Pen Air Goose unscheduled stop

[N63350JR]

Peninsula Airways Goose N22932 S/N B-139



Apparently was run out of fuel shortly after takeoff near Big Lake Alaska.
Was refueled, thawed out and flew off the ice without incident.

[Rajay]

How did they get it from floating in the water onto the "ice" or other solid ground again? Was there a seaplane ramp nearby? Or a crane? It's not like the landing gear on a Goose will pick the whole airplane up off its belly.

[MrWidgeon]

Melted the ice around the airplane and taxied it forward until it was on solid enough ice to taxi out of the water and on to the ice.
Then it was just like a gear up recovery on soft ground.
It happened New Years day 2012

[N63350JR]

Bruised egos aside, no harm done.

Always stick your fuel tanks!

[Rajay]

You don't have to "stick" the tanks on a Goose - it has direct-reading sight gauges (vertical glass tubes backed with calibrated scale reference marks) in the back corners of the cockpit right up against the wing roots. All the pilot has to do is swivel his head back and forth and he can see both of them at any time. They are about as accurate as any fuel gauge ever devised - at least when the Goose is flying straight and level, but even on the ground, they'd still clearly show that the tanks were not full!

[Rajay]

Video of this event, at least the driving it up out of the water back onto the ice part, is now available on YouTube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2itZKG9oD9k&feature=related

[Cameraman]

Hi Rajay,

why is it that some idiot always chooses to ruin the soundtrack of some fabulous engines with some poxy music?

And also, why is it that when the content's something interesting, that the camera work/focus/zoom or video definition's always really poor but, when it's something totally stupid, that it's always perfect?

Sounds like the laws of YouTube to me.

Regards

Reggie

[MrWidgeon]

Thanks for the links, the one of N703 shows one of the problems in operating an amphib when not able to see the bottom.

As an aside back to the earlier post about sticking the tanks, according to an old Alaska vet and Goose pilot, under certain conditions in Alaska or other cold weather locales there are times and conditions when the sight gauges are not to be trusted.
In the Winter it's always better and more certain to stick the tanks.

[gozonnablat]

Melted the ice around the airplane and taxied it forward until it was on solid enough ice to taxi out of the water and on to the ice.
Then it was just like a gear up recovery on soft ground.
It happened New Years day 2012

This incident happened on Lake Clark not anywhere near Big Lake. The guy in charge of the recovery operation.....Joel Natwick.....did this kind of work for years recovering crashed airplanes in Alaska and lived in Port Allsworth near where this goose landed on the ice. Joel and I were beginning pilots together flying out of St. Marys, Alaska back in 1984 and later. Pretty impressive recovery operation here. For what it's worth........

[Rajay]

Gozonnablat, apparently you're new to the forum. Welcome!

Any time you want to discuss BLM Gooses, let me know. The remains of N641 (s/n B-115) and N643 (s/n B-145) are stored in a warehouse about 3 miles from where I am now, and I also have done a lot of research regarding the McKinnon and subsequent conversions on N640 (s/n B-123) and N642 (s/n B-137) and have had contact with their current owners over the past 6 - 10 years as well.

And BTW: which one is the one in your Avatar? Can't tell because it's so small!

It may be an old subject of old airplanes even from an old guy, but you're still fresh "blood" to this forum and we're looking forward to your fresh contributions.