EAA Sport Aviation - October 2011

hitting the corn is how come the farmer planted those last rows so close to the end of 17? Pull the full-flaps now with the big Johnson bar, the airplane levels momentarily, and I ease the nose up to the stall inches above the tassels.

As the old 182 settled into the cornfield, I had the sensation that the corn was rising above the airplane instead of the airplane settling into the corn as I was slammed against the harness and heard the most god-awful racket of crunching and banging as corncobs and stalks pummeled the airframe with the propeller thrashing and hurling debris in all directions. And just when I thought it was going to nose over, I was pushed back into the seat as the plane emerged from the corn into bright sunlight with Runway 17 stretched out ahead of me in a perfect line.

Suddenly, the sound of silence. And the realization that it’s a real-live engine failure at 800 feet and I should do something intelligent soon.

And to my embarrassment I see the full pickup truckload of the “gang” sitting on the side of the runway with their eyes bug-ging out and their mouths wide open erupt into a cheering frenzy as my exit from the corn, debris still flying, reveals an intact airplane and pilot.

Turns out there was a fuel vent AD on
these airplanes because the bladder tanks
would “suction” up off the bottom of the
wing and stop the fuel flow when there was
less than 3 gallons per side. Yeah, we flew
that light on fuel. And no, the AD had not
been complied with. Also turns out that I
only carved out about 30 feet of corn. We
found only six minor dents on the airframe
that we were pretty sure were caused by
the corn. I learned a few things that day;
most importantly, stay over the airport
when flying sky divers!

EAA President/CEO Rod Hightower began flying when he was 16. He owns and flies a T- 6, as well as a Stearman that he restored. He is a founding member of Stearman Flight, a FAST signatory organization dedicated to standardized formation training in Stearman aircraft.

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