From: claude@color3.UUCP (Claude Goldsmith)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc
Subject: Return to Truckee
Summary: watch those wing tips
Keywords: n
Date: 25 Jan 93 19:50:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: LMSC, Sunnyvale

In my last post I recounted how my S.O. and I had flown to Truckee
(TRK) on Jan 3rd to unsuccessfully check on how our house in Carnelian Bay
(north shore of Lake Tahoe) had faired in the big snow storm.

This past Saturday we retraced our path to TRK after first checking to
make sure that a road had been plowed through the long-term parking
lot.  This was the first sunny weekend we've had since the beginning
of the month.  The flight up was smooth and uneventful.  Truckee
airport looked familiar this time; both runways and the parallel
taxiways having been plowed.  It was obvious that something unusual
was going on though as most of the aircraft parking on the west side
of the airport had been pre-empted for automobile parking.  After
landing and parking the Mooney, we noticed all the dog sleds.  Truckee
airport was hosting the annual dog-sled races.

I grabbed the folding shovel out of the Mooney and my S.O. and I
headed off in search of our airport car.  As we feared, it was buried
up to the roof in snow.  Unfortunately, this was no longer soft
powdery stuff.  I was able to walk around on the surface of snow that
should have had me buried chest deep.  The first task was to dig down
and gain access to the back of the car; we keep a real shovel in
there.  After extracting the shovel, we spent the next half-hour
exposing the front of the car.  In the meantime another set of
aviators had figured out a more effective way to extract their car;
they paid one of the airport employees to dig and then pull it out
with a "front-loader".  We followed suit and $15 later we were on our
way.  We did briefly wonder how we would put the car back again on
Sunday when we were planning to leave.

Before leaving the airport, I stopped by the FBO and made arrangements
to have the engine pre-heated for a 1330 departure time on Sunday.

We arrived back at the plane at 1345 on Sunday after having lingered a
bit over a delicious lunch in downtown Truckee.  Reaching up under the
cowl I confirmed that the engine was nicely warmed.  As we transferred
our bags from the car to the plane, a very nice Turbo Arrow 3 started
up to leave.  The arrow was parked behind and to the left of my Mooney
facing the opposite direction (i.e. we were almost tail-to-tail).  As
the Arrow started to taxi out, I turned to continue loading the
plane.  My attention was abruptly drawn to the Arrow again by the
unmistakable sound of crumpling sheet metal.  I turned in time to see
the Arrow's right wing sliding down off a high spot on a berm on the
other side of the taxiway.

At first we feared the pilot wasn't going to stop and check for
damage.  Fortunately though he turned around to return to the tie-down.
As the plane swung around to where we could see the right wing, we saw
that the leading edge of the right wing, just inboard of the wing tip,
was caved-in.  Also, the right aileron was damaged.

The pilot was understandably upset as he exited the aircraft.  He was
angry with the airport personnel for not plowing the taxiway wide
enough so that he could safely follow the "yellow line".  Apparently
he'd been concentrating his attention on keeping the nose wheel
aligned with the yellow line.  I did not point out the flaw in his
reasoning.  I could see he was pretty frustrated right then and didn't
need his nose rubbed in it.  As he replays the incident in his mind,
as I'm sure he will over-and-over-and-over, he'll recognize where the
responsibility lies.

When we learned he'd been heading home to Reid-Hillview, we offered
him a ride.  He gratefully accepted.  While he finished tieing his
plane down,  we returned our airport car to the parking lot.
Fortunately, we found a parking space that had been vacated by a
larger vehicle then ours; making it easy for us to park our car.

Back at the Mooney, we finally got around to completing the "formal"
introductions.  As I asked him how long he'd owned the Arrow I had a
feeling that we'd met before; he looked familiar.  He said that he'd
only owned the Arrow for 8 months; he'd owned a C-170 for about 12
years before that.  The light went on!!  I asked him if the Cessna was
red, white and blue.  His light went on too!  We had met about 12
years ago when his wife and my ex-wife both worked together.  I just
didn't recognize him after all those years in the context of an Arrow.
He of course didn't recognize me in the context of my S.O. (As an
aside, when we'd met before it was at his plane not mine.  Therefore,
he didn't connect the Mooney with me.)

I couldn't help but wonder to myself if owning a high wing aircraft
for all those years hadn't contributed to his misfortune by leaving
him programmed with an inappropriate template for situational
awareness.

The flight to RHV was beautiful.  There was an airmet for occasional
moderate to severe turbulence.  However our flight was completely
smooth until we began descending for landing at RHV. Passing north of
Mission Peak, we hit one substantial bump.  The airspeed seemed to
take an almost instantaneous jump of 25Kts; pushing it well up into
the yellow arc, us into our seats, and the nose up.  I pulled the
power back and gently let the airspeed bleed back down.  When I
suggested that we turn around and do it again, the responses suggested
mutiny. :-)

After depositing our passenger at RHV, we did get to do it again.  The
flight path from RHV to our home-base at HWD goes right passed Mission
Peak.  This time we were expecting it and the adrenaline rush was
lacking.  After a smooth landing at HWD we tucked the Mooney back into
her hangar.

Lesson re-learned: As strong as our aircraft are in the air, they are
easily damaged by collisions that would be minor and inconsequential
in any car.


Claude Goldsmith, CFII <claude@sunfse.ese.lmsc.lockheed.com>
 twisted-pair (408) 742-7514	      | Opinions expressed are not 
 on the air - WB6UOO                  | necessarily those of my 
 through the air - Mooney N6416U      | employer.
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc