@Jason: thanks for your appreciation but I’m afraid it is a bit out of place – more than ever I am blood serious, my sense of humour (which isn’t Belgian at all, AFAIK) has nothing to do with this.
Freely translating a comment from elsewhere:
and then from my own wisdom: I am quite sure the pilot could never have seen the sunbathing fool, he must have been below his line of sight all the while – even a high wing plane wouldn’t have changed that.
The only possible blame on the pilot would be to have even thought to land that plane at that place in those circumstances at all. And perhaps being either unlucky or a bit clumsy on short final. But as has been said, being clumsy or unlucky is not a reason for a defeat in court, nor for having one’s license revoked.
The only possible blame on the pilot would be to have even thought to land that plane at that place in those circumstances at all. And perhaps being either unlucky or a bit clumsy on short final.
I fail to see how luck is involved on short final. And your first sentence makes a good point. A pilot takes a plane into a field well outside POH parameters but crowbars it in…..
Now that’s what a glass half full person (who is not a pilot) might call unbounded optimism.
I fail to see how luck is involved on short final.
For me bad luck on short final usually assumes the shape of a downdraught, more or less severe – but my most spectacular “landing” followed a sudden sharp draught of crosswind – someone said I might make a very elegant ballerina, but that wasn’t humour either, extreme sarcasm at best…
Now that’s what a glass half full person (who is not a pilot) might call unbounded optimism.
Peter, don’t forget that Helgoland is an island in the open sea and has strong winds. The runways are therefore much “longer” in reality. There is no problem landing a PA28 on runway 24 which would only be active when there is a good wind from the southwest.
The pilot made a mistake, that does happen. Nobody got hurt. The signs telling people to not loiter in short final are huge and explicit. I think some of them even have red flashing lights.
I looked the book figures for a PA28-161, and admittedly this is a 180, so there might be some variance, but I don’t expect too much.
Landing at Max Gross Weight/Power Off/Flaps 40/Paved Runway/63 knots/Stalled touchdown – the ground roll is 600 feet for still wind, reducing to 450 feet for 15 knots headwind (180 meters and 140 meters approx.) The temperature effect is negligible, about an additional 20 feet for +40 centigrade.
I would say the airport is adequate for landing and the selected runway is adequate, presuming he flew the book technique. But I also have no idea of the actual weather and weight conditions, which would change things, naturally.
On take off I would assume also OK, because runway 15/33 gives 1575 feet (490 meters), and a PA28-161 up to 30 centigrade will get airborne, according to the book in 1400 feet of ground roll, at Max Gross. Having learnt to fly in both the 160 and 180 versions of the PA28, the 180 had a slightly shorter ground roll on take off. I have also flown a PA28-161 out of Leicester on Rwy 22, which is 490 Meters long with no trouble. I was two up and full tanks, so was probably a couple of hundred pounds down on Max. Gross.
If you have 20kt headwind or so (which you would have if 24 is active on Helgoland), then you need a lot less runway.
If you have 20kt headwind or so (which you would have if 24 is active on Helgoland), then you need a lot less runway.
You can’t land a PA28 in 20 kt headwind…
there is no line for it on the Landing Performance Graph 
Gentlemen! This guy landed on 21.
Those who haven’t been EDXH (at least five or so times, i.e. in differing wind conditions) should really refrain from making too brisk comments here…
Even with only 1 up, with a small amount of fuel I’d have to be pretty desperate to want to take my chances in my PA28 on 371m. You’d want a very strong direct headwind, a very self-assured ability to do a steep descent short field landing, knowledge that there isn’t a brick wall, or a “fat sunbather” as Jan’s extract beautifully puts it at the end, and that the insurance is all up to date. As a cautious rule (and I am cautious person), as a rule of thumb I don’t bother with anything 450m or less. PA28-180/1 ’s are floaters, compared to the PA28-140 type. Anyhow, glad no one was hurt, and luckily that little fence, was little and there was no serious damage.
