7ECA Citabria Dead Stick landing Gillespie Field San Diego 9 Sept 2023

[@stevem6313]

Thank you Juan and everyone who posted these kind comments. The airplane is a total loss, my ego is a bit bruised but at least no-one died. I've been contemplating "hanging up my wings" since the accident but with support like this "I'll be back!" Steve Mitchell

[@TheAverageDutchman]

Sad to hear the plane is a loss, but very glad everyone walked away with no more than some extra experience in the bag. Definitely good piloting.

[@TMouse-hd5jb]

Glad you and your student are ok. Very well done as Juan has stated. . . . . . . . This is literally a situation that you can say if you take Juan up on his free t-shirt offer; "Been there, done that, and got the free t-shirt!".

[@Colaeroimages]

Hi Steve! As a fellow pilot, I'm with you on the ego thing about seeing your aircraft totaled. But! Considering all circumstances, you needed first and foremost, walk out of that one alive. You not only did that, but also did it (apparently) unscathed, both of you! This is what ultimately is all about, getting there safely and in one piece at all costs, even if that results in destroying the aircraft altogether. Great job!!

[@donmoore7785]

Sorry to hear about the plane, but a plane can be replaced unlike limbs or a life. Great work getting to where you did, because it looks like there was only one choice. Clearing the freeway perpendicularly must have felt like you hit the lottery. The alternatives to what actually occurred - well, they didn't happen due to good airmanship.

[@erichusmann5145]

It's a good landing, mate. You walked away, from the plane. Don't walk away from flying now, you've got a few more lessons to impart.

[@alyssaskier2656]

That runway they landed on was pretty short - but *really* wide!

[@MeppyMan]

Cheers for the chuckle.

[@mpgofast]

We have runways like that also, 100 ft long and 2 miles wide

[@Cupo666]

Lmaoooo

[@munzeez21]

I've met the pilot, he flew in the military until retirement, and came to our club asking for work as an instructor. Seemed like a nice guy. I was surprised when I saw him on the news. I'm glad he made it.

[@tomk8663]

Anybody that hits a fence like that and manages to keep it upright certainly deserves a KABLAMMO! t-shirt, and then some.

[@secretplanet6393]

Great job guys! My family and I were involved in a similar situation in 1981 when I was 13. A family friend who was a commercial pilot took my parents, sister (who was 3) and I up in a 4 seater single prop similar to this for a daytrip. We were at cruising altitude when he said the oil pressure was getting low and he banked left for 180° turn then gunned the engine. Soon after the engine quit and there we were gliding along with no noise but the wind. I thought we'd land in a field, but it turned out there was a tiny airport nearby and he dead sticked it in for a perfect landing. No Kablammo! What a relief! We got out and there was oil all over the side of the plane. No one was hurt but his airplane.

[@bradsanders407]

When my grandfather was a student pilot back in the late 40s, he and his instructor had an engine failure and had to land in a cotton field. Being a religious man, he said his first thought upon seeing nothing but white fluff all around was that he had died and was now in heaven.

[@Graham_Wideman]

@@bradsanders407 For being a harrowing tale... that ending is funny!

[@cliffcannon]

That's too bad ... I used to practice deadstick landings there at Gillespie - in a 7ECA too. We always made it back to the runway (from a left-hand pattern), but those guys were flying the right-hand pattern that extends around Rattlesnake Mountain to the east of the airport ... that gave them a much longer final leg. Super good job maintaining control all the way to a stop; the plane can be fixed, and the people are safe!

[@Victordamus98]

Agreed. That's a tricky landing. 27L is challenging too because of the billboard and the mountain. I did my check ride performance landing at KSEE. I had to go around twice lol. My DPE didn't seem pleased.

[@skyepilotte11]

Great controlled landing...Great job of pilotage... Thx Juan for covering this incident.

[@stay_at_home_astronaut]

Plan "B" , for "Barrier".

[@KutWrite]

I thought of a carrier's barrier, too!

[@kevin_6217]

Me three!@@KutWrite

[@james3drc]

They met Barry. Barry R.

[@Landrew1208]

That's almost a Star Trek V quote.

[@BruceConsidine]

It sounds like the fence that they went through was key to slowing him down enough to survive

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

Wow! Hitting that tight spot between the freeway and the airport is amazing.

[@brentwilliams3855]

Looks like that "fence" is actually a rolling gate, which was serendipitous for the aircraft...it's not firmly attached like the rest of the fence is. The really interesting thing to know would be if the lady in the car "saw" the crash landing, meaning she wasn't paying attention to the roadway, so she didn't see the fence. I'm sure she was looking at the aircraft no matter what. Keep up the good work.

[@scootypuffjr.]

I think you are giving her too much credit

[@machintelligence]

Definitely a gate. A chain link fence will stop a speeding car and did stop the plane (on the opposite side of the road.)

[@codnewbgamer]

They’re 30’ posts it’s not a gate

[@brentwilliams3855]

@@codnewbgamer look closely, you can see the frame laying out in the road with the travel dollies on it… As well as the roller dollies on the post, where the gate got ripped out of it. A roller gate like that isn’t firmly attached to the fencing, which is why the plane so easily took it out.

[@TreeTop1947]

IMO, she was totally oblivious to her surroundings while yapping on her phone. TreeTop

[@jdmillar86]

Nice positive one for after watching the Truckee video. Shows the value of a nice slow aircraft especially for a trainer. They came in with a whole pile less energy than a higher-stalling 'plane would have, with correspondingly less damage.

[@Jolinator]

Nice to meet you at the 4S2 fly in Juan. That Husky is gorgeous.

[@blancolirio]

Thanks for coming!

[@OngoingFreedom]

Serious agreement with Juan Browne and even more importantly mad respect for the instructor and student for this outcome.

[@josh3771]

A valuable experience that student won’t forget, glad they all walked away

[@happyhome41]

GREAT JOB - great story. Thank you ! Fond memories of time inverted in an 8KCAB - and had my initial tail dragger training in a 7ECA. Pretty sure we never did an engine out landing, and my hat is off to that pilot.

[@someguyontheinternet7165]

Catching that first fence was likely beneficial allowing for a more gradual slowing the aircraft rather than slamming the second fence with all the energy. Good piloting skills plus a little luck makes for a successful outcome.

[@RLTango]

_"Missed it by that much!" - Maxwell Smart_ Seriously though, great job to the crew!

[@donmoore7785]

Awesome vintage tv reference. Almost obscure, these days!

[@rumbear1]

Great update! Hat tip to the pilot! He flew it until it stopped! Pattern track shows close traffic touch and go work. It opens up on the long downwind and base around Rattlesnake Mountain. Usually extended for traffic inbound. Bent plane and no injuries... Great job!

[@christopherrobinson7541]

BEWARE SCAMMER - Genuine channel owner names are presented in a grey box with rounded ends. This is a false account > @blancolirio.-- LETS DISCUSS ABOVE, DO NOT RESPOND.

[@williamswenson5315]

The barrier arrested the aircraft? Hmm, did they miss the wire or did they have a problem with the tailhook?😁

[@tcpratt1660]

The aircraft actuated the tailhook for the woman's car... ...a DFC and bar for the pilot, and a job well done!

[@boblynch2802]

In the late 70's I picked up some part time work working are a small make shift airfield that was once a farmers field helping make up tow banners that aircraft would pickup the banners and tow along the beach. They used Citabras to do ths. It was really crazy watching how the picked those banners ! Fun Fact I learned then that Citabra is "arbatic" spelled backswords!

[@timothyward1310]

Well this settles it Juan. You and your son are going to have to host The Blancolirio Annual Kablammo Awards.

[@BruceConsidine]

It sounds like knocking down the first fence was key to slowing them down and keeping it survivable.

[@tursc17]

That larger pattern is the normal pattern, you have to maintain altitude around Rattlesnake when landing 27R. The smaller pattern is a short approach.

[@KutWrite]

I remember when we used the crosswind runway for T&Gs to practice crosswind skills. I don't think that runway's there anymore... except between blades of grass.

[@tursc17]

Runway 17-35? It's still there...not used very often though

[@donmoore7785]

Yes - Rattlesnake Mtn rises a couple hundred feet between those two patterns. A majority of arrivals to 27R fly straight-in approaches.

[@theraptorsnest5891]

With all the GA accidents lately, I will gladly accept one where the aircraft was controlled and no one was injured. Thanks Juan!

[@Sky_Pony_1_mic_sierra]

This dude earned his Blancolirio outro music!!! Nice

[@jonpritchard7439]

Love the net positive stories! ❤

[@joakimlindblom8256]

Great job flying the aircraft and not trying to stretch it too far and risking a stall. Remarkably little visible damage to the Citabria, given that the chain link fence it took out looks pretty sturdy and the Citabria has quite a light aircraft construction.

[@jeffr6280]

First t-shirt that I've seen that I'd rather buy than earn.

[@wpw4508]

Yeah, speeds look good. A 50 kt groundspeed with a (assumed?) 10 kt headwind means airspeed is 60 kts, very close to the 69mph best glide (max gross) I learned in the 7ECA. And you'll stall at only about 45 kts, which in a strong structure like the Citabria should really help your survival. I used to hate extended downwinds at KPAO ("Base at the amphitheatre"), and this accident illustrates why, perfectly. So glad I'm know training for a glider license; flying is so much less stressful when engine failures are impossible!

[@ChuckinKona]

I know that area well, as my Aunt, Uncle and cousins, whom I visited frequently, all lived next to it. This was back in the late 50’s early 60’s. Many happy hours peering over the fence. Eventually their house was subsumed by the airport and is no more.

[@nancychace8619]

Dang! Thanks for a good report. Glad they are ok.

[@billmadison2032]

Somebody buy that man a beer and buy that lady a pair of eyeglasses

[@JayDS509]

Great news...everyone walked away! Kablammo! t-shirts not in stock in the merch store? :(

[@KutWrite]

Maybe they sold out per this video?

[@efoxxok7478]

I did my flight training at that field in the late seventies and flew out of there through the mid 80’s. Just FYI. the normal pattern for 27R is around that big hill just to the NW of the airport. A normal pattern would have you turning on final way to high to make the runway. For this reason we did most of our pattern work to the south.

[@chrisschack9716]

You mean NE of the airport? I remember an accident off a circle to land for runway 27R. Not supposed to do that, they hit the mountain...

[@donmoore7785]

@@chrisschack9716 Correct, Rattlesnake is NE of the airfield, rises a couple hundred feet, and it is in between the two. It explains the two approaches that this aircraft was flying and the comment that a normal approach would be "too high" on turn to final. Most arrivals to 27R use straight-in approaches.

[@efoxxok7478]

@@chrisschack9716 yeah, I meant NE of the field, just a typo

[@thomasbell7033]

I knew the Citabria was stressed for aerobatics (it's in the name). Had no idea it was beefed up for fencing combat.

[@2QOOL808]

There is a mountain they went around to get to left runway. They were using right runway which allows for tight pattern inside mountain

[@techenstein]

@blancolirio That last extended pattern was to go around the mountain that sits in the pattern. I'm guessing they were done for the day and asked for 27L for easy taxi to the cafe. As a student, it was creepy doing all the setup for landing, slowing the airplane down, and turning in while you still can't see the runway. The slow flyers regularly do the short base (looks cool!), but the standard arrival is around the back of the mountain. The whole area is either suburb with overhead power wires everywhere, or hilly terrain, so there aren't many off-airport options. Had they been another 100' short, it would have been the side door of a Honda civic, or shorter than that, maybe the Christmas tree farm, so really they got super lucky and got to use the fence to slow them down.

[@gonetoearth2588]

I’m Buying a shirt Juan!! Your analyses are glorious.

[@ShawnGray1]

great job by the pilot!!! Happy everyone is safe. Experience showed here!

[@KevinDC5]

watching it with my daughter, when I couldnt help but say aloud "JUST DONT STALL IT" followed immediately by Blanco saying the same! Education to stay alive!

[@lawrencefisher5256]

Nice job! I owned a 76 GCAA and I thoroughly enjoyed the plane. A fun airplane to fly.

[@lawrencefisher5256]

@blancolirio.-- fun airplane. I had the Lyco 150 HP. None inverted and a chore to perform any inverted acro. My first TW plane probably did 600 hrs in it before moving to a modified Stolp Starduster an awesome plane. Could not afford a 2-hole Pitts S-2B 😎

[@judd_s5643]

That aircraft is on leaseback to the PlusOne flying club. I suspect this was a training flight and the older gentleman is the instructor/ owner of the plane.

[@timol437]

The "Dead Stick" landing that caught my attention was Friday's King Air 200 landing in the Busse Forest Preserve just west of ORD...and the pilot was only slightly injured.

[@timol437]

@--blancolirio_- ASN Did a nice package on the event September 8.

[@annemarieweiland155]

I used to fly a 75 Citabria! It was so fun. This was in Alaska.

[@MarshallLoveday]

That's Magnolia Ave., and the east boundary of the airport. The start of the runway is only about 100' on the other side of the fence.

[@bernardanderson3758]

Great professional pilot Aircraft control

[@petewilson5094]

Again many Thanks Jaun. A memory for me. I checked out in a 7EAC Citabria in 2017 at Bowman Fiekd,Louis ville ( KLOU) KY. Bird was operated by Louisville Avtn. Sure loved doing Lazy 8s,cross Country flrs lors of grass fields. I got signed off in 5.7hrs.

[@webcucciolo]

What is the Vglide for the Citabria? The instinct is to pull (and slow down often to stall ot loss of control, as Juan pointed out), but sometimes the glide can be extended by pushing slightly.

[@RoboGeeeeeek]

Sometimes a good de-fence is a good offense?

[@williamralph5442]

Always great to have a happy ending. Thanks Juan

[@SteamCrane]

Good start on carrier qual!

[@JonCox-fn3hn]

My first airplane! 1967 7ECA Citabria! What a sweet bird! Got me squared away on aerobatics and just lot's of fun! Unfortunately, the 115 HP was not the most powerful ride, a "Little" doggy on hot days!

[@beijingbond]

Surprising he stretched that out for so long despite carrying the weight of his balls on board!

[@KutWrite]

...and flying so much slower than best glide speed.

[@Blxz]

Best glide speed is 60kt for this plane. Assuming some headwind as they came for landing, they were not far off this airspeed.

[@KutWrite]

@@Blxz: I looked it up and it's 69kt. 20kt makes a big difference in glide angle. 50 must be close to stall, esp. flaps-up. At the higher weight with two aboard, and a hot day, the speed would be even higher.

[@Blxz]

@@KutWrite I'd want to check the source you used because there are a number of anecdotal discussions that mention 69MPH or sometimes 70MPH as glidespeed but that isn't the same as knots. I am happy to be corrected but just double check your source mentioned knots and not mph.

[@Blxz]

Also, to quickly add, we have the groundspeed data but not airspeed data. If there was a 10 knot headwind they were landing into then 60knots IAS would read as 50kts ground speed.

[@Palmit_]

you should do a KABLAMMO underpants range. Bonus point if theres reference or imagery to BROWN(E) on the back side of the garment 🙂

[@yellowdogadventures]

Juan, does the lady who ran over the fence get a shirt too?

[@TheGospelQuartetParadise]

Juan, i was thinking when I sent you that article last night that I pass Gillespie field all the time going from Escondido to El Cajon. I take the 52 East and then the 67 south to the 8.. Several times I have seen planes come over the freeway a lot lower than I consider safe, but they all made it to the runway. I wonder why some of the airports like Gillespie don't have fencing that is designed to break away if impacted by an aircraft. Or maybe have the fence made out of pvc to absorb most of the shock. You were right about all the housing and retail developments. I remember that this was the airport a medical flight crashed during a circle approach. Thanks for the breakdown.

[@REDMAN298]

I`ll never forget my dead stick landing and feeling the shake when the prop stopped, that`s all she wrote.

[@REDMAN298]

you got a problem?@--blancolirio_-

[@riconui5227]

Thanks Juan. Always good to hear a scary story with a good (but not great) outcome. When the chips are down, go with your training.

[@danabee3775]

I love that "kablammo" expression ... :-) Ordering my stickers from your online store :-)

[@larryblanks6765]

I used to fly out of KSEE (GILLESPIE).

[@howardnielsen6220]

Juan Grew up and lived in east county of San Diego Gillespie field not a bad place for breakfast our car club The King Pins meet for breakfast at the Gillespie Field Café I always enjoy your non-judgmental reports thank you

[@CrazyPetez]

Great video of a good landing. How many of you folks know how the Citabria?

[@richb313]

I agree he deserves the T Shirt.

[@paulbervid1610]

Great analysis

[@steveray7770]

Love it when situation like this has happy ending. It's much easier to teach and learn when you live to tell !!

[@ExcuseTheSaltImLearning]

Glad everything worked out and nobody got seriously injured!

[@davidmerwin7763]

Thanks Juan. As always, a great analysis!

[@TimKirkmt]

currently doing my tailwheel endorsement on the citabria. Great little aircraft, they managed that approach and glide really well, and thankfully all ended well, and looks like the Citabria lives to fly another day, thanks for sharing

[@sailingyemaya9781]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good one

[@j.r.777]

My home town. I used to live in a house overlooking the runway.

[@neuropilot7310]

The chainlink fence looked more like an arresting barricade. 100ft landing role seems almost like he used a barricade too!

[@danielreuter2565]

I didn't know you had those Kablammo shirts! Gotta put them right up front in the products listed on KZbin! EDIT: they're not on the store!

[@64y59]

If you search for “Kablammo”, it will show all products with graphic available. 1st view shows front of shirts. 2nd picture shows back side. Sorry for confusion.

[@Studio23Media]

Incredible job by these two! 👏🏻

[@williamsaldanah3554]

Love Juan laughing through this video, unfortunately it’s a serious situation most of the time. This is definitely refreshing to see.🤠👍🏻

[@jamiesuejeffery]

I'm not a pilot, but I have spent a lot of time on boats. There is a saying similar to both. I'll use the airplane one: Any landing you walk away from is a good landing. Good job. You live to fly another day.

[@HyenaEmpyema]

Still a moving violation for crossing the double yellow.

[@helicopterdriver]

Nah, he was just crossing the road, not actually using it. :D

[@jpaulkepler4638]

Looks like that'll buff out. If you can still use the airplane, it's a good landing. It will be interesting to hear the lesson learned by the student.

[@michelebouvet8074]

I love the idea of giving them a free kablamo tee shirt. Very clever.

[@popsfereal]

Better a bit of fence(s) in the nose than a wing drop onto their heads.

[@isaiahedmonds9002]

Good Job Steve!

[@davidduganne5939]

Was the prop windmilling? We practice minimum sink (you stay up longer but don't travel far) and "best glide" (most distance). No such thing as "stretching your glide". You fly at best glide speed; anything slower, you come up short.

[@Jetjockgordo]

If the engine quit a few seconds earlier then they would have been landing on Pepper Drive where the Lear 35 crashed over a year ago. That right hand pattern around Rattlesnake is tough because you don't see the runway at pattern altitude (1500 feet AGL for the right traffic) until you are turning final. They probably wished they were still doing the short approaches they were doing earlier. Rattlesnake makes things interesting in right traffic.

[@Britcarjunkie]

Nice arrested landing! I have a friend that is/was an instructor (this happened in the '80's), and one of her students did a similar thing in a 152, except that they were taking off: the tie-down ring on the tail caught the fence, and it stopped that plane cold!

[@sewing1243]

I'm thinking they were hoping to make the grass on the other side of the fence, but they just ran out of airspeed and had to take what ever ground was available.

[@mroptimistic8957]

A carrier landing,aircraft and car. Impressive.

[@happykillmore349]

Snagged that fence like an arrestor cable on a carrier.

[@KutWrite]

More like a skipped hook into a barrier.

[@craig7350]

The woman that hit the fence with her car should get a T-shirt too.

[@christopherrobinson7541]

And an appointment for Spec-Savers.

[@TheAngryFishh]

Will you cover the Beech King plane crash in Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village, IL? Happened over this past weekend.

[@blancolirio]

On it.

[@aviatortrevor]

That large pattern is because of the big ass hill in the way

[@christopherrobinson7541]

Without the hill they would have been able to cut the corner from base to final and make the airfield. There did not appear to be many options along the route of the extended centerline, to make a safe field landing.

[@joefin5900]

Great joob, Steve.

[@bcgrittner8076]

When ACES Flight Simulation was open at the Mall of America I “flew” a simulated Bell Jet Ranger 206 out of Gillespie multiple times. I managed to steer clear of Rattlesnake Mountain. That was much easier in a helicopter. ACES is closed now. I flew fixed wing in real world. Flying a helicopter simulator is much cheaper than the real deal. Glad the Citabria crew walked away. I know the roads around Gillespie.

[@mxcollin95]

Great job gentleman! 👍

[@mountainflyhigh]

Just what is dead-stick Ramming speed?

[@phillee2814]

Any attempt to stretch the glide is guaranteed to increase headwind - my instructor.

[@canoelicker]

So great to see a happy ending, Juan.

[@tbm3fan913]

Gillespie was out in the boonies... in 1968 as was NAS Miramar. None of that was there and 52 stopped at Genesee Ave. A dead end to nowhere and great to race on. Well done to the pilot.

[@motorTranz]

Thank God they walked away! Thanks Juan!

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

Some worrying recent news "London-based AOG Technics forged "numerous" Authorised Release Certificates for components of the CFM56 high bypass turbofan, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The CFM56 powers many Airbus and Boeing aircraft including variants of the narrow body 737, A340, and A320."

[@SimonWallwork]

Excellent outcome!

[@cheddar2648]

I logged a couple of hours out of Montgomery Gibbs with AFAC in the early 2010s. The San Diego airspace around Montgomery and Gillespie is somewhat complicated for us nuggets, and there are not many outs as the area is highly developed. I recall during that time a crank start fatality at Gillespie when someone got struck. Glad the crew and people on ground are okay. Sorry about the lady's car. Drive carefully. Fly safe.

[@seanhorton3811]

Spent lots of time at Gillespie as a kid. That is where we had 8301H.