DOH! Kitfox on the beach

[Monocock]

Whoever it was and whatever the rules are over there in the US, I take my hat off to the guy.

One life. Live it.

[akflyer]

all you have to do is have your contingency speach ready... engine was running rough, I landed on the beach, checked the fuel sumps and drained off some water. Engine is now running fine and I am ready to depart. Have used that excuse more than once to get into a lake or area that was frowned upon being in.

About the only reason you can declare an emergency (or deem it an emergency in your own mind) is water in the fuel if you want to be able totakeoff again without having the plane looked at my a mechanic and signed off. If you say it was water and is now running fine, you can take off right away without further inspection. Atleast, that is the way it works up here

[Slyfox]

you need to read the article on this on the first post. It said the cop watched them land and do nothing to the plane than went on a walk down the beach with his mom. In this case you come back with a, " I landed here because the engine was running poorly, I landed and made a phone call and am now waiting for someone to come and help me out". THe most noted thing I read that has my blood boiling is they were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment amonst other things, just plain BS. Of course We all don't know the whole story, so trying to stay neutral is hard.

[akflyer]

ok maybe I should have spelled it out a little better for those who have a hard time thinking out of the box... you see a spot you want to land but are not sure if you should.. use the ole stand by line I said. quick fuel drain, take a walk to get the shakes to stop cause your nervous about what just happened, then fire it up and make sure it "runs right" then ya leave.. Just an option to those who find themselves in an akward situation. it also works well when setting down on roads when you are really waiting out weather if you are asked why are there..

[Slyfox]

I totally agree. Looking past this situation. I for one just don't like the idea of landing anywhere outside a runway. Why, this that happened, is it dangerous to land outside a runway, I don't think so. But there sure are a bunch of yahoos that think they are something special and ruin your day week or the rest of your life if given a chance. I have scoped out a few landing spots that look cool, may just do it. will I post the pics, probably not, don't want some faa dude seeing it and ending a good day. Same with vids, I don't post those either. Would be cool, but I love to fly and don't want to loose it.

[Papa Beach]

Fuel drain on the beach? Environmental laws will get you there too!

[akflyer]

Nope, you can check fuel with your tester, then dump it back in the tanks...

There is a way around just about everything out there!

[Lion8]

I can agree with the authorities to some degree. The pilot should be fined for stupidity. Had he said that he thought he hit a bird and wanted to make a safe landing to check to see that everything was ok, I'm sure it would have been a 'non-event'. I used to fly with a couple knuckleheads that would touch their wheels on the beach in the summer time between people in the water and people on the beach. I got away from those idiots quick. They started out landing on the desolated beach as well, then worked up to this final stunt.
Not long ago, a pilot flew his disabled plane onto a beach and killed a person walking on this beach. The guy could have landed his airplane in the breakers as this was in March and no one would have been swimming then. The results would have been the same for the aircraft but no one would have been killed.

[Geowitz]

Just to clarify. The fella who landed on the beach causing the death was actually on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, which is only a few miles away from Tybee Island Georgia(where this incident occured) by water so landing on the beach is kind of a touchy subject around here. What happened there was his prop broke off and spewed hydraulic oil from the constant speed mechanism all over the windshield. He was trying to land at the waters edge, but couldn't see directly in front of him. The guy jogging had an ipod playing in his ears and literally NEVER knew what was coming.

[Dorsal]

Which brings me to q question I have often wondered about which is does anyone put horns (or similar noise maker) in their planes? A recurring nightmare for me is that I have an engine out, a nice place to land like a golf course and because my engine is out there is no way to warn folks I am coming down. I believe there was a fellow Kitfoxer that was lined up on a road dead-stick and could not warn some cyclists that he needed the road. In this instance his attempt to avoid them cost him his life. It seems like it might be a simple safety feature to be able to through a switch and have one of those stupid car alarms going off while you are making an off-airport landing. Not sure if this would have helped the jogger with the Ipod but it might have.