P-51D Big Beautiful Doll perfect forced landing in Mesa, AZ

[lmritger]

Nobody likes to see our beloved warbirds have mechanical issues, but if you're gonna have a gear problem and need to put it on the belly, this is exactly how you want it to work out. This was a SUPERB bit of piloting!

Very glad the pilot is completely fine, and also glad to see the ship shouldn't need too much to fix.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/Pilot-of-rare-plane-forced-to-make-belly-landing-280269662.html

Lynn

[Robbie Stuart]

Nice job on that landing, glad he is alright!
Robbie

[RobC]

You are right, Lynn. That is the least damage I have ever seen in one of these. Barely curled the prop. Sorry he won't make Copperstate.

[camshaw]

glad all is ok, but that sucks!....bust out another 100gs!....

[lmritger]

I don't know this for certain, but it would seem he may not even need to do an engine teardown, which usually follows a forced landing due to shock loading. I obviously stand to be corrected on that, but it looks like a prop swap, a new radiator doghouse and inner gear doors, maybe a little touch-up on the flaps, and fix the gear hydraulics and she'll be good to go. That's what they'd likely do at Duxford back in 45, anyways

Just don't paint the new doors green inside!

Lynn

[51fixer]

Sudden stoppage of a prop has protocols from the manual to follow.
This prop didn't curl the blades, they stayed straight pretty much so the prop and engine absorbed some good loads as the blades became landing gear of sorts and supported the weight of the airframe along with the belly scoop.
It needs to come apart.

Guys at Roush told me of some engines with past belly incidents in which the prop shaft measured out within limits and wasnt bent but the gear mesh wasn't right and the whole Nosecase was bent. The prop shaft and it's gear was displaced by a Nosecase that was bent. It doesn't show up by putting a dial indicator on the prop shaft.
Bottom line is you don't gain anything by not getting the engine checked out.

[Steve Nelson]

Very nicely handled, and glad to see no one was hurt. I'm neither a pilot nor mechanic, but with an aircraft like the Mustang with an underside radiator is it preferable to put it down on pavement rather than dirt or grass where the scoop could dig in?

SN

[SaxMan]

That's about as good of an outcome as anyone could expect from that situation. Glad to see the pilot was unhurt, first and foremost, and that the Mustang will live to fly another day.

[CoastieJohn]

Just got the Youtube reminder of the other BBD mishap in 2011. That one of course didn't turn out too good.

[Matt Gunsch]

Very nicely handled, and glad to see no one was hurt. I'm neither a pilot nor mechanic, but with an aircraft like the Mustang with an underside radiator is it preferable to put it down on pavement rather than dirt or grass where the scoop could dig in?

SN

You know this happened in AZ right ? There is not a grass strip for at least 2 states away, and the desert is almost as hard as the runway.

[DH82EH]

Just got the Youtube reminder of the other BBD mishap in 2011. That one of course didn't turn out too good.

I think Rob Davies would disagree with you.
He didn't have much time to spare getting out of that BBD.

Back to this one, if one has to belly land a Mustang, you can't do much better than that! Always glad with an outcome when no one is hurt.

Andy Scott

[mlenoch]

Good thing there wasn't a post crash fire. His flight suit wouldn't have been of value.
VL

[Steve Nelson]

Very nicely handled, and glad to see no one was hurt. I'm neither a pilot nor mechanic, but with an aircraft like the Mustang with an underside radiator is it preferable to put it down on pavement rather than dirt or grass where the scoop could dig in?

SN

You know this happened in AZ right ? There is not a grass strip for at least 2 states away, and the desert is almost as hard as the runway.

Yeah..I've been to Mesa. As you say, it's a bit....parched. I was speaking more in generalities, is it preferable to put a Mustang (or any aircraft) down on pavement if the gear is up?

SN

[shrike]

Very nicely handled, and glad to see no one was hurt. I'm neither a pilot nor mechanic, but with an aircraft like the Mustang with an underside radiator is it preferable to put it down on pavement rather than dirt or grass where the scoop could dig in?

SN

You know this happened in AZ right ? There is not a grass strip for at least 2 states away, and the desert is almost as hard as the runway.

Yeah..I've been to Mesa. As you say, it's a bit....parched. I was speaking more in generalities, is it preferable to put a Mustang (or any aircraft) down on pavement if the gear is up?

SN

The pavement is smooth at least. Very few stumps, rocks, burrows and forgotten engine blocks on the pavement.

[shrike]

Sudden stoppage of a prop has protocols from the manual to follow.
This prop didn't curl the blades, they stayed straight pretty much so the prop and engine absorbed some good loads as the blades became landing gear of sorts and supported the weight of the airframe along with the belly scoop.
It needs to come apart.

Guys at Roush told me of some engines with past belly incidents in which the prop shaft measured out within limits and wasnt bent but the gear mesh wasn't right and the whole Nosecase was bent. The prop shaft and it's gear was displaced by a Nosecase that was bent. It doesn't show up by putting a dial indicator on the prop shaft.
Bottom line is you don't gain anything by not getting the engine checked out.

We keep a chunk* of TCM IO-550 propstrike crank at our shop for NDT show and tell. It mic's out perfect, no runout, no visible marks, and absolutely shattered just behind the flange. The shattered part only shows up on the Magnaflux machine.
It has a student pilot story that goes with that helps the narrative with students


*Just the cracked front 12 inches or so. Those things are kinda heavy<G>