How not to land a Nanchang CJ-6 [video]

[Mayhemxpc]

Not really about the timing. Props hit pavement, which stop the engine rather quickly. (Kind of like feathering with a bit more force.) You can see that all three blades end up with that nifty high-tech backsweep. Been there, done that, in a different type. Although I was not PIC, I will also admit that a gear up landing requires a team effort. Generally speaking, they don't do much damage to the airplane. If it wasn't for the sudden engine stoppage, they may not even rise to the level of a reportable incident. (My experience, for example, did not. An understanding airport manager helps in that department.) But...the engine stoppage requires a complete teardown, which is expensive. And that doesn't include the likely flat spots on the camshaft and or crankshaft.

Great video. Good material for and chapter/aeroclub/CAP squadron safety meeting.

[mgtaylor]

He shuts the engine OFF just prior to touch down after he's made the runway and completed his flair. It would appear to me he made a deliberate gear up landing on a paved runway. I would have to assume he had a good reason.

Mike

[Floatsflyer]

Mike & David have superior eyesight. Both of them are absolutely correct--the prop is at a complete stop a nanosecond(or 2) before it comes in contact with the runway. If you do a quick play & pause you too will see this.

[Bob Dingley]

Mike & David have superior eyesight. Both of them are absolutely correct--the prop is at a complete stop a nanosecond(or 2) before it comes in contact with the runway. If you do a quick play & pause you too will see this.

Looks like an almost stop. The blade at 8 o'clock seemed to rotate CCW to 6 o'clock and tick the rw at touch down then rotate to 4 o'clock. I guess the CJ-6 doesn't have a feather feature. Prop windmilled likely because of the hot aproach. Does the CJ-6 not have an emergency gear extension capability?

[RetroAcro]

Mike & David have superior eyesight. Both of them are absolutely correct--the prop is at a complete stop a nanosecond(or 2) before it comes in contact with the runway. If you do a quick play & pause you too will see this.

I have a hard time believing anyone is that good in such an unpracticed scenario. Plus you can hear the sound of the prop hitting the pavement as it spins down, followed by the continuous scraping sound. Ever stick a piece of paper in a fan blade as a kid? That's what the sound of the prop smacking the pavement here reminds me of.

[Frank Giger]

I've watched both the landing and the recovery videos a couple times, and I think there's one of two possible scenarios:

1) Gear wouldn't go down for some reason, and this pilot had done a wheels-up landing before and so knew just what to do. Prop position at the kill was just random luck (I only saw one prop bent). What we see in the recovery video doesn't show what all transpired between landing and lift - the problem could have been spotted and corrected before the lift.

2) Somebody said "Gear - GEAR - S&*$ - GEAR!" way too late to firewall for a go-around but soon enough to have the presence of mind to kill the engine.

Either way it's a good showing on a cool headed pilot; nobody was hurt and the plane is in repairable condition.

[Ernie]

Some good timing on shutting off the engine. Prop stops and a split section later, touchdown. Not bad!

David

Doesn't that sort of indicate he knew the gear was up?

[Southron]

Like that say: "When you land with the gear "UP," it takes full power to taxi to the ramp."

[JimRice85]

Yak gear folds forward against bottom of the wing. CJ-6 gear folds inward and is enclosed in wing. Only the nose wheel remains somewhat exposed.

Gear is pneumatic, IIRC.

[Southron]

My greeting to him was fairly short: "There has got to be a good story about what happened to this Merlin." My mechanic buddy chuckled and said: "There sure is one-here is what happened." "Yesterday afternoon I heard this airplane taxi up and the engines shut down" Then I heard a lot of hollering and screaming."When I walked outside, the Pilot and Co-Pilot were standing on the tarmac with Hang-dog, embarrassed looks on their faces." "The fella standing in front of them was very mad and doing the hollering at them." "He was wearing a business suit, and as I learned later, he was the CEO of _______ corporation." [I don't remember the name of a corporation but it was a Fortune 500 corporation.] Also, there were a few other men wearing business suits standing around and they were members of the corporation's Board of Directors.

By then, my interest was peaked. So, my next question was: "So, the pilots attempted a Gear-Up Landing here and then did a "Go Around?" My friend shook his head: "Nope, they tried to do a Gear-Up Landing at a small municipal airport near-by." He shook his head and continued: "Well, when the prop tips started eating the concrete of the runway, the Captain applied full power and pulled the nose WAY UP!"

Glancing in the direction of the Merlin's tail he said: "That is when the tail dragged the runway before the airplane became airborne." "Needless to say, during the flight over here, the airplane was VIBRATING A LOT." "When they landed here, this time the pilots managed to lower the landing gear before setting this Merlin down."

"Geeze," I said, "I am one of those silly pilots that always uses a Check List and yet have to land Gear-Up."

THIS IS A TRUE STORY AND THERE IS A MORAL IN IT SOMEWHERE.