Real Pilot Story: The Heat of the Moment

FREE DENSITY ALTITUDE POSTER large enough to prominently display at your airport, flying club, flight school, FBO, and backcountry strip (Please request up to 10 printed 18x24" posters): forms.office.com/pages/respon...
OR
DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN 11x17" PDF version that has fillable text fields so it can also be easily modified for use at your airport: www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/AO...
More resources on density altitude:
- NOAA's Density Altitude Calculator: www.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc_de...
- FAA's Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK): www.faa.gov/regulations_polic...
- ASI's article on DA: www.aopa.org/training-and-saf...
- Accident Case Study: High Aspirations: • Accident Case Study: H...
- Density Altitude: the triple H effect: • Density Altitude - The...
- Accident Case Study: Into Thin Air: • Accident Case Study: I...
Certificate for completion link: bit.ly/RPSHeatofMomentCert
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Video made by: ‪@sensensomething‬
#aopa #flywithaopa #aviation #pilot #flying #densityaltitude

[@tripodman322]

It really hurts not hearing McSpadens distinct voice over these videos, Rest In Power ❤

[@Jmg831]

Yes I know 😢 he will be greatly missed

[@Watchdog_McCoy_5.7x28]

Even worse that they are covering up the details of what happened including the video.

[@Jmg831]

@@Watchdog_McCoy_5.7x28 what do you mean? You can research for yourself, I’m sure there’s a preliminary report from the NTSB

[@TiffMcGiff]

​@@Watchdog_McCoy_5.7x28yeah must be aliens 🙄

[@vadimk4896]

Missing McSpadden. Pretty sure it wasn't his fault.

[@banjo2019]

Thank you to these two lovely souls for sharing their story. Sharing these stories saves lives. Thank you to Pilot Zak for being a Good Samaritan. Jon deserves credit for at least one action: he flew the plane into the crash and did not stall it. If you fly a plane into the tops of trees you’re giving yourself a chance that the fuselage impact at that point will slow you down sufficiently to make the ultimate crash survivable. That’s why Jon and his fiancée are alive. I hope they’re both happily married and still flying!

[@FlyingShotsman]

No judgement here, John. We all make mistakes. Some days they're small, but some days... I'm very happy that you and your fiancé lived through it and are on the road to normal again. Thanks very much for sharing your story and helping me fly safer. Like many AOPA members, I've heard the density altitude mantra many times, but it never hurts to hear critical reminders again. Fly safe, my friend.

[@monacosfranz4202]

I think it is very brave of you to share you’re story. Don’t get discouraged by people in the comments saying „this was a dumb takeoff“. We’re humans and we make mistakes. Even if we should have known better. Yes this was a bad one but I’m sure that listening to this story will make some people think twice before they take off in high density altitude situations. Thanks and be well

[@brentdavidson1]

and importantly what actions are they going to take -> know the max takeoff distance that will still yield 300 fpm+ climb rate is biggest one here. He had an abort point, but it was pretty much a guess.

[@cryptoslacker-464]

Agreed , it took a lot of courage to share this for others . That's a great quality in a person to emulate.

[@apackwestbound5946]

Lots of respect and thanks to Jon and AOPA for bringing us all these valuable testimonials. In aviation what I do not know, do not understand or cannot do can in fact HURT me. Ignorance is not bliss. Listening to this story brings to mind the closest I ever came (consciously) to losing an airplane. It was decades ago flying a Cessna 207 off a grass runway on a island. It was a Part 135 (Non scheduled air taxi) flight and two "extra" passengers showed up. Fortunately, in my stupidity and inexperience, I did not hurt anybody that day.

[@joshmc]

I really appreciate that Mackenzie spoke to the need for mental healing after a trauma and the resources available to help. Thank you for highlighting that in this video.

[@kaimeier8528]

Very respectable for them to be interviewed and admit to their mistakes. I’m thinking 450lbs of passengers and I imagine at least 50lbs of camping gear loaded in a 145hp 170 trying to take off on a short grass strip while not being proficient in the aircraft….. not trying to Monday morning quarterback but.

[@chickenringNYC]

Let's just call it for what it is. I actually think this guy should've stayed quiet. This isn't a case of a smart pilot making a mistake. Any sensible pilot will watch this and be like DUHHH!!

[@kaimeier8528]

@@chickenringNYCyeah I mean if I wasn’t sugarcoating I’d say they are very much a stationair sized couple.

[@FlyingCsongor]

This was my thought too. Classic case of not doing a correct W&B calculation given the actual density altitude. They were clearly overweight. I'm grateful for my 72 kg (158 lbs) weight, which gives more room in such a situation...

[@alk672]

What pisses me off in these cases is that they try to pretend in the aftermath like the weight wasn't the problem. DA, short strip, flaps... What's the point of doing these videos if we just tiptoe around the cause of the crash? What are we doing here? The cause of this crash is clear as day - the airplane was grossly overweight, nobody had or tried to acquire a scale - so not even an attempt to weigh anything; so clearly no W&B even attempted. They just thought it was a lot of stuff and they could make it work. What are we talking about?

[@guitargearconnection]

With the weights they would have had, that plane would have struggled on a 32 degree day at sea level.

[@AnonyMous-jf4lc]

Pay attention to these terms. "I didn't think", "I never thought", "It didn't cross my mind", etc..... The performance charts of your aircraft are optimistic. You should be consulting them and if it's close, you are not going to make it. Pay attention to weight and balance. Density altitude on lower powered piston singles is a HUGE deal.

[@6yjjk]

That's the worst of it, he did look at the manual and it said to use 20 degrees of flap. Elsewhere it explained why that might be a bad idea, but I can see how he was led astray. Whether he'd have made it with 10 degrees, of course, we don't know.

[@wf4919]

At 10 degrees he would have hit his abort point on the ground most likely.

[@alk672]

@@6yjjk what's the point of even looking at the manual when he didn't know how much the gear weighed? You can't do W&B without the inputs, so why even bother pretending like you're doing due dilligence.

[@AnonyMous-jf4lc]

@@alk672 this is rampant in GA. No checklists, no W&B, no briefing…. Getting people to sump the tanks is even a chore. And we wonder why the GA accident rate is high.

[@alk672]

@@AnonyMous-jf4lcexactly. It's not about people not knowing what to do, it's about people just not doing it. GA is so impractical for 99% of people that most people quit, and others just get in and go. Results are indeed predictable. Just think about amount of planning and work that it takes to do a single flight, and it's easy to see how after a while all airmanship is out the window.

[@jasonthomas5233]

Hats off to a man who can openly discuss his mistakes. Thank you for the lessons learned. -A Piper pilot working on his tail wheel endorsement.

[@TheAirplaneDriver]

First, I want to offer my thanks and respect to these folks for telling their story….especially John as PIC. I’m so happy you both made it and hopefully you are back up in the air. As a CFI, I would say that every single pilot has had high “pucker factor” takeoffs….situations where it is just by the slimmest of chance that you make it, or don’t. I live at a airport community with one 2500’ paved runway and one 1450’ grass runway, and regularly see people that buck the odds. Thank you for sharing your story, and thanks to the ASI for producing the video. This is a story that all pilots should see and yes….there is no doubt that you will, over time, have helped someone avoid getting caught up in a situation like this.

[@1izzy_marie1]

I like these videos because they have a happy ending. They allow us to meet the pilots and it helps us understand what we might also do to survive if we ever encountered danger ourselves.

[@BlueBaron3339]

No judgement here. Just grateful that this cautionary tale ends with the two of you alive and walking.

[@gawebm]

Many flat land pilots spend very little time thinking about density altitude. I didn't until I took off with mixture full rich from a 2500 elevation airport (that's not HIGH right? wrong...) on a 96 degree day full loaded with my son in the plane. I nearly killed us both. Such a helpless feeling when the plane won't climb and there is a hill (or trees) filling the windscreen. Even after I "learned" this lesson 20 years ago, this past summer I almost repeated this mistake. Fortunately I caught myself on the roll and aborted. DA is a sneaky killer. Thanks for sharing your story. It helps all of us.

[@Stumpchunkman226]

Hey man, nothing but respect for someone who learns from a mistake and has the guts to share in order to help the rest of us. Think of it this way - not only did you and your fiancé survive, but as a result of your situation, you’re helping other people survive by making good choices. Great job.

[@LRobichauxIV]

Much respect to this couple for being willing to tell their story. Blue skies and tailwinds!

[@mmcirrus]

Your a stand up guy for boldly sharing your experience. Thank you.

[@grajprogramming694]

Back a few years ago, I witnessed almost the exact same thing happen at Mansfield Municipal Airport, Mansfield, MA, at an annual fly-in event. It was an unusually hot, humid late September Saturday, and a pilot came in to pick up a couple of friends for a day of golf. With 4 adult men and all their golf gear in the plane (I'm not sure what kind of plane, but it was a small 4-seater), they tried to take off but struggled to get off the ground. You could hear the plane wasn't very happy, and it took him forever to get airborne. He had enough altitude to clear the trees at the end of the runway, but we believe he wasn't confident with his situation. He called in a mayday, and started to turn back. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough airspeed, so when he banked left the plane stalled and nosed straight into the ground. The pilot and the front seat passenger were killed on impact, the back seat passengers survived but were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Very sad. I'm glad Jon and MacKenzie are well and they survived their harrowing ordeal!

[@thedahlins]

As a pilot, I can easily imagine making these same mistakes, that is not accounting for density altitude and remembering just the right take off configuration. Well done, Jon, Mackenzie and Zak for making your account so personal and moving! I'm sure you've made many, many pilots more aware of these dangers, and I for one am going to be much more careful when I encounter similar situations. It was great to see both of you walking normally down the runway! It may take awhile for the PTSD to diminish but you've set a wonderful example for all of us. Simply knowing that is probably the best therapy.

[@NathanBallardSaferFlying]

Love the idea of the big LED sign showing DA. Would love to know where these are made/sold, our home airport could use one.

[@skydoc6578]

You have one in your airplane. Care to use it? … nah!

[@alk672]

I'll tell you what a great idea would be. A large scale for the airplane to taxi over. Then you immediately know if you're going to crash, and if you're fine with it - you go ahead and proceed.

[@JustaPilot1]

I'm really thrilled John is here to tell his story. I great teaching moment. The airport I fly out of is 2400' with 5 degree approaches at both ends. We have a pilot-commanded weather system on the field. With 3 clicks you get conditions, and 3 more clicks right after that report you get an extended report. 4 clicks for a radio check. Our MSL is only 115' but in summer we have 95-100 degree days. With a Cherokee 180 I only take one person with me and fuel to the tabs.

[@1badlizard]

I flew into that strip once in a 182. It was a warm day and with just me, a buddy (each 200lbs) and some camping gear. The trees off the departure end had me puckering a touch as we lifted off. It all worked out fine but even a relatively benign strip like that needs respect. We all make mistakes and have shown poor judgement at some point. I know I have gotten away with some things in the past (in my early flying days) and have learned from them. I am thankful Mackenzie and John survived the accident and are here to share their words.

[@markb7503]

Glad you both survived and had folks there who came to your assistance so quickly. Thanks for sharing your story. Be well.

[@MateuszPerlak]

I am glad they are alive to tell the story.

[@R2Bl3nd]

I was seriously crying my eyes out for half this video; my heart goes out to everyone involved. Jon still seems subdued and quiet and embarrassed, but I think he should be anything but. They were able to get out of the situation. Even when things went bad, he didn't necessarily entirely solve it himself, but surely he played a part in their survival. The fact that he made a lot of mistakes at once isn't anything unusual for any human being. We all make lots of mistakes every day, most of them completely inconsequential, but sometimes multiple just line up. Sometimes they line up with the mistakes of others. There's no avoiding it. It is incredibly admirable to admit one's mistakes and go on record about it in this way. In the end the amount of suffering that happened was finite; but the amount of suffering that this could help avoid is potentially infinite. You can't change the past, but your present actions can change the future.

[@NeonsStyleHD]

Density Altitude. That'll get you every time. Great job surviving it. Given the situation, you guys did great job getting out of a bad situation you'd gotten yourselves into. Like so many other pilots. At least you lived to talk about it and learn from your mistake! Well done!

[@Juliet_Whiskey]

I’ve been seeing a lot of these “on the edge of performance envelope” accidents being highlighted. Makes me think recreational pilots need to start being taught to add a ~20% buffer to all weight calcs, instead of the exact nature that it is currently taught.

[@darthheretic129]

W&B

[@reggiepaulk]

No need for a buffer if you do the calculations correctly, and verify performance during the takeoff roll. That requires planning.

[@Juliet_Whiskey]

@@reggiepaulk I agree doing calcs exactly will always be better than simply not planning - but in engineering things are designed with factors of safety in order to account for things…not taken into account. As our airplanes get older and worn out, I just think a buffer makes sense. We’re not airline pilots trying to maximize our loads for peak profitability, we’re taking our loved ones up - and for me that’s worth sacrificing some envelope.

[@CaptainSultan]

Agree with Juliet_Whisky… Performance charts are for test pilots and not recreational pilots… safety first

[@reggiepaulk]

@@CaptainSultan performance charts are made BY test pilots FOR recreational pilots.

[@robabob1001]

I think as they both admitted, they definitely had a get home attitude because they were excited to tell everyone the news. So it was rushed and not thought/planned out properly. Every pilot knows about this dangerous attitude, yet it happens time and time again. You can't judge someone for it really, you don't know what circumstance would make you make a bad decision until you're in that situation. The LED signs are a good idea, force the pilot to think about something they may have overlooked.

[@turricanedtc3764]

I think a very important aspect of their story is that when we hear about pilots developing a "get-there-itis" mindset, it's usually down to negative influences such as work or financial pressures. Here we have a situation where the reason they wanted to get back was because of one of the happiest pieces of news one can deliver in a human sense. One reason I feel they deserve to be commended for sharing their story is because it provides a concrete example of how nature and physics cannot be overcome even if the desire to do so comes out of the best reasons and intentions.

[@mcpr5971]

He checked the manual, it said "go to flaps 20 if desired" (or something similar). I don't fault him for not going all the way to the DA/weight tables in the POH. In hindsight, he should have. But the fact that he checked the POH and set the flaps shows that he was being careful and knew he would need more lift.

[@cryptoslacker-464]

Great points ❤

[@robabob1001]

@turricanedtc3764 that's so true, I don't know but maybe airport's should have some kind of scheme for space and hotels where you don't have to pay right away or something for example if you prove it would be unsafe you get a discount or for free.

[@robabob1001]

@mrpc5971 makes it all the sadder a lot, most of the pilots I've heard of who die this way or get away with it by emergency landings etc are mostly the most sensible, safe and by the book people 🤷‍♀️ simply a bad day or certain factors and made the wrong decision 😕

[@JoelDubey]

Great video and a really good opportunity for us to learn from someone else's mistakes. Glad we had the Opportunity to learn without loss of life. He seems like a good pilot. No judgement here.

[@gab1961]

Thank you so much for telling your story. You will never know how many lives you have saved by doing so.

[@jrobert189]

Thank you for sharing your story. No flak here - the strongest and most experienced thing you can do is admit your mistakes, learn from them, and help others do the same. We all make mistakes - what comes after and how you use the lesson is what defines who we are.

[@socialbutterfly499]

Real pilot stories are so informing

[@matthewmiles3974]

We are all human and with that, we make mistakes. I have nothing but a deep respect for sharing your story. Thank you.

[@RealRavi]

Glad you are both alive. Lessons learned for all of us watching. Thank you for sharing this event.

[@robertspitaleri9790]

Thank you so much Jon and MacKenzie for sharing. I learned again that density altitude is very important. You guys are beautiful and I honesty. What great character.

[@mizzyride]

Glad you guys made it. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure this will help others that have suffered crash trauma.

[@danielwitherington3689]

So glad you guys survived. Thank you for sharing this it will undoubtedly save someone else’s life!

[@180mph9]

Really enjoyed hearing your heartfelt story, I can assure you that all of us make mistakes. I am so happy you survived the accident and will live to fly again. Congratulations on your engagement 🎉

[@diegus012]

Major respect for sharing this to help others. I’m sure it takes a lot of guts to share something like this.

[@michaelrivera6989]

Thank you Jon for sharing your story! I could see myself doing the same thing. Thanks for the reminder!

[@in2flying]

Kudos, and prayers for both of them for owning it and trying to help others. I don’t fly in the back country but a PLB would be a must if I did.

[@Michael-ig8ne]

Anyone that gives him any sort of flak needs to re-evaluate themselves. I'm glad they survived to tell their story and I'm glad he learned from his mistake. Thank you, Jon, for sharing your experience.

[@richarddepinay2256]

Excellent video as usual. Good job guys and thank you for the courage to share it.

[@GodzillaSpeaks]

Very well done video on a difficult subject, my appreciation and congratulations on the effort. I've been a CFI for 25 years and it makes me question if I have spent enough time on making my students understand density altitude. Not just the calculation of DA but its effect on the airplane. Another valuable lesson is teaching the result of retracting flaps prematurely on climb out. The DA demonstration might be more safely demonstrated in a simulator but the flap retraction exercise could be done in the airplane at a safe altitude. Regardless, thanks for posting this, I hope you get back into the saddle and go flying again!

[@thatjpwing]

Excellent video and thank you to this couple for sharing their story so frankly and honestly. These testimonials help all of us become better pilots. I really liked the discussion at the end about the technology being introduced at the field. This is an excellent response to the situation.

[@nancykaufmann3993]

Wow, what an emotional story. I am so happy this wonderful young couple lived to tell it. BTW, Jon reminds me of Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles. And Zac reminds me of a young Col. McSpadden. Thank God for their courage!

[@greenthing99100]

A courageous and helpful video. Well done for sharing your experience. I hope that you continue flying and live long and happy.

[@ourlifeinwyoming4654]

Getting comfortable loading as much as you want in a 210 is a bad habit. Always check weight and balance; never get used to anything. Follow the book. Complacency leads to more complacancey. Glad they lived to tell the tale for the benefit of all. God bless them.

[@photobusta]

Jon, no judgement here! Thanks for sharing.

[@QuestforaMeaningfulLife]

This channel provides a very valuable service.

[@toddb930]

They are lucky enough to "live and learn". Lets hope Jon takes aviation more seriously on the future.

[@SwiftRIBSAust]

Full respect man - we all make mistakes - trying to help as a result is gods work

[@traumamed9449]

Thank you for having the courage to share your story so that we all can learn from your experience and hopefully become safer pilots ourselves. I'm so happy you and your fiancé ended up okay. Any pilot who gets judgmental or tells you he hasn't ever made an error is a pilot with whom I would never fly. Experience is what you get after you need it. Anyone who is ignorant enough to believe in their own infallibility obviously has none.

[@outsidethecockpit]

I remember my first and hopefully only surprise with density altitude. In 30 minutes, the temperature raised so much that it seemed like density altitude went from 3000 to 6000 feet. Whether that is true or not, I can't confirm besides knowing that it was 6000' density altitude and we were going into slight rising terrain and it just felt like we weren't climbing fast enough but luckily everything turned out okay. I was still so upset at myself for even letting it get that close. I risked not only my life, but more importantly my wife's. I know now to never take density altitude for granted and am overly conservative now when it comes to flying high or hot. You guys are alive and so happy for you. Don't be too hard on yourself, it happens to the best of us but the main thing is not only that we learn, but that we pass that lesson on for others to learn from so I commend you for doing this because you have definitely saved some lives already by having pilots questions there own personal minimums.

[@nian60]

Thank you for sharing your story. It can help someone else.

[@Somewhere.360]

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad everybody is okay. ❤

[@chrisdenham9086]

Fantastic video - so well made. And bravery from the participants too.

[@CaptainSultan]

Thanks for sharing your experience… it has the power to makes us all safer pilots

[@liliaflyingmomMD]

Very helpful story. Flew heavy with 3 passangers in my 182 a lot this summer, and I am pretty sure I would've made the same mistake as you John, facing DA. Your story helps me rethink carefully flying in hot weather fully loaded. Thank you for sharing!

[@williamglaser6577]

Wow! glad you guys survived, hope the rest of your lives run smoother.

[@livnrluvsng]

Thanks a million for this story. There are so many DA accidents that don't end this well. Congratulations on your marriage and happy flying!

[@hillcrestannie]

Thanks for sharing. Extremely happy everyone was ok. I’m a low time pilot with a C170. The 2 things that scare me are density altitude and winds above 15.

[@wespeakforthetrees]

I won't judge you man. You did the best you could. We all do that. I've made mistakes too. I remember to be grateful for everything. I'm alive. Many of my friends are not. We are the lucky ones. I wish you two many happy anniversaries!

[@F1fan007]

I’m so glad you made this video! Tons of pilots have been lost due to density altitude and your story will save lives. It’s an easy piece of the puzzle to overlook. Is your beautiful airplane restorable? So sorry this happened. Very cool that the airport is taking steps to help pilots avoid this and to also make 911 calls available in the future. Very proactive!

[@bhobful]

Admirable humility on all counts.

[@olddogg60]

A great lesson for us all. Thank you.

[@dwightlarson6449]

thank you and much respect to you all for sharing and trying to get the word out about da

[@kevinheard8364]

a very lovely couple.... so fortunate. Great sympathy to McSpaddens as well.

[@MrDlt123]

Sounds like a scary event, but at least you both survived. And think of the memorable story youre able to tell for the rest of your lives. 😊

[@patrickoleary2862]

Thank God they survived - fair play to the rescuers / did a great job!! 🙏

[@calebhill1447]

Thank you for sharing this story, it can be easy to dismiss DA in the real world. I pledge to writing DA on my flights moving forward.

[@AnsonChappell]

Pilot, no one here is going to give you flack for your decisions. We've all been there. Thank you for sharing this story.

[@davidross4036]

Very very useful video. Thanks for stepping up.

[@mcpr5971]

Thank you for sharing your story.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

It's definitely not about judging John. We're all human, and we all make mistakes. It's about learning, and the fact that John was willing to share his story and thought process may have positive effects we'll never know. I'm just glad they were both here to tell their story. From looking at that airplane nosed in, and listening to the description of the crash, I wonder if it was the hay bales that made the difference.

[@stevemadak6255]

Thank you guys for coming on here and talking!

[@maxtanicfilms]

Thank you for sharing, I know it's hard. We had an engine failure in our F35 Bonanza just after T.O. at 900ft AGL. We were able to make a forced landing in a field and walk away but that feeling of imminent death stays with you for life.

[@JCsaves333]

Loved the story and it’s a learning for me as well. But one take away for me is, whenever there’s a realization that “I’m not going to make it” there Must be before that throttle goes forward a total commitment to fly the plane straight and level. Do not turn. Going straight ahead at as slow and controlled as possible has a much better outcome. Unless of course it’s a solid rock wall. But if trees or rising terrain I’d bet on a better outcome then a slow at stall turn.

[@GentleResponseLLC]

Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad to hear it from you directly instead of hearing about it from Blancolirio or Day Gryder!!

[@mrpotter315]

This is an excellent video and thank you to these brave people for sharing their story. We are all but weak and frail and if ALL of us could be a little better at owning our mistakes and learning from them, the world would not be such a F***ed up place!

[@aviatorel32]

Thanks God you guys survived, a sobering reminder to all of us how dangerous DA is. Thank you for willing to share this story.

[@MartinScheuerJr]

That was a really pretty plane, love the color scheme. Glad they were ok!

[@user-de2zo1bw4d]

Always grateful to Pilots who share their mistakes, they save lives!

[@gtr1952]

A big thanks to everyone involved in getting this video here and seen. If it had to happen, I'm so happy it ended this way! And if you saved just 1 other life, it was very well worth it!! May you have a long happy life together. Peace... --gary

[@gomxracing]

as a private pilot with relatively low hours (even though i have had my certificate a while) living in the southwest , i always respect DA. the northern part of the state has some higher elevations at a lot of places and it can get very hot. i have seen some crazy DA in the summertime . i just learned a few things from the beginning i guess. i fly a Cherokee 180 by myself usually, and at times it does not climb like you would think. saving grace around where i am at , we have long strips. i have done stuff flying that i probably should not have, just try to learn from those mistakes and move on. this video is a reminder to all pilots. i am very glad that everyone lived to tell, that doesn't always happen.

[@JMX246]

great knowledge. thanks for sharing

[@jimmydulin928]

Thanks for the story Jon. With enough exposure we all find ourselves in a bad place from time to time. The normal school program covers the soft field and short field takeoff, but Airmen Certification Standards teach techniques that are energy inefficient. You covered density altitude and load well, and both were problems. Unless lean to max RPM, the basic level in low ground effect takeoff (like soft field), pitch up only enough to just clear the obstruction, and consideration of down drainage egress are taught, a lot of kinetic energy is lost. Tail should be brought up quickly for acceleration (or nosewheel just off). Mains should be brought off much slower than Vso when the wing will carry the load in low ground effect for acceleration. Dynamic proactive elevator should be used (little jabs to find and fix level in low ground effect) to get level and stay level in low ground effect for acceleration. We should stay level in low ground effect as long as runway or level surface is still available or cruise airspeed is reached. Wind management is into headwind component but down drainage egress is a lot of potential energy of altitude traded for airspeed if needed. Once off and level in low ground effect and we have taken advantage of low ground effect over as much runway as is available, we look for hole to fly down into or as much down drainage or slightest up drainage available. The river was best egress either way, but down drainage would have overruled light downwind. Anyway, you did a good job flying all the way to the crash and survived. Hopefully you have continued flying. If so, consider the energy management considerations I have laid out. I too have dumbly put myself in bad situations, but as a crop duster and pipeline pilot I always had zoom reserve airspeed to work with on ten engine failures while very low or on takeoff. Until high enough to recover from inadvertent stall, airspeed and not altitude is life. Good job. Hang in there.

[@drbooo]

That Cessna 170 was beautiful.

[@CJE2007.5]

This is one of the best videos y'all have released. I am not a pilot but my 11 year old son wants to become one so I have been watching all the videos out there on the web along with reading everything from the basics of flight that I got from our local library and as many GA NTSB reports. This video right here is exactly what I am after. I want to learn from these mistakes. Thank you, Jon and Mackenzi, for going through this and releasing this. I hope that when the time comes and my son is ready to start lessons that I will be able to find a good flight school and a good instructor. I am a diesel tech so I will hopefully be able to take some lessons on preflight stuff so when my son makes it through I will at least be able to look at the extras and hopefully be able to catch an issue while it's on the ground. I hope the two of you were able to get back into flying after this.

[@bbgun061]

What WAS the density altitude? Was it in the envelope where the airplane would perform better with no flaps? Could the takeoff have been successful? Maybe if they had left in the morning? There aren't a lot of specific details in this video. Maybe that's on purpose, to try and prevent copycats or something. But I don't think that's sufficient. The answer to a crash like this can't be, "never fly at a grass strip" or, "never takeoff with less than 5,000 feet." As pilots, we need to be able to understand our performance charts and how to apply them. I assume from the video that the pilot didn't do a takeoff performance calculation. If he had, what was the result? Was it clearly impossible, or just on the edge? My takeaway from this is that pilots should include takeoff performance when planning a trip like this. Before departing home, figure out what is the hottest temperature/ highest DA that a takeoff can be made within 2/3 of the runway available. Most airplanes need more distance to takeoff than land, so it's easy to get into somewhere you can't get out of.

[@nickstavrosvisuals1036]

Weight and balance being the main factor here, DA also a secondary but just an underpowered plane with two larger people. Glad they are alive ♥️🤙🏼

[@seafuryphil]

Great share ..like many others im sure. I very nearly became a victom of D.A. many years ago . So close that it haunts me every time . A lesson ill never forget and a lesson most people dont survive . The worst thing is we all know better . G.a. needs better training.

[@AlexandrosV]

Good advice on PTSD

[@tombonk2932]

A very honest and articulate account of an awful event. Glad they made it out the other side. Is Jon still flying?

[@ganthrithor]

I feel like it might be worth adding a segment to the end of the video (or linking to another video?) reminding people how to determine DA. There are people in the comments here saying, "What am I supposed to do, bring my own weather station when I go to a backcountry strip?" Seems like some educational content would not go amiss.

[@TheNeuel]

That guy is a stud.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I noticed the dolly zoom to depict how close the trees were

[@SuperV8driver]

Nice guys but tbh both of them are a bit too big for such an underpowered plane at this circumstances.

[@darthheretic129]

I’d like to see his weight and balance sheet. I’m guessing it doesn’t exist.

[@gawebm]

They flew the plane there, the day before with no issues and presumably with a full cooler. The next day, after eating dinner and breakfast, the cooler would have been lighter by some amount, and possibly for other items consumed. So weight alone was not the issue. Weight plus DA is what caused it.

[@gawebm]

Wrong! The Cessna 170 has a useful load of almost 1000 lbs! They made at least one flight without refueling. This plane can easily carry both of them and a lot of camping gear, especially with partial tanks. Even with full fuel, the 170B model has a max payload of 728 lbs! Weight alone was not the main factor in this accident.

[@gawebm]

Wrong. The Cessna 170 has a useful load of almost 1000 lbs. They made at least one flight without refueling. This plane can easily carry both of them and a lot of camping gear, especially with partial tanks. Even with full fuel, the 170B model has a max payload of 728 lbs! Weight alone was not the main factor in this accident. I'll bet they were not over gross weight nor out out CG. This accident was purely DA.

[@thegoalie5233]

@@gawebmit might have a useful load of 1000 pounds but when the passengers alone are half that it doesn’t take that much cargo and fuel to be over MTOW

[@eclipser2004]

Very insightful and helpful video made with great courage. I had to look up an abort point for density altitude. It says you should be at 70% of rotation speed by halfway down the runway. Sound correct?

[@thelorf6713]

Thank you for sharing your story honestly. I think it helps the rest of us evaluate our own behaviors honestly. I learned to be more cognizant of flap retraction speed minimums and stall speeds at each setting, and to be wary of the order in which information is presented in the POH and the need to be thoroughly familiar with it. Based only on what was presented in the video, I have to say that I don't love the way the POH presented that information regarding flap usage. The ambiguous "if desired" has always bothered me in various POHs. The cross reference to related information was buried in the instruction regarding flap retraction (7), when it had critical information for the use of 20 degrees of flaps (1). The cross reference should (also) have appeared in section (1), perhaps even with a better warning.

[@Jon-yk4vj]

This story hit hard. It begs the question: well do I bring a thermometer and barometer to a Backcountry airport? We take AWOS for granted sometimes. This will undoubtedly change the way I teach my students not just about DA but also tech reliance. Thanks for sharing

[@patrickbeargie5022]

Taking along a small device might be invaluable. They're pretty inexpensive nowadays, the kestrel 2500 (for $150) gives you temp, barometer, and wind speed and is easy to use.

[@ganthrithor]

Uhhhh there's an OAT probe in your airplane and an altimeter and presumably you know the field elevation where you've landed, if its an airstrip? You literally have all the information you need... Set 29.92inHg on the altimeter > read pressure altitude. Look at OAT gauge > read temperature. If you're a huge nerd you could do mathematics from there to get your DA, or you could be lazy like the rest of us and go to your POH and use whatever graphical chart or table they have in there to figure it out. You could probably skip the pressure altitude part (substitute the field elevation) and still get a reasonably good idea of what you're dealing with: barometric changes will affect DA, but it's a much smaller effect than the temperature has (pressure might account for +/- one or two hundred feet DA, temperature can be thousands of feet).