I Learned About Flying From That: Fat, Dumb and Happy

Jim Gunn

Friday, January 17, 2014 at 10:25 PM ET

Verified

** To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go
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Key Takeaways:

A Mooney 201 experienced a catastrophic engine failure mid-flight, leading the pilot to declare an emergency.
Unable to reach an airport, the pilot skillfully executed a gear-up emergency landing in a plowed field, resulting in minor damage and no injuries, despite external suggestions for a road landing.
Key takeaways emphasize pre-flight emergency planning, maintaining aircraft control, sticking to the chosen landing plan, and disregarding unhelpful advice during a crisis.

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There I was: fat, dumb and happy. My friend Tim and I had taken my 1977 Mooney 201 from Camden, South Carolina, to Myrtle Beach to get the oxygen cylinder filled. We filed IFR on the outbound leg at 7,000 feet msl and had to fly the ILS at Myrtle Beach to get through some thin, low clouds. We were probably legal for a visual approach, but we flew the ILS for practice anyway (it’s still free!).

On the return trip, the ceiling and visibility were unlimited, so we flew back VFR with flight following. Tim is a U.S. Air Force Sikorsky HH-60G pilot, flight instructor and evaluator. He only recently “saw the light” and got his fixed-wing license, so I let him fly home for practice.