Camera Catches Miracle Landing in Sacramento

A Piper Turbo Arrow (N135DG) made a forced landing shortly after take off from Sacramento McClellan Airport on August 4, 2024. The Sole pilot was ok.
LINKS: asn.flightsafe...

[@n721sw]

Excellent job pilot! Far too many ppl have perished after an engine failure and tried to get back to the asphalt runway. You realized that you were unable and flew it all the way down and walked away, mega respect!

[@JoeGator23]

Perfect. He managed not to stall, avoided the trees, slid it in and parked it like a Ace Ventura the pet detective. Someone should have walked up and handed this pilot a beer. This could have been a disaster if this ace didn't fly it all the way to the ground. Nice work, hot shot- and it's on video. After that one, it's time to take up fishing.

[@ARFFWorld]

Agreed fish 🎣

[@pigdroppings]

some additional video at local TV on YT......KCRA 3

[@jmy6050]

Golf courses are handy things to have around airports. They've saved many a hapless pilot.

[@nancychace8619]

Very true. They took out a good one and put in a big shopping mall outside of RHV in SJ. Now about every 25 years or so someone crowns Macys or Penneys or something.

[@ARFFWorld]

Yes true

[@DwightStJohn-t7y]

We have a "wash" right beside the El Monte airport and it took a lot of planes down safely. In HS I don't remember a single serious weekend accident.

[@cameddy4081]

Please fill in your divots !! “ Any landing you can walk away from is a good one “ - lucky cat walking around as he comes in - wow !!

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

Less than 824°F exhaust temperature. You can see fuel gush out after he stops. The G forces during the slide kept the fuel towards the rear of the tank after the gear collapsed and punctured the wing leading edge/fuel tank. Otherwise, if the fuel had been pouring out before he scraped along the pavement, there might have been a big fire. He did a good job.

[@catherinesarah5831]

What an amazing save that one was. The narrow grass stop adjacent to the car park wasn’t very wide. Great one Keoni. Always good to hear this news. 🙏

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks 👍

[@space1commander]

That's some serious smart glide to the repair shop. Congrats to the pilot.

[@ARFFWorld]

It sure is

[@kenharbin3440]

Yea, only housing as far as you can see. The FlightAware shows him making 270 degrees of the impossible turn. Really glad that golf course was there. Putting it down between those tree and sliding across the grass was great, but the way it came to rest you would think he meant to do that. Great job pilot.

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks Ken great job

[@paulputnam2305]

Wow, nice one. Glad he got to go to dinner. Thank you Keoni. I thought the first thing the firefighters did was a high five ‘cause no fire or bodies… Much Love and Hugs.

[@ARFFWorld]

You and me both! Thanks Paul

[@shermann.peabody7429]

The main issue was an immense code brown from both the pilot and the poor guy on the green.

[@garyprince7309]

Good news to be able to report. He did a great job of "flying all the way to the crash". Now, why did that engine fail shortly after take off. There have been several of these lately.

[@matthewcuratolo3719]

Sweet landing!

[@ARFFWorld]

Agreed!

[@dermick]

Actually, there were and still are a lot of golf courses near airports for exactly this reason - the city planners had a bit of foresight to keep the space free in case of an engine failure or very long landing. Obviously no pilot wants to hit a golfer, but probably a lot safer to land on a golf course than a walmart or home depot parking lot, or heaven forbid, a neighborhood. Thanks for sharing this one! 😄

[@jmy6050]

@@dermick As long as they don't create a hole in one 😁

[@warrenmiller6220]

Wow, that never occurred to me, but now I realize that several small airports near me have neighboring golf courses. East Central Florida.

[@lancomedic]

I hadn’t seen the view showing him level just before touchdown. Great landing. Step out, call Dan and go to dinner.

[@cfinstr]

Only a slight, in this instance, error. He needed to keep the gear up

[@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain]

@@cfinstrTried the “Impossible Turn” and actually lucked out …. even with gear down. Sort of.

[@gtm624]

@@cfinstrhe was lucky in this case it really Didn’t matter but yea like where you going to go rolling out to the freaking building? I guess he was going for the road but lost lift at the last second and dropped a wing. Had he not drop a wing when he did and did roll out it may have been worse. Look how fast he was going and how fast he slowed Down in the slide.

[@ARFFWorld]

Awesome 👏

[@ARFFWorld]

Right on

[@mmi6280]

That’s what happens when you don’t stall the aircraft and keep your landing gear up. You have a good chance of walking away!

[@9111logic]

Another lucky escape, thanks Keoni 🙏 perhaps we will know more about what type of engine failure . . 🤔

[@ARFFWorld]

For sure! Hopefully they figure it out

[@Dane3804]

The trying not to miss T time jokes are going to be off the hook in that pro shop😂

[@ARFFWorld]

I think so too lol

[@nancychace8619]

Oh man, I cracked up when I saw Jiffy Grip 😄. They could keep the plane there as yard art - Miraculous no injuries to anyone.

[@ARFFWorld]

lol 😆

[@itlodot]

At 1:14 he wasn't where you are pointing and believing, the tree and putting green from the video are to the right and a bit lower on the screen, the odd shaped building he skidded into is also easy to ID.

[@claudiufarcas]

good landing ✈

[@johnmajane3731]

He did the best he could, didn't lose control and stall spin it in. A controlled crash will increase your chances of surviving. Fortunately no fire and no one on the ground was hurt. Looking at the video he had nowhere else to go.

[@ARFFWorld]

Yes and thanks John

[@markleightonson1770]

I have flown a Piper Turbo Arrow .. no hang time at all .. good job.

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks for sharing Mark

[@TheGospelQuartetParadise]

As I said when KCRA Sacramento reported this... The pilot slid in for a round of golf... His caddy and golf clubs were waiting and he kissed the repair shop. Excellent landing, all jokes aside.

[@ARFFWorld]

Agree. Beer and a round of golf

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Pulled a Howard Hughes. He landed on the golf course and grabbed his bag of clubs and teed off

[@thatguy7085]

This is why golf courses were put around airports

[@pigdroppings]

In the 1960s Mcclellan was an Air Force base. From Google maps photo....it looks like there are a lot of firefighter aircraft at that airport these days.

[@sergiologullo2217]

Congrats to the pilot 👏🏻

[@ARFFWorld]

Did great. Please subscribe to my channel for more

[@roxximusik8958]

How fortunate was this pilot !? Great job.

[@ARFFWorld]

Great job for sure

[@kellylynn3211]

Great job. I lost an engine on takeoff no golf course, but found a small field. From takeoff to landing was less than thirty seconds. Didn't even scratch my plane.

[@ARFFWorld]

Nice work!

[@stemtostern7611]

I believe I have played that Course and I'm from Florida.

[@jimmydulin928]

Good job flying all the way to the landing/crash. Level on touchdown is generally best, but spin, cartwheel, or ground loop can work sometimes. I messed up and cartwheeled a CallAir Ag plane one time that worked out well. It dissipates kinetic energy well. Fuel loss is bad when it gets to a hot engine, but if we are not coming to a sudden stop it generally does not get to the engine. I have had thirteen engine failures/landings/crashes and have never had a fire.

[@JoeGator23]

The loopy ground spin acted like an air brake and kept him from putting it through the building at 80 mph... when skill meets luck.

[@jimmydulin928]

@@JoeGator23 Yes, if he put the left wing down on purpose it was skillful. My cartwheel was not, as I had a good cotton field ahead. My excuse is Parathion poisoning, but I carried a turn right into the ground. Either slow from poison or just slow.

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks for sharing Jimmy

[@weaksause6878]

It doesn't look like he took out any holes. That looks like lawn and not fairway. What a chad.

[@dtsh4451]

Pilot walked out the plane nonchalantly:”sorry I’m late. The Sacramento traffic”🤣😆

[@chrisc161]

Perfect.

[@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain]

Dan Gryder should interview this Pilot about the “Impossible Turn”, keep your gear up and go straight ahead. It would be a great video for a LOTOT.

[@txkflier]

He left the gear down, but kept his speed up in the turn and maintained control. He had just passed over the golf course and probably knew he could make it back to it. There was nothing but buildings and streets straight ahead.

[@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain]

@@txkflier I would love to know what DMMS speed is for that aircraft and then look at ADS-B data in Flight Aware to see where he went below it - before or after the turn.

[@txkflier]

@@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain ADS-B data is ground speed, not airspeed. According to one POH, the best glide speed is 97 KIAS. The full flap stall speed is 57 KIAS and the clean stall speed is 64 KIAS. The flaps up DMMS would be 1.41 x 64 KIAS which is about 90 KIAS.

[@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain]

@@txkflier Well, my post disappeared probably because I plugged a URL into it. I guess it is next to impossible to back-calculate ground speed vg = √(va2 + vw2 - (2vavw cos θ) to get airspeed in a circling turn to ground even if you knew wind speed and direction …….. or used something simple like Omni Calculator.

[@americanpatriot2422]

Great video

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks for the visit

[@Cruiser777]

I hate these airports where there are packed with houses and warehouses they should have at least a mile a free space to land in an emergency you did an awesome job

[@ARFFWorld]

Good idea

[@pilotembgamers4644]

Reminds me of the final scene in Happy Gilmore. The golf is gonna have to “Play it where it lies” 😁

[@georgekilleen629]

Great forced landing. No fire ????? Was there fuel onboard ??

[@pigdroppings]

Additional video now on local TV on YT......KCRA 3

[@chuck_in_socal]

That guy walking had a lucky day.

[@rodolfoayalajr.8589]

Amen 🙏

[@peternicolaides6256]

Jiffy Grip we are so good, we grab planes out of the sky, get your Jiffy Grip today. 😀

[@tedgaeta]

Didn't damage any bushes or yard ornaments....I say the pilot was high level well skilled. And everyone's safe

[@ARFFWorld]

Agreed and please subscribe

[@carpecanem611]

Mind if I play through?

[@billfly2186]

Running late, coming in hot!

[@JamesEmery]

Rumor has it he made his tee time and got in a full eighteen.

[@freibert]

Well done! //

[@nitrosrt4]

impossible turn proves itself again!

[@johnmajane3731]

Proved what? That is not the impossible turn. He was plenty high and ended up making it to the golf course.

[@billfly2186]

Did that guy on the green make the putt?

[@VLove-CFII]

He was lucky 🍀

[@txkflier]

He should have retracted the landing gear. Fortunately, the left wing hit the ground right before the driveway and spun it sideways which wiped out the landing gear. If it had stayed straight and on the gear, it would have hit the building a lot harder. The pilot and the golfer on the putting green were very lucky. You can tour the scene using Google Street View because a Google Maps car drove through there in 2019.

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks and awesome

[@txkflier]

@@ARFFWorld Also, when the airspeed of a turbo Cherokee goes below 103 KIAS, the landing gear automatically extends unless you have pulled the override lever up.

[@ELMS]

I got it right but I don’t golf. Is there a consolation prize? 😂. Always nice to see a happy ending.

[@ARFFWorld]

Agreed. 🤙

[@1mouseman]

Wow, that country club must be strict about tee times!

[@gazratjackson]

I've never landed on a golf course, but I sure got drunk on a few 🍺 😊

[@ARFFWorld]

Me too!

[@chrisvickers1262]

Fix your divot!😅 great job by the pilot!

[@ARFFWorld]

Thanks Chris lol

[@davidsavage6227]

Wow, neat!

[@ARFFWorld]

Glad you think so!

[@PfizerRN_NavyReserveCaptain]

Neat? No.

[@dalejosef]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. A GREAT landing is one where you can re-use the airplane.

[@Bobalicious]

Hardly a miracle. Damned lucky, though.

[@chuckcawthon3370]

There’s another video shows a golfer on foot and this plane slid in between the golfer and his wheeled bag .

[@ARFFWorld]

Wow close

[@thatguy7085]

Smart… kept the gear up… flew it all the way in.

[@ARFFWorld]

Nice

[@jimw1615]

Gear was down and full flaps set.

[@your_royal_highness]

Gee what if there were people on the putting green?

[@martinmoffitt4702]

FOUR!

[@bernieschiff5919]

Lucky there was no fire from the spilled fuel. I understand he did an intersection takeoff, using only half the available runway. His engine out put him further away and his turnback placed him over the golf course, realizing not going to make it back, a good decision to go gear up onto a fairway. Good thing the parking lot was empty. He should be awarded a free club membership.

[@JoeGator23]

Most ever pilot the tries the impossible turn ends up in a deadly face-planted stall. Even the best of pilots don't usually make it- or are lucky to live and tell about it. This guy followed the book and made it out in one piece. Can't argue with his results, either.

[@jimw1615]

Gear was down, however. And it appears that his initial action was to return to the runway. The golf course landing was an afterthought, in my opinion.

[@vrosi1963]

now that is how you crash land

[@sputnikginger]

not MANY options

[@gerardacronin334]

Haggis Oaks Club and Aircraft Repair.

[@Codehead3]

Fore!!!

[@ARFFWorld]

😂

[@tonyf9076]

Anyone got this pilots phone number ? I need some pointers for my lottery numbers....

[@stephenmitchell-we8wi]

Or was he just late for the tee off?

[@davidedmundson8402]

Better to aim for the fairway, not the pro shop.

[@ARFFWorld]

Good point

[@jimw1615]

This is plain old LUCK!! Gear down, full flaps and he landed short of the fairway he was attempting to land on, I have to believe. There was no plan for an engine out on climb out and his initial actions indicate he was going to attempt to return to the runway. The only thing that saved him and those on the ground was the golf course and he was out of options once he figured out that was where he had to put the aircraft down. Just LUCK here.

[@synupps877]

At this point, I agree. It seems that many are saying the pilot "flew it to the crash," but that seems to be based only on the footage that ends with the plane hitting the building.

[@gelsondemedeiros9526]

Hey! You cant park there!

[@edcew8236]

So what's the miracle?

[@ARFFWorld]

It didn’t go into the pro shop or hit anyone or kill himself

[@youjustlikeit3774]

Didn't break his putter.

[@fredbugden3511]

Landing ??? More of an arrival