Dazed and Rescued, ELT 345 Aids in GA Recovery.

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Dazed and Rescued, ELT 345 Aids in GA Recovery.

Dazed and Rescued, ELT 345 Aids in GA Recovery.
Lives saved

1

Flying

Flying

Field

Field

Mechanical failure

Mechanical failure

Normal conditions

Normal conditions

Wind

Wind

Flying

Dazed and Rescued, ELT 345 Aids in GA Recovery.

28.0617° N°N, 82.2773° W°E

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Daren Busciglio

What happened?

On February 9th, 2021, I departed Tampa Executive Airport with winds coming west at 12 – 17 miles per hour. Unfortunately, I had an engine out just a few minutes after takeoff at 1500 – 1800 feet above ground level. I was in Phase I in my RV7 with just under four hours of total flight time.

I spotted a field on the north side of Lake Thonotosassa which was a mile to the south of me. There was a fence line along with fifteen foot trees running north and south of the field; splitting the field to the west side larger than the east by two or three times.

Daren and Local Law Enforcement Officers at the Scene of the Crash

Heading northeast towards Zephyrhills Airport (KZPH) at the time of the engine out, I knew I had to land to the west due to the wind. Making a 360 degree turn to the north to lose altitude, I set up for the landing into the wind. I contacted Approach and communicated the engine out and that there was no way of making it back to the airport. Passing over the east fence line, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it over the tree line splitting the field in two. I pitched up a little to try and stretch the glide, but I knew in a few seconds I wasn’t making it over.

Banking left 30 degrees to try and land parallel to the fence but stalled the left wing about fifteen feet above the ground. I remember looking down the left wing as it hit the ground, causing the plane to pivot the nose into the ground and slam the right wing down.

Dazed from the crash, it took me a moment to remember to get out in case the plane catches fire. After a few minutes I dialed 911, not knowing if I was going to pass out from whiplash.

Abandonded Plane on Ground

I knew I was going to be doing a lot of cross country flying, so I installed an ARTEX ELT 345. I was lucky to walk away from the crash with only a very sore neck for the next week. A co-owner of the plane, got a call from the Air Force explaining that the ELT 345 had gone off. My friend then got in touch with me at the crash site.

Words of wisdom

As a side note for you pilots; we practice engine outs, but remember in a true engine out your glide distance is a little more than half than in a simulated engine out.

Thank you note

It was comforting to know if I had gone down in a remote location I would have had a search team find me soon due to having a 406 ELT.  Having a 121.5 ELT is legal but useless.  When you are injured time is of the essence, $800 for saving your life or even to find your body to give your family closure is well worth the cost.

Rescue location

Lake Thonotosassa

Rescue team

Law Enforcement / Police

ELT 345

Go to product details

Take to the skies with confidence with the ELT 345. When an emergency happens, rely on the same brand that leading commercial aircraft manufacturers trust for first-class quality, superior technology, and outstanding customer service.  The best selling ARTEX ELT 345 is built to the industry’s most stringent quality management standards to ensure the ELT works the first time, every time.  The ARTEX ELT 345 transmits on 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz frequencies while providing positon accuracy thanks to the built-in GPS navigational interface. The ELT 345 boasts an industry low price for an ELT providing the same quality and performance on which the ARTEX brand was built.   Click here for information on the Canadian ELT Mandate
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