Canadians injured when their plane crash-lands in Chiang Mai

[webfact]

Sightseeing plane crash-lands in tapioca field



CHIANG MAI: - Two Canadians were slightly injured when their small plane made an emergency landing at a tapioca field in Prao district of Chiang Mai Sunday morning.

The RV-8 twin-seater plane, piloted by 55 year old Gary McNair, took off from a small airfield located between San Kampaeng district of Chiang Mai and Ban Tee district of Lamphun with 56-year old Martin Clark, the only passenger at about 9 am.

The plane was on aerial sightseeing tour of forests in San Sai and Phrao districts when suddenly it developed engine trouble forcing the pilot to notify the control tower in Lamphun and to guide the plane to a tapioca plantation for emergency landing.

A police team from Phrao district was dispatched to the landing site to provide first aid to the two Canadians on board. The two Canadians on board were found to be slightly injured and were eventually sent to the district hospital for treatment.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/147909


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-25

[maanoi]

Mmmm tapioca

[onetime]

Something tells me the farmer is going to make money with this crop...

[khwaibah]

Mmmm tapioca

This kind will kill you. Very high in cyanide. The Chines buy it all up and its sent north for animal food.

[ezzra]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

[colinneil]

experimental it says!! Experimenting in how to land?

[sanukjim]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

In north America, When registering an "experimental aircraft your are restricted to operating in certain conditions.The aircraft does not conform to the criteria to be registered as an "N" number aircraft They are usually home built models.John Denver died in his "experimental" aircraft when it came apart over the ocean off the California coast flying low over the water.

Edited January 25, 2016 by sanukjim

[riceyummm]

Call me crazy but that does not look like a cassava field to me. Tapioca is made from cassava roots.

[SOTIRIOS]

...hope this is not the latest variation of the 'jet ski scam'.....

...only slightly injured....???

....tapioca...cyanide.....???

[khwaibah]

...hope this is not the latest variation of the 'jet ski scam'.....

...only slightly injured....???

....tapioca...cyanide.....???

Cassava not for eating by humans. To high in cyanide.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/188328-growing-cassava-in-thailand/

http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/y1177e/y1177e04.htm

Edited January 25, 2016 by khwaibah

[hobobo]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

In north America, When registering an "experimental aircraft your are restricted to operating in certain conditions.The aircraft does not conform to the criteria to be registered as an "N" number aircraft They are usually home built models.John Denver died in his "experimental" aircraft when it came apart over the ocean off the California coast flying low over the water.

I bet he'd be wishing he was leaving on a jet plane!

[Cpkt8]

Now it's the locals' turn for sightseeing there. Luckily no death and damage to houses (except the crops and plane).

[maybefitz]

This was a kilometer from my home. I can confirm that the field is potato. Potato is a 'catch-crop' here, between rice planting. Cassava/tapioca is not grown up here at all. My wife went rubber-necking and the 2 people were taken to the Tambon medical centre nearly adjacent to the crash, and were expertly dealt with.

[NeverSure]

The engine quit. Investigators can easily see. If the engine is running and developing power, the prop blades will "screw forward" as they hit the ground. The rim speed of the prop ends will be much faster than the ground speed. In other words, the prop is pulling and will bend the blades forward.

If the engine has quit, the prop blades will be bent backwards as the plane hits the ground. That is the case here.

Cheers.

[sawadee1947]

"Experimental" ? So it was an experiment how to land on a tapiopa field? Mission accomplished!

[Minnehaha]

ice build up on the wings?

[Muhendis]

Call me crazy but that does not look like a cassava field to me. Tapioca is made from cassava roots.

Agreed. Tapioca (pearl beads) is something you get in small packets from the supermarket. The stuff in that field looks more like potato to me. Also there is some Thai writing on the fuselage which says "Mia Noi" I guess the pilots missus found out about her.

[Enoon]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

In north America, When registering an "experimental aircraft your are restricted to operating in certain conditions.The aircraft does not conform to the criteria to be registered as an "N" number aircraft They are usually home built models.John Denver died in his "experimental" aircraft when it came apart over the ocean off the California coast flying low over the water.

Wrong:

NTSB Determines John Denver's Crash Caused by Poor ...

FINALLY - The TRUTH about the John Denver Accident .

Starts at 1.53

Edited January 25, 2016 by Enoon

[chilli42]

Nice bit of piloting with a dead engine. The aircraft a write off but they walk away.

[Enoon]

ice build up on the wings?

Carburetor icing possibly, due to being throttled back for a descent to photograph something of interest?

Pure speculation of course.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Enoon

[NeverSure]

I think that plane might be a home built (from a kit) Vans RV8. If so that would explain the "Experimental" notice. In the US all home built airplanes are designated "Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft".

Edited January 25, 2016 by NeverSure

[elgordo38]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

In north America, When registering an "experimental aircraft your are restricted to operating in certain conditions.The aircraft does not conform to the criteria to be registered as an "N" number aircraft They are usually home built models.John Denver died in his "experimental" aircraft when it came apart over the ocean off the California coast flying low over the water.

Liked John Denver. What a way to get a "Rocky Mountain High"

[Ulic]

It says Experimental on the fuselage.... so I guess the experiment didn't go well?.....

In north America, When registering an "experimental aircraft your are restricted to operating in certain conditions.The aircraft does not conform to the criteria to be registered as an "N" number aircraft They are usually home built models.John Denver died in his "experimental" aircraft when it came apart over the ocean off the California coast flying low over the water.

John Denver ran out of gas/fuel.

[NeverSure]

Actually he landed pretty hot. He stripped the landing gear out from under it. He's lucky he didn't flip it over.

It's apparent that this is a big field and he had room to flare and hold it off until it slowed a lot more before touching down. It's common for a pilot with a dead engine to be in a hurry to land. If he had waited and continued to flare just above the ground until the plane was so slow it wouldn't fly any more, it would have touched down much slower and he might not even have damaged the plane.

When the engine quits the plane becomes a glider and the pilot still has full control of it except of course he can't use power.

Cheers

[saakura]

Were they tourists who brought the plane parts with them and assembled it here? Didnt know it was easy for foreigners to build and fly their planes here.

[rodcourt49]

Something tells me the farmer is going to make money with this crop...

..most of his crop has been trampled by the look of it !!