Not too smart....

[Guest Mapper]

Bad enough when you run out of fuel in a high performance aircraft, but to crash it again on takeoff.....plain stupid.News article:http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/102605..._plane001.shtmlVideo of the takeoff accident:http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4038264Mike

[Guest beana51]

Great short field technique.Pre-flight could have used a tape measure.The man has good eyeballing experience.NOT! Probley, thats the cause,could not see the fuel gages,or the big red truck! Sure its not some demolition derby?? Good video Thanks VINPS: Still, ya gotta feel sorry for him.He ain't cool like us,of course!!

[AlaskanFlyboy 7]

It's hard to eyeball where your wings are from the cockpit anyway. Apparrently he was affraid of it getting scratched up on the tow-truck so he opted for the take-off. Well, atleast it didn't get scratched up on the tow-truck, huh? :-hah----------------------------------------------------------------John MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private ASEL 141.2 hrs, 314 landings, 46 inst. apprs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach

[RFields5421 1]

The worst part of this - there is absolutely no way he can claim anything else happened to the NTSB or his insurance company.

[bdenni 0]

If they cleared the highway so he could take off, why was the semi and the emergency vehicle still on the right shoulder of the road? The news reports all say he was attempting to takeoff from a four lane highway, in reality, it was only two lanes that he had to use since there was a grass median between the opposing traffic lanes. That should have been wide enought it those vehicles were not there.**Just read a follow up story that said the authorities were getting ready to move the emergency truck and were trying to find the driver of the semi to move their truck. The pilot, not aware that they were not finished clearing the highway for him, reved his engine and started his takeoff run, clipping the sideview mirror from the cab of the semi and then hitting the back of the emergency truck. The second impact broke of a section of the wing and veered the Cessna to the right, where it left the road and came to rest in a grove of trees.

[Mike S KPDX 597]

this twit should never be allowed to operate any aircraft again...ever!!!!

[LAdamson 240]

More than anything, I fail to understand why pilots push their luck with fuel to start with. Much of my flying has been over very rugged mountainous areas, where the idea of running out of fuel..........sucks! And then you see it all the time; pilots knowing they should land and re-fuel, but somehow convince themselves that they can make it to the desination, but don't... Of course, if a fuel cap was left off, but sitting on the wing just about where it should be, and not noticed before takeoff, that's another matter. :-hah L.Adamson

[Guest beana51]

They say smart people do stupid things,just like the rest of us.This is witnessed in the news lately. The guy had a nice plane .Not of the inexpensive variety.I still feel sorry for him. On national news,among the non aviation public,probably feeling like an ####,he just wanted out of there!If that truck was a few more feet away,he would have done it.Then the story would be different.You can do things 99.9% right ,for a long time.Then something happens.Those OLE Gremlins.Was nice to blame them,but we can't no more. I've done many pre-flights in the years I've been flying.One day,showing off to a young girl,and inviting up for a spin,like Waldo Pepper,I inadvertently,did not secure the cowel down.So we took off,and very soon the dam thing is flapping like a bird,I turned downwind,skidding the plane so the relative wind held down the dam thing down,,Slipped to final, landed. My then friend thought every thing was OK.Petty,but dumb, Got away with it,no witness,no cameras, no damage,no problem.Things happen.Ya can write a book on snafus. I wonder on here ,how many real world pilots are willing to recall something so stupid they did,that the brain locks it out,never to be recalled?? .Even on the simulator,ya can screw up,when the fingers move faster than the brain. Like they screwed up the "HUBBLE SCOPE"also.IT HAPPENS!! ADMIT IT!! Unfortunate ,many don't have the luxury of recall.The paid the price for being stupid.We all may know a few. VIN! "CHEERS" :-beerchug

[Guest Shalomar]

Donny AKA ShalomarFly 2 ROCKS!!!I remember chuckling at the Cessna POH for the 152. "The least amount of fuel this aircraft was operated with during testing was 1/4 of a gallon. NOTE: This is not a limiting factor."My instructor's attitudes in my KABE/ Queen city Municipal home area were generally "If anything happens, we'll walk home and stop at Burger King on the way." I tried to time my flights for around 1:00 when the plane was usually burned down to half tanks, but ocasionally I miscalculated and it had been refilled so they weren't that complacent.Best Regards, Donny:-wave

[Mike S KPDX 597]

The issue here is that 3 separate emergency workers directly in front of the aircraft and in full view gave him stop signals by holding up both arms and one of them gave in the 'fuel cut' sign (accross throat) almost the entire time. Why, so they would have time to remove the vehicles and clear the lane.This guy revved and went to everyones surprise, he was not even lined up. So yes, doing a stupid thing once, we have all done. Doing a string of stupid things in quick succession risking life and limb in a controlled area - I dont buy it.

[Rottenlungs 0]

I have clipped a wing in a 152. I was pulling it off the refuelling square and I was turning it into the wind and it connected with another 152. No harm done, except to my pride when the instructor comes piling out of the office to rescue the idiot newbie!Back to the thread, it is easy to misjudge the wingtip position, which is all the more reason he should have double-checked when taking off from such a confined space. Poor sod! CheersJames