Well, at least he's current!

[tonyw]

Got those three landings in 90 days in!

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/57854.html

Fire officials reported that pilot William Supan, 57, of Pleasanton made the landings from 2:47 to 5:49 p.m. at Modesto Airport. During the third, his passenger, Jinhua Lin, 43, bailed out of a smoking cockpit while the plane was bouncing down the runway.

"When he came down the first time," Tilford recalled, "(Supan) said it was just smoking a little bit out of the cowling."

Supan told them it was exhaust smoke and he just needed a new clamp.

McFarlane said Supan went to Wal-Mart to buy one.

The second time Supan went up, smoke was pouring from the cowling again and he immediately landed.

"He found the (exhaust) hose had been almost cut in half. He didn't know how, but he had some more hose and replaced it," said McFarlane.
Tilford said he was talking to two pilots when Supan came in "really quick. His wings were wobbling and he wasn't in very good control of altitude. I thought it was a cockpit fire.

"The plane came screaming over (our) building and bounced really hard on all three landing gears."

[Mr.Maximus]

Talk about taking "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing" to the extreme. Bet his gal friend has changed her phone number already.




Max

[Berkut]

Originally Posted by tonyw

McFarlane said Supan went to Wal-Mart to buy one.

Wow. I wonder how many other Wal-Mart parts were installed on that airplane before it burned.

[Berkut]

And here's the update:

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating Saturday's accident at Modesto Airport in which the same plane made three emergency landings in three hours.

A passenger was seriously injured when she jumped out of the moving plane, and the pilot suffered from smoke inhalation.

Ian Gregor of the FAA indicated that officials were surprised that pilot Wil-liam Supan, 52, of Pleasanton would try to take off a third time after having been forced to land twice because of smoke in the cockpit.

"We're going to have a long talk with Mr. Supan," Gregor said.

Wayne Pollack of the NTSB said it would be about 30 days before a final report on the cause of the accident is finished. Pollack said the physical examination of the plane was almost complete and there had been one interview with Supan. He said Supan had 10 days to submit a written report. There will be more interviews with firefighters at the scene, Pollack added.

Efforts to reach Supan on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

An FAA official not connected to the investigation said all parts used in an airplane must be traceable to a certified airplane parts manufacturer. He said even if two parts look identical, it is unlikely they will perform the same unless they fit airplane or military specifications.

After he was forced to land the first time, Supan told Sky Trek workers he had to replace an exhaust hose clamp and that he was going to Wal-Mart to get it.

When the plane filled with smoke again, he reportedly said the exhaust hose had been cut. He replaced the hose and tried to take off again.

When an FAA technician examined the wreck, the exhaust hose and clamp were still on the engine, but it appeared the exhaust hose was cut in two.

Gregor questioned the wisdom of flying without having a certified mechanic check the plane.

Licensed pilots are allowed to work on their planes for only the most minor preventive maintenance. Gregor said a pilot would be allowed to do very basic, simple things, "like what drivers can do for their car, like check the oil."

A check of the FAA database showed Supan was a pilot and not a rated mechanic.

Jinhua Lin, the woman who jumped from the plane, remained in acute care Tuesday. She suffered a broken leg and abrasions. There were no updates available on her condition.

Way to go, slick. You gave your passenger a broken leg and the rest of GA a black eye.

[MQAAord]

My dad did an annual on a plane once and found multiple parts on it he knew came from a hardware store.

The guy had fairly recently bought the plane, did not have a pre-buy inspection done on it, and brought it to dad for it's first annual under his ownership.

That was one hella-expensive annual.

[Berkut]

Stuff like that turns up on airliners too. Isn't that comforting?

[tonyw]

Originally Posted by Berkut

And here's the update:Way to go, slick. You gave your passenger a broken leg and the rest of GA a black eye.

I don't think it's too bad of a black eye for GA. He was an idiot to be sure but how many people actually think about GA?

When they think about GA does something like this even pop into their minds?

[Berkut]

Ask that woman if she'd like another small airplane ride and see what she says. What story will she tell her friends when they happen to mention that they want to go for a light airplane ride?

I think it does. People remember those images of trashed airplanes and they think, "Those little airplanes are dangerous."