My crash in PA22-150 at IAR9 airpark

[Chad.S]

I had an engine failure in my experimental taylorcraft and ended up hitting a random cable in a field that a farmer used to zip line crops and put it into the ground nose first. Landing gear didn’t even get bent. Plane caught on fire almost immediately. If I didn’t have shoulder harnesses there is no doubt I wouldn’t have survived. Glad your okay and able to share the story. 320056BB-059E-40FF-8C2C-903D3DF9E4EC.jpeg

[Jaysmiths]

I should have installed harnesses, there is no doubt about that. My other airplane has them, I just procrastinated and didn’t do it. I likely have much more serious injuries because of my procrastination and am lucky I wasn’t killed or left as a quadriplegic…..the X-rays of the multiple broken bones in arm and leg are really horrific and had the situation been slightly different could have been my spine.

The odds of what happened to me are very small BUT SMALL OR NOT IT HAPPENED and there is a huge price to pay at this point from the health costs, suffering, total loss of the wonderful little airplane. Sickening and very depressing.

Get harnesses if you haven’t! Don’t let my story (or worse) become yours.

[Old3pacer]

Glad you made it out.
Sorry your plane sounds totaled.
We appreciate you telling us your story - we can all learn

[smcnutt]

It took us years to get around to installing our shoulder harnesses but we finally did. Stories like yours reinforce that it was the best money we've spent on the airplane. Glad you were able to walk away -sort of- and most importantly are on the road to healing. Hope you get there quickly.

[RickF]

I lost a flight instructor many years ago because he tucked the shoulder harness under his arm.
When his head hit the instrument panel one of the knobs poked a hole in his head.

The first thing we did when we bought our Cherokee was to install shoulder harnesses.
Money well spent even if we never have an accident. The peace of mind is worth it.

Installing them on my Cessna 140 project and when I get to it they will go into my Colt project.

Rick

[Kelliots]

The first thing I did after I bought my Colt was install shoulder harness belts from Wag Aero, won't fly without them...put them on my Cherokee 160 also....

[Armstrong]

Best of luck with your recovery and thanks for sharing this. Sounds like you did a great job of flying it right to the last moment! God bless.

[Spdcrazy]

I am so sorry to hear about this. Quite sobering. I also installed harnesses immediately after buying my pacer. My wreck was more of a down impact than a forward one, but I am glad to have had them.

do you think a helmet would have helped you in addition to the harness?

heal up, my friend. Glad you are still with us.

[rocket]

This was tough to read... but they always are.

Two years ago I had a moose in the yard take me down. Can't fly anymore... I might be able to some day but.

Healing takes time. It's a fight to keep moving forward so don't give up. About nine months in a saw myself in a mirror and didn't like what I saw, I was just begaining to be mobile so I just turned it up and started really taking care of myself and working out, eating smart, eating less...

A couple years before the moose I lost an engine then found the only power lines on four miles of straight road. Tried to kill me. Could have been worse, to totalledthe bird, tore some muscles in my back but mostly walked away...

We make the best choices we can and always need a little luck.


Rocket

[Jaysmiths]

It took us years to get around to installing our shoulder harnesses but we finally did. Stories like yours reinforce that it was the best money we've spent on the airplane. Glad you were able to walk away -sort of- and most importantly are on the road to healing. Hope you get there quickly.

My “walking away” consists of being able to sort of roll my wheelchair with my good arm (left) and good leg (also left). Kinda goes around in circles like a skid steer until I sort of figured out how to go straight!

BUT that’s still WAY better than how things might have been…still incredibly thankful every day. I somehow wasn’t killed or hurt worse.

WITH HARNESSES THIS WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN 80% LESS SERIOUS. Hope you’re listening, Mr. I’ll-get-around-to-it-someday-guy.

Lots of smart people on here that already took care of that. REALLY REGRETFUL I wasn’t one of the smart ones.

Thanks SO MUCH for the support and well wishes!