Return-Path: Received: from [65.173.216.66] (account ) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro WebUser 4.0.1) with HTTP id 1886654 for ; Mon, 25 Nov 2002 12:34:27 -0500 From: "Marvin Kaye" Subject: Re: ditching To: lml X-Mailer: CommuniGate Pro Web Mailer v.4.0.1 Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 12:34:27 -0500 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <121201c294a5$89b2b420$cb9f3bd0@OFFICE> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format="flowed" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Posted for "Bill & Sue" : Here is a small section of an excellent and well researched study on aircraft ditching. This study debunks many common myths on the subject. The study covered 8 years of ditching accidents. The full study as well as a wealth of other information on ditching and survival can be found at: http://www.equipped.com/ditchtoc.htm Bill harrelson@erols.com N5ZQ LNC2 O-320 VA42 Fredericksburg, VA Myth 5: In A Retractable, It's Better to Ditch With the Gear Up Than the Gear Down This one has sparked more hangar arguments than debating over pitch and power. Here's our view: It probably doesn't make much measurable difference. Or, put another way, if you think it does, show us some data. Unfortunately, the accident records shed no useful light on this controversy. Pilots often don't remember whether they extended gear and/or flaps; they don't recall if they landed with the swells or upwind or crosswind. Even if they do remember, this detail often doesn't make it into the accident summary. We think the best you can do is to examine the big picture: Irrespective of aircraft configuration, do the pilots and crew get out of the airplane after impact? Yes, overwhelmingly. How often does the airplane flip over because the gear caught in the water? We don't really know. But even if all the airplanes flipped--highly unlikely--the occupants still manage to egress safely. Conclusion: It may not matter much. >From films of live ditchings and interviews with survivors, our impression is >that most airplanes don't flip, but dig in one wing, turn and settle upright >or settle straight ahead with a bit of nose under moment. But, we simply don't >have enough reliable information to make a definitive judgement on this. Our >best advice is make your own assessment and configure the airplane >accordingly. More critical than configuration, in our view, is touching down parallel to the swells, or if that isn't an issue in calmer water, landing into the wind or with the river's current to yield the lowest possible touchdown speed. Worth noting is that 9 of the 22 fatal ditchings involved retractables. As with the high wing versus low wing controversy, these numbers are too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.