AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 94

P&E

NEVER AGAIN

Everything was perfect, smooth, stabilized—and then I saw it. The faint image
was like a flash before it disappeared. A
thin, ominous wire appeared in front of us.
We instantly pulled the yoke back into our
chests while our hands pushed the throttle
into the firewall. The silent cockpit was filled
with the roar of a defiant engine as if she was
desperate to avoid this fatal trap. I felt the
airplane’s nosewheel skip over the top of
the wire, followed by the screeching metalon-metal noise of the cable quickly sawing
across the lower surface of the wings. The
sound was far worse than fingernails being
dragged slowly across a chalkboard.
The wire caught on the main landing
gear struts and caused the airplane to rapidly slow from a stabilized 80 knots to less
than 60, and then zero. I waited for the
inevitable, yet we remained airborne. A
loud pop followed by two more pierced the
cockpit. The metallic screeching became a
loud, unmerciful grinding saw as the wire
broke one strand at a time. The aircraft
began to slide toward the end of the wire

Later,
an FAA investigator
told us we should have died
several times that day and
it was a miracle we hadn’t.
that refused to give up its stranglehold.
“I’ve got the airplane,” Boyce said. The
remaining end of the wire snapped, and the
airplane lunged forward as she fought to
straighten herself. Once she did, she began
to gain altitude.
The instruments that rely on the pitot
system were not working. We had no idea
what other damage had been done, and
we didn’t know if the landing gear was
safe. A quick look around outside revealed
a line of cable extending from my side
below the wing.

WEB

www.aopa.org/pilot/never_again

Landing back at Flint would be risky.
We would have to use Runway 9 because
the wind shifted and was now coming out
of the east. The approach would require us
to overfly high-tension lines along the final
approach course. If the cable came into
contact with the power lines, we would
instantly become a Roman candle.
So we headed to Dalton Airport in
hopes of finding some assistance. As we
circled the airport, I saw a pilot run across
the grassy field for the Citabria and launch.
The pilot—Spike—reported that we had
about 200 feet of cable trailing the aircraft.
He told us we would not have any trouble with the power lines. Boyce accepted
Spike’s judgment and advised the Flint
control tower of our emergency. They
cleared us to land at Flint and dispatched
the airport fire and rescue unit.
While Boyce maneuvered my injured
girl to the final approach course, Spike



http://www.aopa.org/pilot/never_again http://www.aopa.org/title http://www.aopa.org/title http://www.aopa.org/title

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013
Contents
President’s Position
Visual Approach
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Foundation Focus
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Everything Under the Sun
AOPA Sweepstakes
Test Pilot
Pilot Products
People
Milestones
Fly-Outs
Beaver Checkout
Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Perception is Not Reality
The Unlikeliest Astronaut
Last of the Old vs. First of the New
Wind Beneath Their Wings
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Visual Approach
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Foundation Focus
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Everything Under the Sun
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - AOPA Sweepstakes
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Pilot Products
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - People
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Milestones
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - D1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - D2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Beaver Checkout
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: Perception is Not Reality
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - The Unlikeliest Astronaut
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Last of the Old vs. First of the New
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Wind Beneath Their Wings
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - Cover4
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