capt. mike - 3-28-2005 at 01:21 PM
do any of you recall the incident at Chivato, i think maybe in the 80s - several were on the patio of Alvarados place and a V tail bonaner made a low
alt high speed pass out in front of the ocean view bar, then he pulls pretty much straight up like he's going to do a break over to the downwind entry
when at the top of his arc the plane stalls and rolled into a spin - no recovery time and the four on board (2 couples) were immediate goners.
i heard about it from a friend who apparently was there and he and Bill A. jumped in a truck right then to the wreckage next to the strip. Nothing of
course could be done and they had to leave everything intact until the Fed inspector could get there the next day from Loreto or La Paz. Guess they
just covered up what was left of the individuals and the next day the remains - people and airplane - were dealt with.
Curious as the pilot was known to be experienced, some said he expected some friends to be at the bar awaiting their arrival so he decided to "show
time" it.
bad idea for sure. just wondered if any of you knew about this one or even were in the area then.
Sorry Mike
thebajarunner - 3-28-2005 at 02:06 PM
I only landed there once, maybe 1980 or so in my 210.... actually we took it down with my instructor while I was still learning the plane.
No sign of life at the ruins of the resort, nor any sign of a wrecked plane, and we stayed at Serinadad and no mention there either.
I "did a stupid" similar to the one you described at San Felipe in the early '80's but got away with it. Made a low fast pass over the beach to get
my racing partner's attention, then straight out over the bay and a very, very, very steep turn back toward the airport.
Man, I have lived that one over many times in my mind..... we do some dumb stuff when we are young. (finished 4th in pickups in the 1000 that week
too....)
Baja Arriba!!
thx Guys.....man, would you look at all those
capt. mike - 3-28-2005 at 03:05 PM
tail draggers in Pompano's pic! had to be, i have walked that old strip now no longer used (at least i think no one tries it today?!) and it would
take a STOL conventional gear plane to do it in and out IMHO!!
but how nice would it be to live around Posada and have a plane right there......
And Pompano, did Killer ever tell you about the time he was in that super cub or J-3 and they flipped it on a bad Xwind landing at the now ditched
strip over at the "villas de Mulege" development?
guess he busted himself up a bit and they walked but the plane had very much the worst of it!
Nikon - 3-28-2005 at 09:43 PM
Well, since it appears impossible to just say "yes" or "no" to the question without a gassy tale thrown into the bargain, I'll say "no" and go ahead
with mine;
My partner-in-crime and I were in a 182 for some tank diving at Chivato, and before getting there we agreed we didn't want to walk all that way with
all that gear and would taxi as far as we could before stopping.
At the end of the runway we got a good running start at a little hill and made it to the top and onto the road. Soon the vegetation closed in and the
wings were mowing down bushes. Crossing over a culvert, we called out to each other the number of inches of clearance we had for the tires. (8")
Shortly thereafter, a VW camper full of hippies coming head-on forced both of us to stop facing each other. They were pretty wide-eyed to see a
spinning prop coming at them, but helped us turn the airplane around for the return.
Later in the day I found a pearl in an oyster and like a fool, gave it to a kid.
Mike
Ken Bondy - 3-29-2005 at 07:05 AM
I was doing a lot of Baja flying through the 80's but never heard about this incident. I will avoid a gassy tale but it is difficult. Here, let me
slam the old sphincter shut....OUCH...
++Ken++
Who sez...
thebajarunner - 3-29-2005 at 09:47 AM
you cannot attach a good story to the end of a post...
those stories are usually what keep me coming back here a couple times a day...
Baja Arriba!!
Nikon - 3-29-2005 at 11:26 AM
SighHow you guys pull out all these pictures so quickly and frequently, amazes me. I had to go find this one, first of all, then install the
driver scanner on my new workstation. But the loading of the 180 prompted me to remember the loaded 182, here on the morning we took off for Cabo
Pulmo. Got up to altitude and trimmed out nicely, alongside the reservoirs south of San Jose when the guy in the backseat says "chit, I forgot my
passport, it's in my jacket pocket in San Francisco" So we got to practice a gross weight landing on a 2100' strip right off the b at. (Smith Ranch,
Marin) The next day we were nearly swept out to sea in a strong current after being offloaded from a panga off Francisquito. Our good fortune I can
whistle loud enough to wake the dead, as soon as I saw how fast the bottom was moving I took off my snorkel and let loose to the panguero, who was
already 20 yards away with the outboard at full power. He picked us up and we went back to the beach with shaking knees. Much later I read a Reader's
Digest story about a woman in this same situation who was carried around an island in the Caribbean, and nearly died from exhaustion and exposure.
I hate gassy tales!
well i dunno...
capt. mike - 3-29-2005 at 12:08 PM
maybe it was in the 70's - all i do know is the originator (to me) is reliable and has flown down regularly since then, now owns la casa roca above
and north of posada.
Skeet/Loreto - 11-11-2005 at 04:30 PM
Mike: Sorry I don't have anything on the V-tail Accident. maybe Dave Deal?
There is a Twin Cessna buried in the Sand and Mud off the South End of the Runway. I went in there in 1969 took the wings off a Beechcraft, loaded it
on a Trailer, went across to Guymaus, then to the states.
Skeet