Hey, there's a Beaver in that swamp!

[Blakey]

[northwings]

Thanks for the pics Blakey. I was wondering what it looked like. Great job by the pilot, thankfully no one on board was hurt.

[burhead1]

Good to hear everyone ok, but the plane looks a little twisted!

[The Old Fogducker]

On a humourous note ...

"Why didn't he step taxi down the creek?"

Foggy

PS ... in all seriousness, well done fella. Looks like you kept everyone safe at the last second.

[ameerdink]

Looks like Konopelky Air Service?

[snoopy]

So what happened??!!!
Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I believe the engine became "thrust challenged" at an inopportune time. Good job by the pilot.

[Spinner]

The amphibious float-equipped Konopelky Air Service de Havilland DHC-2 Mk. 1 Beaver aircraft (C-GPUQ) was departing on a VFR flight from Cochrane (Lillabelle Lake) water aerodrome (CNN5) to [destination not reported]. NAV CANADA staff at Toronto ACC were advised by J.R.C.C. Trenton staff at 1200Z that the aircraft had crashed in a swamp area just after take-off (due to an engine failure), approximately one (1)NM north of Lillabelle Lake (46º71'56"N 081º13'08"W). J.R.C.C. Trenton staff advised that there were no injuries to the five (5) people on board and that they had all exited the aircraft and were walking to the nearest road to be picked up by the Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.).

User Name: Donaldson, John
Date: 2011/07/05
Further Action Required: YES
O.P.I.: System Safety
Narrative: UPDATE Supplemental information received from T.S.B. Daily Notification [#A11O0106]:
The Konopelky Air Service DHC-2 aircraft (C-GPUQ) was departing from Lake Lillabelle for Stringer Lake. Approximately 3NM north of the departure point, the engine (Pratt & Whitney R-985) started to make unusual clacking sounds which were quickly followed by a complete failure. The pilot completed a forced landing in the most suitable spot which was a swampy area near a small stream. On touchdown, the aircraft's floats stuck several obstacles which were on or just beneath the surface, causing extensive damages to the floats and float struts. The aircraft came to a rest with one wing and part of the empennage in the water. The pilot and all occupants were uninjured.

[freakonature]

PUQ me, that must have been a scary landing. Good job!
Glad all are ok.

[Rowdy]

Props to el piloto! I had one quit on me at the start of the season.. No fun.. but I had plenty of lake around me

IIRC PUQ was one of theriaults machines? Did they aquire it recently? Or are both PUQ's blue and white beavers

[Spinner]

PUQ was registered to John Theriault up until April of 2011. According to the database

[snoopy]

Thank you for the details! Good job on the part of the pilot - everybody walked away... that's awesome. I wondered why the tracks curved into the scrub at the end of the run, but from the report I gather he/she didn't have any choice in the matter. I hope somebody gave that pilot a big hug and bought them a beer.
Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[MUSICMAAN]

Nicely done!

[crazymofo]

Well done! Looks like it was a wild ride.

[beaverpuq]

Nice to hear the positive comments on this. I was the pilot. First season on the machine. Love the plane even more than I did before, for obvious reasons. The account in the other post is relatively true. I'll pass on what I learned. At 300 AGL you have no time. I guess 15 or 20 seconds. That amount of time with all the destactions is a blink. Airspeed and point it down. You won't time have for all the stuff you were taught, but keep flying it and sort out the rest later. Don't worry about crapping your pants, that comes naturally.

Take care. Thank God and Dehaviland.

[cdnpilot77]

Its good to still have you here Beaverpuq, well done!

[Blakey]

Thank you for the details! Good job on the part of the pilot - everybody walked away... that's awesome. I wondered why the tracks curved into the scrub at the end of the run, but from the report I gather he/she didn't have any choice in the matter. I hope somebody gave that pilot a big hug and bought them a beer.
Cheers,
Kirsten B.

Now Kirsten, what would you know about having a 985 come apart and ruin your day?

[snoopy]

Blakey,
Haha... ok, yeah... it can happen....

beaverpuq,

You did an AWESOME job! Congratulations!!!! If no-one gave you a hug, here's a cyber one for ya! (x)

For the record, training is a good thing, but ultimately it's that, combined with mind set that will keep you honest. The mind set is about being continuously being aware of your surroundings and always considering either an out or options to create one. Also, some egress training for you, and a good briefing to your passengers will help too.

My first engine failure was in a C-185, base to final over glassy water. I had time to remark to my passenger: "Oh shit, I guess we're landing" - and time for nothing else but land immediately. It was sheer luck but I had one of my best glassy water landings ever!

Later, I had a few minor engine failures in one day, in a Beech 18, due to maintenance issues. Well, one side quit and the other throttle jammed - a few times. It all worked out - after the first event I just planned for the worst. Funny how they still want you to keep flying it though...

The engine failure to which Blakey refers was completely unexpected. There was no time for troubleshooting, engine drills, or the like. The failure was so catastrophic, and violent, that instinctively I bypassed everything and punched the feather button (Beech 18). The prop didn't feather. I had 25kts of wind up my ass, nowhere to go and no performance with which to get there. My first thought was of the swamp below, and it didn't look like a great place to land. After that, it was all about flying the aircraft and things turned out ok.

From my experience I can tell you that no engine failure is the same, and having one doesn't make you an expert for the next time. Contingency plan all the time, exercise common sense and good airmanship(or airwomanship ) , fly the aircraft, and pray for the horseshoes to always remain firmly embedded in your ass.

Congratulations on keeping it glued together, and never never let your guard down.

Best Regards,
Kirsten B.

[bushman705]

Nice to hear the positive comments on this. I was the pilot. First season on the machine. Love the plane even more than I did before, for obvious reasons. The account in the other post is relatively true. I'll pass on what I learned. At 300 AGL you have no time. I guess 15 or 20 seconds. That amount of time with all the destactions is a blink. Airspeed and point it down. You won't time have for all the stuff you were taught, but keep flying it and sort out the rest later. Don't worry about crapping your pants, that comes naturally.

Take care. Thank God and Dehaviland.

Awesome job beaverpuq; You kept flying the aircraft right to the end. I agree "Thank God and Dehavilland"

Take care
Rob

[grimey]

The engine failure to which Blakey refers was completely unexpected. There was no time for troubleshooting, engine drills, or the like. The failure was so catastrophic, and violent, that instinctively I bypassed everything and punched the feather button (Beech 18). The prop didn't feather. I had 25kts of wind up my ass, nowhere to go and no performance with which to get there. My first thought was of the swamp below, and it didn't look like a great place to land. After that, it was all about flying the aircraft and things turned out ok.

viewtopic.php?p=323492#p323492

And good job beaverpuq.