Saw a plane crash yesterday

[Angus]

Yup. Witnessed a crash, some 500 m. from my house yesterday. There is a runway near by and I often watch take-offs and landings.
There was this Cessna 172 that had landed. Crosswind almost 90 degs, and probably some 4 on the beaufort. He took off again, used very short runway and the standard short-field procedure. Probably needed some 500 feet for the take-off.
He came again, and I wondered if it was an instructor teching crosswind landings and take offs. He taxied to the end of the rwy and picked up some people, taxied back and took off.
Again a rather short take-off, but longer, perhaps 800 feet or so. He immediately climbed quite steeply, banked into the wind and stalled. The aircraft started wing-dipping and loosing alt, - he was only just above the ground effect so there was little time to play with. One wing went in, then the other, he smacked down and the aircraft turned a half circle.
I ran for the door while saying to my wife that she should call the emergency line for the plane had crashed.
Grabbed the family fire estinguisher on the way out, jumped into the car and drove like a madman to the site.
The passengers were all out and standing. The pilot had hurt his head, and one passenger was in a shock. I saw that the right wing tank had ripped and the avgas was oozing all over the cockpit, so I hushed them all further from the a/c, and asked the pilot (who had his extiguisher in his hand already) if he had switched the aircraft off.
Luckily he did.
The police was there in minutes, then the doc, ambulance and fire brigade. Really fast they were, quite admirable.
And luckily, no serious injuries.
Aircraft here:

[IrishOne]

     kudos for being johnny on the spot  


real glad everyone was OK

[Golfer]

Glad they were alive. It's a lot less exciting when dead people and fire are involved.

[Penguin]

What you did was admirable, Angus; I you.  However, isn't a handheld fire extinguisher too little, too late for an avgas fire?    My dad always told me that the fire department hates it when people try to put out the fire themselves.  Is it different in your country?

-Penguin

[EskimoJoe]

Way to go Angus! You should get a medal or something 

What you did was admirable, Angus; I you.  However, isn't a handheld fire extinguisher too little, too late for an avgas fire?    My dad always told me that the fire department hates it when people try to put out the fire themselves.  Is it different in your country?

-Penguin

Different in his country? No. Your parents are just wrong in EVERY country.

[Tupac]

What you did was admirable, Angus; I you.  However, isn't a handheld fire extinguisher too little, too late for an avgas fire?    My dad always told me that the fire department hates it when people try to put out the fire themselves.  Is it different in your country?

-Penguin

Yup, because when I have a cabin fire im going to sit in the cockpit and wait for the fire department to get there.

[Penguin]

Oops, looks like I was wrong.  Sorry to cause a disturbance. 

 
-Penguin

[Angus]

I am not familiar with what is suitable for avgas fire, but a truckload of light water might be it.
Anyway, I just grabbed what I had, - powder extinguisher for the household, which is vastly bigger than the little one in the aircraft. Better than nothing while the fire brigade is on the road.
My worry was that people were perhaps trapped inside or injured. A friend of mine crashed last year and broke his spine as an example. Anything to buy time while help is on the way was my thought.
Luckily there was no fire.
But the best part were the passengers. In the back seat there was this one, well actually his double, - fully dressed, and I am not joking!!!

[B3YT]

i'm more of a robby rotten fan .  nice show old chap

[redwing7]

Different in his country? No. Your parents are just wrong in EVERY country.

Especially when they decided to reproduce.....

[Yossarian]

Especially when they decided to reproduce.....

Wow, you're a really nice guy 


<S>Angus

What you did was admirable, Angus; I you.  However, isn't a handheld fire extinguisher too little, too late for an avgas fire?    My dad always told me that the fire department hates it when people try to put out the fire themselves.  Is it different in your country?

-Penguin

Something tells me he might have been talking about if a person were to try and put out their own personal housefire, or something.  If that's the case, then I'd understand what you mean.

[Penguin]

Wow, you're a really nice guy 


<S>Angus



Something tells me he might have been talking about if a person were to try and put out their own personal housefire, or something.  If that's the case, then I'd understand what you mean.

You are correct, I meant housefire, but I still don't have an answer pertaining to whether one should attempt to put out a fire in their plane with a handheld extinguisher.

-Penguin

[Golfer]

You are correct, I meant housefire, but I still don't have an answer pertaining to whether one should attempt to put out a fire in their plane with a handheld extinguisher.

-Penguin

What else are you supposed to use?

[Penguin]

What else are you supposed to use?

What I'm asking is, if your plane is on the ground and on fire and you're not in it, should you try to use your handheld fire extinguisher on the fire while the fire department gets there?

-Penguin

[Angus]

You are correct, I meant housefire, but I still don't have an answer pertaining to whether one should attempt to put out a fire in their plane with a handheld extinguisher.

-Penguin

What are you thinking? Me & the pilot actually had 3 extinguishers between us, 1 from the cockpit, 1 from my car, and one big one from the household.
With a cockpit fire and someone perhaps stuck, you don't just sit and wait!