#Aviation #experience 🙏
#Runwayexcursion if any and as it begins, shakes one's senses to an unbelievable and unimaginable level!
From a smooth surface a while ago, you have now and all of a sudden, transitioned into a series of bumpy, thunderous, hard and soft thuds.
Shocked and overwhelmed beyond belief, by the time one realises being in a difficult situation and has decided to react, something
begins to appear nearer; it's either the Perimeter wall of the Airfield or it's fencing or some hangar or an aircraft parked in front of it.
First few seconds, after the ordeal has begun can be the most crucial to avert a disaster.
And we, on such a day, could make it back safely because it was a small slow speed training aircraft equipped with a tail wheel which inherently kept the nose up even during this dreadful, unsolicited roll and imo also aided in better braking (in that particular situation) and also being 100% able to avert a Flip over.
Oth a small nose wheel aircraft in a similar situation and while negotiating sudden and unexpected depressions in the unpaved surface or even under the grass it has strayed on to, wouldn't have fared well.
Further a ditch or a drain can only worsen things, (for any type of aircraft) before you even hit any of the above.
A
#Truestory while
#Flyingtraining,
Location VIPL, approaching Rwy 15, crosswind made the aircraft drift from a centreline aligned approach, making it's left wheel touch down on to the edge (some 3 notches lower than the Rwy surface, on to an old layer of bitumen, thus letting the aircraft veer to the left more rapidly.
Recarpetting the Flying club Airfields with layers of Fresh bitumen every few yrs leads to old and v thick looking Runway edges becoming v prominent making the wheels difficult to regain the top surface Incase one has ever and unfortunately strayed (farther from the Rwy Centre line) on to one of these.
Also these different layers of bitumen surface and different for both the main wheels created a Steps tormation giving rise to a kind of differential braking or swirling effect on application of the brakes.
(Differential braking is Just as we see and do for tractors by pressing one of the brakes to expedite the turn for the next pass; pressing the same brake towards the direction of the turn)
So all in all it was indeed and clearly a case of Human error.
Note- The infamous taildragger Swing or Ground looping was not the reason behind this incident 🙏
(Pic through Google search and credits on the pic itself)
