible turn

Hi, first time visiting your channel. Glad you made it out alive, knew what you did wrong and reflected. I know its hard to present to a wider audience when you made a big screw up but hopefully others can learn from your mistakes.

What a great human factors lesson! Thankyou so very much for sharing a difficult experience so we can all learn. You are indeed a gentleman.

"A very important but expensive lesson". So true, and one you won't forget. Could have easily been a mistake for which you paid your life. Glad you are OK and thanks for passing your experience on.

I'm saddened to see these videos but I appreciate the sharing so that we can all learn. Thank you and speedy a rebuild.

Thanks for posting and glad you're ok. John Denver ran out of fuel but didn't fare as well. Nice piloting on your part. The beauty of a motorglider is you have more time to react and also can land e.g., in a field much more slowly (much less energy to dissipate). Good luck on repairs.

Great retrospective! Your video will now be a mental item on my checklist every time I do pre-takeoff check for green. Thanks!

That sucks! Glad you're OK!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your analysis, it's incredibly useful for all other pilots to learn from! Based on this example and many others, I am seriously considering adding as the first item on my checklist "I will only accept any following item on this checklist by explicit and positive confirmation", just so as to prime myself for consciously going through each item. Not an absolute guarantee, but I imagine it can only have a positive net effect because it favours being aware that getting distracted is possible when going through the checklist. I hope you will get your plane up and running soon with minimal costs.

Well done for flying the aircraft all of the way into the crash and being man enough to share your mistake, learn and move on. As a retired military and airline pilot, this is the attitude that sorts the Pro's from the Wannabe's. Don't do it again!! 😅 - Just maybe consider a kneepad or clipboard stowage arrangement that reduces loose items in the cockpit - in case. Glad you're okay!

Sorry to see the damage, but you are OK and learned something that we all are learning from. Thanks for sharing. I am sure this was a tough one to share.

Thanks for sharing. We can all learn from this. And glad that you're safe.

WELL DONE CAPT! Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable and honest about things that happen daily.

hang in there brother, we all have days like this. it will make you stronger

Great job committing to your crash and not getting distracted and losing control of the plane. Having said that….why would ever leave a tank completely empty in an airplane? That makes no sense. Obvious checklist discipline was the final hole in the cheese….but you reduced your redundancy and increased your risk in one small decision to leave zero fuel in a tank. Again great job on the landing tho…..many lesser pilots have died over smaller issues than yours. Thank goodness you had ample flat clear terrain in every direction.

Wow, glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing. It’s a valuable lesson that can help everyone.

Welcome to the club. Thanks for the honest debrief. Good luck with the rebuild.

Much wisdom comes from making mistakes. Education is expensive. When we share our mistakes, we share our wisdom. Many thanks for the video.

Thank God you’re ok brother. I friend posted that someone crash their plane at Co19 today. Crazy to this.

Thank you for showing this and explaining everything

Balls of steel to make this video. Respect!

Thankful you are ok ...and also thankful for posting definitely a learning lesson people such as myself have overlooked sometimes. Hopefully you're back in the skyies soon

Maybe, just maybe not the best timing to be pitching avionics for a sponsor company. Accidents of course happen but the sales pitch just seemed odd. Sorry this happened to you…..full tanks as often as you can I think is good advice.

I admire the honesty. Write “Confirm” as last item on checklist as a completion signal to the brain. Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. Thank the one who watched over you.

It takes courage to admit a mistake like that, hats off to you sir

You did extremely well during the emergency to handle that plane and try to get that engine started. You kept your nerve and did not aggressively manoeuvre. It would have been super w as y to get destructed trying to start the engine than stall spin to your death. A learning experience but you’re with us today so thank God!

I used to take a lot of friends to fly in my Ultralight, down under Brazil, but at the same day I got a field land like yours, that was the same day day I lost all those friends... none of them even tried to help me took the wings off and load it onto the truck.... Bless you cause you are Ok and didnt got hurt... you will be flying very soon... Best wish to you Cmte...

Real bummer man, you have a beautiful, great sounding plane. Hope you get it back in the air soon!

Very sorry that happened to you. Very glad you’re not hurt.

Listen to Juan Brown, "turn the phone off when you get out of the car at the airport". Concentrate on flying. Glad your safe and survived the crash landing.

@zenvairpilot

8 күн бұрын

in this case the phone was my legal charts. I have it bluetooth connected and get traffic alerts from the ADS-B signal.

Glad you are Ok and thank you for sharing.

Amazing honesty here! I'll follow you to see your plane get up in the air again.

Glad you are okay. Sorry to hear about the plane.

In multi-crew jets, we don’t hesitate to restart a checklist if the slightest distraction occurs or uncertainty exists. Arguably just as critical, if not more so, in single-pilot aircraft without the backup of another pilot. Glad you’re ok.

This is a good 'heads up' warning for builders/owners- there's got to be a low fuel warning indicator that can be installed to warn distracted pilots. Glad you are OK.

@ulbuilder

8 күн бұрын

I have two wing tanks. I put some micro switches on my fuel selector valve. If the valve is in the off position, the fuel gauge reads empty and lights a warning light. When a tank is selected, the fuel gauge reads the level of the selected tank. If the level is too low, a warning light turns on. If a broken/lose wire prevents the computer from seeing the signal from the fuel level sender, warning light turns on.

No humans are perfect. Glad you made it down safe! The important thing you are still alive, and you can fly again! Sir, your honesty is astounding, not a lot of people are willing to admit their own faults. Amazing job, sir. God Bless. 🙏🏾

Glad you are OK. That's the important thing. I do think with accidents it's important to review every thing because most accidents are the swiss cheese model - they are a result of more that one error. I would suggest here that the first error was taking off with a tank with no fuel in it - and secondly if there was knowledge that there was no fuel in it and that was planned - that the pilot should have put a piece of duct tape over the tank switch. I have made that mistake, but fortunately not that low to the ground. Again, glad all is reasonably well.

Thank you for sharing. Many people wouldn’t. Our community is better for it. Thank you for educating us!

In 2007 I put one in a field. It was a 601HD. I blew an oil cooler hose that I should have changed out so I know the feeling. Thanks for the video. Best wishes to you!

I’m no expert but I believe it’s this kind of attitude that will enable you to tell us this story. Thank you for sharing! 👍🙏👏

Your not human if we don’t make mistakes. Learning from other’s only make us better. Glad your okay and able to rebuild your pride and joy.

Man that is the one thing we pilots all have in our minds every time we fly and pray never happens. Glad you’re ok. Planes can be fixed. BTW I hope you plan to do a shock test on the engine. If the prop impacted the ground you’ll make to make really sure that there was no shock damage to the rods in the engine.

Thank you for your honesty! Hopefully it will make folks think!

The lesson here I feel like is less to check your checklists, but to check fuel before takeoff. If unsure if you will have enough fuel, fill it up. Checklists are without a doubt important, but the preflight would have caught this earlier. I am impressed and thankful for your honesty, but fuel level should be adressed before you turn the engine, not in the run up. Even if one tank had enough fuel, before the engine turns, you need to ensure that you are in the correct tank for a short flight. I am thrilled you are okay, and I'm glad this was simply an expensive learning moment, as your life is worth more than any amount of money. However, the amount of comments I've seen talking about checklists is concerning. Do not take off without checking fuel and ensuring the correct tank is selected. Please do not be distracted in the cockpit, but also start your "emergency" or "flying" mindset before you rotate. Good luck with aviation to anyone reading this, and please, check your fuel before your taxi. Tailwinds.

I'm always criticized for this and Juan Brown removed my comment about a pilot who didn't consider the airfield he was flying into when his engine quit. But imagine if what happened to you happened after you'd taken off from an airfield that was completely surrounded by homes and businesses. The outcome could have been very different if you'd tried to mix it up with traffic on a busy highway. Not enough pilots consider the outcome of an engine failure and how little time you have to decision make and react in an SEP in a crowded city. Glad you're ok man and only bent the aircraft slightly.

Easy mistakes to make - BUT........I learned that if I were distracted as you described, either TOTALLY ignore any distraction or if not possible, then start again working through the checklist to make damn sure!

Glad to see you are ok ..a plane can be replaced my friend but you can not and your family would never be able to replace you

you owned up to this...a given...that you keep it positive and bounce back makes you a winner in my eyes.

Very glad this worked out well, all things considering what could have happened. Thank you for sharing a difficult story.

A friend flies a Subaru HD and he’s put in a field once with engine out. Love the Zodiac-it’s like flying a Jetsons car. Stalled (so to speak) on my 650 build. Building isn’t that hard but self-motivating definitely is! Glad you’re okay, and thanks for the valuable lesson.

Thanks for sharing the story and your humility. I notice you forgot your mandatory parachute and selfie stick though ;)

@johnpooky84

5 күн бұрын

😂

You did it wright, maintained your airspeed flew to the crash sight , well done.

I phoned a friend who answered and said I'm just about to line up and roll ,,, I said why the hell are you even answering your phone ! You're a lucky man that the paddock of wheat or barley didn't catch fire.

Any accident you walk away from is a learning experience and you will be a better pilot from now on. Expensive educations should always provide high quality learning.

respect for your honesty, all the best to you

Turn the dam phone OFF in the cockpit

@zenvairpilot

9 күн бұрын

yep

@tombradley200

8 күн бұрын

Turn the damn phone OFF in and OUT of the cockpit...

@coosbaykodyvlogs

6 күн бұрын

Yea you all are so perfect. Don't worry bud things happen. We are human glad your ok buddy :)

Glad you're safe, well done on the landing! You will build to fly another day! God bless you.

Oh wow. Glad you're ok.

Thank you for the honest report.

That sucks...... We have all made mistakes, I have been fortunate that they did not result in an accident. Glad that you are okay

Pressure switch on the fuel line pulling power from the fuel pump an powering a light an buzzer. So if fuel pressure is lost while the fuel pump has power, it alarms. It would also self test every time you turn it on, as the fuel pump builds pressure.

I am very happy you were not injured and that for the most part the plane is repairable. I respect your willingness to be open about what happened and it is good to see you understand what happened and how it happened. Just a personal note from another pilot, after John Denver killed himself as a result of fuel tank mismanagement I made it a mandatory requirement for myself that I never leave the ground with anything but full fuel in all my tanks. Fuel is more important than baggage or an extra passenger since your engine won't run on either of those!! I never want my last thought on earth to be "damn, if I just had a little bit more fuel......". Good luck with the rebuild and I strongly recommend you get a second and even a third set of eyes to inspect the entire plane for damage if you haven't already done so. Impact load transfer through a rigid structure from loads for which the structure is not intentionally designed can be surprisingly significant and concealed.

You're not the only pilot to do this same thing! A friend of mine was doing his pre-flight and the phone rang, Sadly he left the left engine nose plug in place. When he started it up he ingested the plug! Very costly on a Garret turbo prop! So glad you're OK!

Any Landing that you can walk away from is a good one, But the damage looks Expensive. Keep on moving.

Setbacks are tough. You're obviously making a sincere effort to keep perspective, maintain a positive attitude & put a brave face on the situation, but... I know setbacks are tough. You'll certainly be putting your skills to good use, which is all any of us can ever really hope for, so there's that. Keep the spirit. P.S. I'm working on a CH-601S that was unfinished by the original owner.

Started flying long before cell phones. When I fly it’s turned off and in my flight bag. Glad you are ok and have learned another tidbit for your tool box. Keep flying and keep thinking.

Glad you were able to walk away with no injuries and that the plane is rebuild-able. Thank you for clearly indicating what went wrong and taking responsibility for it. I'm sure it will make everyone who watches this check to make certain they have something to the affect of "set gas tank to fullest and / or appropriate tank" in their pre-take off checklist.

It might be expensive to repair, but I think you got away extremely cheap, didn't even cost a drop of blood.

Hey, you walked away and that is all that counts! Good on you for not getting slow, in a turn and into a possible stall/spin scenario. Question from the outfield, during the final phase of the landing, (and temporal distortion can come to play), did you see the road to your left? Or did you automatically center on landing in the wheat field? To bad the field had a crop, then most likely it would've been an uneventful landing. Thanks, and nice job.

@KuostA

9 күн бұрын

he said he didn't see it.

Amazing how they removed the plane- this guy is to be commended for his analysis