Emergency Landing Cessna 170B

August 5, 1989 I had an engine failure in my Cessna 170B (N170JA) just as I was entering Mystic Pass, in the Alaska Range. My front seat passenger was taking video -- and he continued to film until just above the ground when I yelled "it's gonna be rough" and he decided he better stop filming and hang on. As for what happened to the airplane, a friend who is also an excellent bush pilot and an A&P flew in a borrowed engine (in his Cessna 206U), landing next to my airplane. Before leaving on the chopper I had walked off 900' usable feet of gravel bar. Using a spruce-legged tripod made from local trees, he swapped out engines right there on the gravel bar. Only took him four hours! We flew my airplane to the A & P's hangar where he put together a "new" engine for me. I sold the airplane in 1992. It's still in Alaska.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Alaska
• airplane
• Cessna
• emergency
• landing
• crash
• mystic
• engine
• failure
• Fixed-wing Aircraft
• Plane
• accident
• incident

[hamsterwing]

That's insane!!!!! Do you ever go flying for the fun of it? Cuz I am 12 and fly rc planes and want to be a bush pilot. How old do you have to be to start flying lessons?

[mysticpass]

@hamsterwing Flying "just for fun" is the best! I love flying on skis in Alaska because in the winter you can land so many places. You are getting a great start if you are flying RC because those airplanes fly exactly the same as the big ones. You have to be 16 to get a student pilot's license but you can do lots of practicing before that with an instructor or pilot friend. You can also start studying for the written examination whenever you want. Safe flying!

[legendofwayne]

Wow, that's a great video. (and story) Well done.

[mysticpass]

@legendofwayne Thanks.

[kellingc]

It sounded like you were keeping right on the edge of the stall envelope. That was some good stick and rudder flying.

[mysticpass]

@kellingc Right on. With the Horton STOL kit, this airplane was really gentle and stable at 60 mph indicated. Plus the "barn door" manual flaps let me come in high and then come down fast when we had the gravel bar made.

[saxmanchiro]

@mysticpass I bet of the 4 hrs you guys worked on that engine swap, you swatted flies for 2 of them. Have never been in Alaska but have been in northern Ontario during the spring. Black flies galore. Even had one manage to get up my ear canal. EENT had to go in and get him out. All the best to you and yours.

[mysticpass]

@saxmanchiro :) sounds like you've been there.

[saxmanchiro]

@mysticpass Wow, that's quite the mechanic. I bet the bugs were real pesky.

[mysticpass]

@saxmanchiro A friend who is also an excellent bush pilot and an A&P flew in a borrowed engine (in his Cessna 206U), landing next to my airplane. Before leaving on the chopper I had walked off 900' usable feet of gravel bar. Using a spruce-legged tripod made from local trees, he swapped out engines right there on the gravel bar. Only took him four hours! We flew my airplane to the A & P's hangar where he put together a "new" engine for me. I sold the airplane in 1992. It's still in Alaska.