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Belite Chipper down in Alaska

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Chris In Marshfield

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,704
Location
Northwest WI USA
Sad story this morning, although it had a favorable outcome. I really like that plane. From Belite's Facebook page.

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Chipper is all over Anchorage news. Approximately 5 hours ago, I experienced a complete loss of power while in the pattern at Lake Hood, Anchorage, Alaska, and Chipper went down in a marsh off the end of the runway. My best guess is fuel starvation. (Chipper has 5 fuel tanks). I have already had an initial interview with the NTSB and I get to fill out an 11 page form. As I am writing this, the wreckage is likely on its way to a secure location for teardown and inspection by the NTSB.

I am essentially unharmed. I have some very minor scratches. My upper shins hit the bottom of the instrument panel.

I am grateful to God and to my wife, Kathy and to all of my family and friends. Thankyou for your love.

Several of my new friends in Anchorage have reached out to me and offered help and prayers, and I am so grateful for that as well.

My lack of bodily harm is a testament to the honeycomb cabin structure.

While in the pattern at Lake Hood, I advised the tower I would go around. About 150 to 200' AGL while climbing out, the engine quit. Lake Hood's strip is very short, and I did not have time to check fuel tanks and restart. I advised tower I was landing, flew the plane towards the remaining runway for 2 or 3 seconds, then advised the tower I would not stop in the remaining runway. Impossible. Way too much speed.

I touched down at the (wrong) end of the runway, immediately bounced high, then thought perhaps I could clear the chain link fence.

I couldn't. Chipper's landing gear collided with the top of the fence, and wentt OVER the fence, and about 30 feet later, hit the marsh nose down, (immediate STOP), then rolled onto its back.

In my mind, I can recall the violent snap as my body went taught in milliseconds against the seat belt and shoulder harness.

A fraction of a second later, I'm hanging upside down.

I think I turned off the master electrical, also I tried to turn off the fuel selector. (The NTSB investigator showed me a photo which shows that the selector was not in the off position, although it was sort, of, close.)

I was then upside down, hanging, trying to get the seat belt off.

Couldn't get it. Too much weight.

Realized that there were liquids around. Gasoline?

Tried some more on the seatbelt. Couldn't get it.

I had the epiphany that if I could release my body weight somehow, the latch would move. I did that, and I plopped down.

Then I pushed on the door, it was stuck closed.

I remember applying additional pressure, and it popped open, and I fell to the ceiling of Chipper, and I crawled half out.

A moment later, 2 or 3 guys ran up, ready to help, ready to rescue.

And I got up, and walked out of the marsh with them.

In the photos, here are some comments:

1) the fence was removed by emergency personnel, not by Chipper. I believe the first group of 2 or 3 guys went under the fence in order to get to me.

2) One of the pictures shows how close Chipper is to the fence. The airplane was 'flying' when I hit the fence. There is a good sized crater just ahead of the engine compartment in the photos -- I wish I could have gotten a pic of that hole.

3) The wings were unbolted by the NTSB arriving investigator. He had pulled the wings away from the cabin. He also was clamping fuel lines.

That's all for now, I've got to work on a way to get home.
 
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