I Crashed My Airplane

Just 12 hours after penning my giddy previous post about how I had bought the airplane of my dreams, I crash landed said airplane in an East Palo Alto marsh.

Needless to say this event has caused myself and my family much grief. We are all extremely grateful that Jassen and I were not harmed during the crash. At the same time, I miss my plane terribly. And I feel horribly about wrecking such a beautiful machine. I had many plans and dreams for that airplane, all of which have been dashed.

We can only speculate as to the cause of the accident. The NTSB is conducting a full investigation that will hopefully reveal the true cause. That being said, my instructor and I each have a theory. Jassen's theory is that the fuel selector valve malfunctioned, thus burning fuel from the left tank for the entire duration of our flight, even though we had selected the right tank for the majority of the time. The result would be that we ran the left tank dry and starved the engine on takeoff. My theory is that we were bit by Beechcraft Service Instruction 0624-281, which was issued some time after the airplane was manufactured, and which Jassen and I knew nothing about. The SI reduced the usable fuel quantity and warned not to attempt a takeoff with less than 11 gallons in each tank. Since we had about 5-6 gallons in the tank on our final takeoff, my guess is that the fuel pickups unported. Once again, the engine would have been starved of fuel on takeoff.

My insurance company, USAIG, has been great to work with so far. They want to total the plane and send me a check for the full insured value, which would more than cover my purchase price. Since the plane is still mostly in great shape, I'm going to get an estimate for the cost to repair it before I sign the total loss agreement, just in case.

As to the questions of whether or not I will fly and/or own an airplane again, I hope the answer is yes, but I will be taking some time off to think about it. The accident was frightening, to be sure. However, we were able to land safely and I definitely think that the experience will make me a better, safer, and more cautious pilot for the rest of my life. It will take time for the wounds to heal, but when they do I will be stronger for it.

Here is the report that I submitted to the FAA:

On the evening of Monday, August 22, 2011, I arrived at Palo Alto Airport at 6:30pm. I did a pre-flight inspection of my plane, started it up, and taxied over to the fuel island. I filled both tanks up to the slot in the tab (the 20 gallon mark). I set my fuel totalizer to 40 gallons to reflect this fuel addition. I then taxied back to transient parking and waited for my instructor, Jassen Todorov, to arrive. He arrived around 7pm. We took off shortly thereafter and flew straight to Hayward Airport. We did about 10 touch and goes at Hayward. The fuel totalizer is set to blink a reminder light after every 5 gallons of fuel burned. This is to remind the pilot to switch tanks; if you hit a button the light stops blinking and the 5 gallon counter starts over. I don't remember which tank we started on, but I do remember that I switched tanks twice while at Hayward. We then flew back to Palo Alto, landed, and parked the plane in transient (I was still in the process of getting my own tie-down for the plane). The whole flight lasted about 1.5 hours and the airplane flew fine the entire time.

On the morning of Tuesday, August 23, 2011, I arrived at Palo Alto Airport at 8:30am and started my pre-flight inspection. Jassen arrived just 2 minutes later, during my inspection. I drained all 3 fuel sumps and found no water or debris in the fuel. I checked both fuel tanks. The right tank was at exactly 15 gallons (the bottom of the tab), the left tank was well below the tab and I estimated it to be at roughly 10 gallons. I did some mental math as a sanity check: we had started with 40 gallons the previous evening and burned about 15 gallons that night, so a total of 25 gallons now made sense. In hindsight this means that we must have started with the left tank on Monday night, switched to the right for 5 gallons, and then back to the left. I didn't really think about that at the time, but I definitely noted that the right tank was more full and thus I started our flight on Tuesday morning on the right tank. I also performed a full 360 degree turn of the fuel selector valve as specified by the pre-flight checklist. The valve felt normal. We took off from Palo Alto at around 8:40am and began a series of touch and goes. After burning a little over 5 gallons (about 6 landings) I noticed the blinking light and switched to the left tank. About three takeoffs later, at 9:40am, the engine sputtered once and then quit completely when we were about 300 feet AGL on our upwind leg, just after takeoff. We had not observed any problems with the airplane or engine before this point. Jassen immediately took the controls and started playing with the throttle and mixture to make sure they were both all the way in. He then asked me to radio the tower and tell them that we had an emergency. I said over the radio, "Palo Alto Tower, we have an emergency!" They responded to ask for my tail number and I said, "79V." Then they asked if we could return to the airport and I said, "No, we can't." They said that they would dispatch emergency crews. Jassen was focused on landing the plane. I don't remember him saying anything after that until we were on the ground. I yelled out at one point, "Watch out for those power lines!," and "Go for that dirt road!" I'm pretty sure he had already picked the dirt road as his landing spot. It must have been less than 30 seconds between engine failure and landing. I braced myself for the landing, knowing that I hadn't yet installed shoulder harnesses in the airplane, something that I planned on doing as soon as possible. The landing was very smooth. We struck a tree shortly after touching down which sent us swerving a bit and eventually skidding sideways off the dirt road and into the marsh. It was kind of a bouncy ride, but my back never left the back of the seat and Jassen and I felt completely unharmed once we came to a stop. I immediately took off my headset and angrily hung it on the yoke in front of me, after seeing the damage to my left wing. Jassen radioed the tower to inform them that there were no fatalities and no injuries. We both climbed out of the plane to assess the damage and we started talking to each other about what might have gone wrong. Jassen went back in to gather up our personal effects, which had been strewn about in the back seat. I eventually went back into the plane to get my flight bag and headset. Emergency crews and press crews arrived shortly thereafter. We informed them that we weren't hurt, and the medical crews packed up and left. One of the firemen or police officers asked me to put the fuel selector in the off position, so I did so. My wife, son and in-laws arrived around 10am. We waited out there until about noon for the FAA team to arrive. At some point I went back down to the plane to lock the door and luggage compartment. At around 1pm we went back to the airport to get some lunch and I was contacted by my insurance company during lunch. The FAA crew also caught up to us at lunch and took some documents from me (my logbook, the plane's airworthiness certificate, and my temporary registration for the plane), which they promptly returned to me after scanning. After that we went home. I got a call from Nicole at the FAA around 4:30pm asking me to go back to the scene and try to start the plane's engine. My wife and I returned to the scene, but the FAA officer there said he didn't want to try starting the engine after all. They had entered the plane through the luggage door (the latch had been bent during the accident, so it wouldn't shut completely). He told me I could lock it back up, which I did before we left.

On the morning of Wednesday, August 24, 2011, my wife, son, and I arrived at the accident scene at 9:30am. The Open Space officers were at the scene and they wouldn't let us walk out to the airplane until the NTSB called them to clear it. They told us that they had arrived around 8:20am and nobody was guarding the site when they arrived. Apparently the private guard hired by my insurance company left around 8am. At 10am Dennis James from Plain Parts arrived with his truck and trailer to retrieve the airplane. He called Van at the NTSB and they convinced the officers to let us through. Right before we entered, Ken Steiner from USAIG, my insurance company, arrived. He walked in with us. I asked him if we could measure exactly how much fuel was in the right tank when it was drained. He said they would try to do so. I also asked if I could turn on the master switch in the plane so I could read some numbers from the fuel totalizer. Dennis called Van back to ask for permission for me to do that, and Van granted it. Dennis took photos of the fuel totalizer while I was reading it. It showed 24.7 gallons used since the last time fuel was added, with 15.3 remaining. I remarked that these numbers were exactly what I expected them to be -- we had burned 15 gallons on Monday and 10 gallons on Tuesday. We left as they began preparing to dismantle the plane and haul it away.

I Bought an Airplane

A real one. Not a toy or a model. Like a big one that people can sit in. Four people. And they can fly for hundreds of miles. It. Is. Awesome.

It all started about a month ago. I had been looking at used planes on controller.com and Trade-A-Plane every day for over a month already. I was starting to get pretty familiar with the various makes and models that had been produced over the past 50 years and what I could expect to afford. I narrowed my search to Pipers and Beechcraft, because I like low wing planes. Over time I became more and more drawn to Beechcraft airplanes. I see them as the Mac to the Piper/Cessna PC. They're a little more rare. They're better designed and built. They're both more attractive and more capable. And they have a loyal and passionate following that tend to turn up their noses at those "C and P airplanes".

After being frustrated that all the good options seemed to be in the eastern half of the country, I was shocked when I found what looked like a lovely Beech Musketeer not only in the West, but right here in the Bay Area! I decided that since it was so close, I should at least go up to Novato and check it out. So, on July 16, 2011, Jassen, Caroline and I flew up to DVO. There we met T.J. Neff, an aircraft salesman who has been working out of Gnoss Field for decades. He showed us the airplane and was even kind enough to let me fly it back to PAO. I pretty much fell in love with the plane during that flight. It was so nice!

After unsuccessfully attempting to convince Caroline and Drew to split the plane with me, I began to consider buying it all by myself. What a crazy idea! The thought of owning the plane was pretty much consuming me, though, so I knew it had to be done. I scheduled a pre-purchase inspection with Bob Burnett, an excellent mechanic who has a shop at DVO. I took Thursday, July 28, 2011, off work to participate in the all day inspection.

I learned a ton about the airplane that day. Bob was a great teacher and I'm glad he was willing to let me help out and put up with all my questions. I came armed with a list of things to check based on the advice I found within the fabulous online communities at Beech Talk and the Beech Aero Club.

The airplane passed its inspection with flying colors. It was in great shape. The current owner had mostly let it sit in a hangar for the year that they owned it, which is not optimal. The previous owner, however, had flown it regularly and put a ton of time and effort into restoring it and upgrading it. Through some careful internet stalking I managed to get in contact with this man and he has been incredibly willing to write out long, detailed responses to all of my questions via email. Not only have I learned a lot about the plane from him, but I also felt much more confident buying the plane knowing that it was heartily endorsed by a previous owner who no longer had any skin in the game.

After about three weeks of arranging a loan, setting up insurance, and haggling with T.J. and the sellers about how much I was willing to pay and how many of the minor issues that came to light during the inspection they were willing to fix, the deal was done on Friday, August 19, 2011.

T.J. flew the plane down to PAO and I met him there with Jassen. We then flew T.J. back home and I got to fly my very own plane back to PAO for the first time. It was a wonderful feeling, and a beautiful first flight over a fogged-in San Francisco.

I am the proud owner of a 1966 Beechcraft A23-24 Musketeer Super III. I've put a few hours on N5779V now, and I must say I absolutely love the plane. I couldn't be happier with it. Here's to clear blue skies and many years of safe, fun flying!

First Solo Flight

The moment of truth came on a calm Monday night in Watsonville, July 25, 2011. I really wanted to solo at PAO or HAF, two airports that I know and love, but the weather just wouldn't permit it. So we loaded up N7819C and flew down to WVI. Sophie and Max even came along for the special occasion.

On the way down I did some simulated instrument flying with the foggles. It's cross-country flights like these that put me over 20 hours before my first solo, so I better at least make good use of the time! When we got to Watsonville, the air was clear and the wind was calm. There were a few other planes in the vicinity of the airport and the constant warning calls from a nearby skydiving operation on the frequency. "Caution, skydivers 4 miles to the northeast!"

We went into the lovely little restaurant next to the taxiway, and Sophie ordered herself some dinner. Jassen and I were all business. He has a small written exam that he requires his students to complete before solo flight. We went over it together. After that we took to the skies, leaving the camera with Sophie to snap some pictures in the fading sunlight.

After a handful of takeoffs and landings I was feeling pretty comfortable. Jassen wants to see 5 good landings in a row with no help from him before he'll get out of the plane. By the time I had accomplished that, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Jassen was a little concerned about the lower visibility at dusk, but I reassured him that I could see just fine. He hopped out of the plane on the taxiway and I took off for my first solo flight!

Jassen had his hand-held radio, so we were in constant communication. My first time around I had everything lined up perfectly. I flew over the trees off the end of runway 20 at about 500 ft. My airspeed was a perfect 80mph on final. Then, at the last moment, I flared a little too early and a little too much. The plane gained altitude and lost airspeed -- a deadly combo when you're 10 feet off the ground! Naturally I had told myself to be ready to perform a go-around in the event of even the slightest misstep. I pushed the throttle to wide open, stabilized my altitude, raised the flaps and took off for another try. Luckily the second time was the charm and, after a similar approach, I landed the plane almost perfectly.

The plan was to do three landings to full stop. However, as I was taxiing back after the first successful landing, Jassen got on the radio and said it would be safer to stop after one and do the other two some other day with more sunlight. I'm not one to argue with my instructor, so I taxied over to the fuel station to fill up for our trip home.

The trip home was smooth and beautiful. Coming over the mountains to see the lights of the bay area at night from 3,000 feet is a breathtaking experience. I had trouble getting to sleep that night. I was too excited. Flying solo felt entirely different from flying with Jassen. I felt much more in control, and much more capable. All those hours I've logged with Jassen I've felt pretty confident, yet not entirely sure I knew how to fly, because he was always there as my safety net. Now I've flown on my own. And it felt great.

How Much Does It Cost To Get A Private Pilot License?

It seems like this is the first question on most people's minds when I talk to them about flying. And it's completely logical that people would ask this question first -- I sure did. Which makes me wonder why it's often difficult to find hard numbers on the web sites of some flight schools.

To answer the big question, I will borrow heavily from my instructor's web site and add in some of my own commentary.

Jassen breaks down the costs thusly:

That's a pretty big number, but not nearly as big as the one I was facing at the helicopter school in my last post. Let's break it down and tweak it a bit.

The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours of flight time to earn your PPL (Private Pilot License). However, most students take more than that. Most instructors I talked to were quick to quote the national average of a whopping 72 hours. The cynic in me notes that they are financially incentivized to drag out my training as long as possible, and were therefore trying to set my expectations during our initial talks. One aspect of Jassen's philosophy that I really appreciate is that he earnestly tries to help his students finish in 40. That being said, based on the experience of some of Jassen's other students whom I know, I expect it will take me a bit more than 40 hours (I'll be sure to post the final numbers when all is said and done). Let's plan on 50. That adds $1,300 to the total cost. The rental rate of $130/hour wet means that fuel is included in the price. Fuel alone accounts for probably $50 of that $130. Beware of flight clubs that list rental rates at $110/hour and neglect to mention a $20/hour fuel surcharge!

The FAA requires that 20 of your 40 hours as a student are spent with a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). This is know as "dual time". Since the solo time minimum is 10 hours, most people assume that you'll need as much dual time as you can get and you'll end up spending 30 hours with an instructor. This also means that most of those 10 extra hours I added in the preceding paragraph will be dual. Let's add 8 more dual hours. That's $400 more.

The practical exam is when a certified examiner comes and quizzes you orally about everything you've learned and then takes you up in the air to demonstrate your flying abilities. If an FAA employee examiner conducts the test, it is free. However, most of the time the exam is conducted by a DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner), which is someone who works for themself but is certified by the FAA. I actually don't know why that is, but I'm guessing it has something to do with our government's limited budget and present financial woes. So you have to pay the DPE and you have to rent the plane for the test.

The other costs are pretty self-explanatory. Our adjusted total is $9,500. As noted in my previous post, that number will be significantly higher with the majority of instructors at PAO (Palo Alto Airport). "Significantly higher" meaning anywhere from $12k to $15k. The reason for the difference is that most instructors charge you for time on the ground and they will stretch out your training to 60+ hours. I'm sure they are fabulous instructors, but I personally don't see why I would want to pay $3k-$5k more for my pilot's license.

Of course the math changes quite a bit if you decide to purchase an airplane and train in your own plane. But that's a topic for another day and another post.

Time To Fly

Recently I decided it was time to fly. It had been time for a while now.

For most of my life I've fantasized about flying. Some time last year I started talking about it and researching it in earnest. I was mostly looking at helicopters at the time. Sophie, being the amazing wife that she is, picked up on my interest and bought me a gift certificate to do a discovery flight with Golden Gate Helicopters, out of Hayward. Probably the best birthday gift I've ever received!

It took a while to find an open weekend in our busy schedule, but on May 28, 2011, it finally happened. I had a blast. Trying to control a helicopter in flight was a humbling experience. At first the thing would begin plummeting out of the sky within a few seconds of my taking over the controls. Eventually, I got the hang of it. However, I was once again humbled while trying to hover close to the ground at the end of the flight. It was so much fun. Sophie and Max came along to watch.

At this point I was hooked and began looking for ways to make this flying thing actually happen. Golden Gate Helicopters estimates a total cost of over $23k to get your private pilot's license. Staring at that number, I decided to look into airplanes. Airplanes are cheaper, almost as fun, sometimes more useful, and there is a lot of overlap in the training so it makes sense to get an airplane license first.

After talking to several instructors at various flying clubs, I decided to do my first flight with Scott Stauter out of West Valley Flying Club at Palo Alto Airport (KPAO). On the evening of June 13, 2011, I took off from PAO in a Piper Archer and flew up and down the 280 freeway. My friend, Adam Heder, came along for the ride, in the back seat. I logged my first 0.6 hours as an airplane pilot. Scott was an excellent instructor, and a very kind person.

After just 0.6 hours I was serious enough to start looking at used aircraft for sale. Crazy, I know. The only thing more expensive than owning an airplane is renting one (sometimes). So I figured if I'm going to be flying a lot (and I hope to be), it makes sense to own one. Especially if I can find a friend to split it with me so we each shoulder only half the cost. Plus, I really just want an airplane I can call my own! I put some feelers out. OK, I basically asked everyone I know if they were interested in owning 50% of an airplane. I even posted an ad on Hot Ads, Apple's internal craigslist.

This wild goose chase led me to a fellow Appler named Caroline Cranfill who works with Jorge Fino, a former coworker of mine. Caroline and her husband, Drew, are both training for their private pilot's licenses right now. They're almost done, in fact. Caroline seemed reticently interested in splitting an airplane with me, but she was not shy about heaping praise upon her instructor, Jassen Todorov. Jassen, she said, is a fantastic instructor, being a teacher by trade (he teaches violin at SF State). He can also save me a lot of money, because, unlike every other instructor I talked to, he only charges for flight time, not for time on the ground. More importantly, he really tries to help his students finish in close to the FAA minimum 40 hours instead of the ~60 that most instructors quoted me. I was sold.

I started training regularly with Jassen out of Half Moon Bay Airport (KHAF). So far I've logged about 12 hours in his Piper Warrior and an hour in the other plane at the Half Moon Bay Flying Club, a Cessna 172. I'm loving every minute of it! More recently, Jassen decided to temporarily move his Piper to PAO due to foggy conditions in Half Moon Bay during the summer. So, I've had to become familiar with taxiing and flying at a more crowded airport with a control tower. This is great stuff to learn, of course. All the challenges of learning to fly have been more fun than I even expected them to be. Sometimes it feels like I still have a ton to learn, but when I see myself improving it feels great.

The search for an airplane continues... more on that later.