The airplane perches like a ballerina on ambitious floats, the cockpit far off the ground. It’s an eye-catching little beast: Clean white, deep red, and black.
Vortex generators line the leading edge of the wing and it has a three-bladed prop to gobble up the air.
But I, for one, would not want to taxi it even in 4 knots of wind. Those “second-story” wings just beg to grab the slightest gust.
The airplane is a diminutive two-seat Kitfox 7 STi, and it’s at Orlando International Airport (KMCO) — the Big Bravo at Orlando, Florida — of all places. And, kid you not, in a scene right out of Disney’s Planes, it’s parked next to a Boeing 737.
After refueling at the Signature FBO on the west ramp, the pilot contacts clearance delivery, then ground, where he is cleared to Runway 18R via Taxiway Alpha. This sea level runway — at 12,004 feet long and 200 feet wide — might just be a little bit overkill for the lightweight STOL bush plane, unless the pilot is cleared to takeoff perpendicularly.
The Accident
As the pilot of the miniature bush plane taxis across the ramp en route to Alpha, in rounding the 737, he “walks” straight into the jet blast of a NetJets Bombardier Challenger 650, which is doing an engine run-up.
The right wing of the Kitfox snaps into the air, the left wing smacks the pavement with a sickening crunch, and the entire airplane is blown sideways across the pavement.
The pilot quickly shuts down his engine and master, exits his right door, and grabs the wayward wing by the strut in an attempt to righten the airplane again. But in a scene right out of a Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon, he and the wing together are lifted into the air repeatedly by the ongoing jet blast.
In his report to the NTSB, the pilot wrote, “The jet blast was very difficult to overcome and I was lifted multiple times off the ground.”
He dangles haplessly from the strut for what he estimates to be five to 10 minutes (the jet was doing a long run-up, I guess) but no ground personnel come to his aid. Finally, two people in a passing truck stop to assist and help him keep the airplane on the ground.
A few minutes later an airport fire truck arrives with three firefighters, and the six men together are able to wrangle the twisted Kitfox out of the jet blast and into the shelter of a United Airlines hangar.
The airplane’s left wing spar is substantially damaged and the amphibious undercarriage rendered unairworthy.
The Pilot
The pilot tossed around in the jet blast was a 57-year-old male who held an impressive wallet full of credentials, including ATP, Commercial, and CFI certificates. He was rated for both single-engine land and single-engine sea, as well as multi-engine land and multi-engine sea. In addition to powered airplanes, he was certified in gliders and helicopters and even had a helicopter instrument rating. In fact, he took his last flight review in a helicopter.
For all of that, his total hours are modest for his age and certificates, just shy of 3,000 hours total time, the bulk of it in airplanes. He had 366 hours in the make and model, and a decent amount of recent flying. He held a Class 2 medical, but, according to NTSB documents, was not an occupational pilot.
In his LinkedIn profile, he lists his occupation as an “Aviation & IT Project Expediter.” Not a job title I had seen before, but sounds like fun work if you can get it.
At LinkedIn he also listed a wide array of certifications in the computer and computer security worlds.
Analysis & Discussion
The pilot’s safety recommendations in his report to the NTSB reads like a textbook case study of defense mechanisms. This accident — apparently — is everyone’s fault but his own.
He blames the flight crew of the jet, the FBO, the linemen, the ground controllers, and even his headset, but not once does he take responsibility for taking the light-weight (it had a gross weight of 1,550 pounds, making it only marginally heavier than a Light Sport seaplane) backcountry amphib, built to turn every breath of air into lift, into a large airport like KMCO.
Why he would do such a thing is unclear to me. The Orlando area features numerous reliever airports. There’s Exec Airport literally eight miles north, or Kissimmee Gateway Airport 12 miles southwest — both Deltas.
And within the Mode C and ADS-B Out veil around KMCO there is one more Delta and two uncontrolled airports. Just outside the veil are six more uncontrolled airports. There are also numerous seaports throughout the area.
And, of course, there’s Orlando Sanford International Airport in the vicinity, too. And while a Charlie still isn’t a great choice for backcountry aircraft, at least it’s not the seventh-busiest airport in the United States.
What possible reason could there be for taking this airplane into KMCO?
I had briefly wondered, as the pilot was an ATP, if he was a working airline jockey using his weekend play toy to commute to work, but the NTSB report on the accident and his own LinkedIn profile show that he wasn’t an occupational pilot. (Take no offense, airline pilots with weekend toys, I love it when you heavy metal pros stay in touch with your aviation roots. I only suffer from moderate-to-severe jealousy.)
The Takeaway
So is the takeaway a reminder to be alert to all forms of wake turbulence in mixed airframe environments? I don’t think so. I think it’s something else entirely.
One of the great things about aviation is that we have so many different kinds of airplanes to choose from. Airplanes are, after all, the ultimate specialists. But in addition to picking the right airplane for the job, an important pilot skill is bringing the same level of thought to picking the right airport for the airplane.
I can’t think of any good reasons to take any GA airplane into a major airline hub, much less a two-seat, feather-weight amphibious bush airplane built for STOL.
What possible need is there for that? All the biggest airports boast a healthy ecosystem of reliever and alternate airports. Leave the 12,000-foot runways to the airplanes that need them. There are plenty of more modest — and more appropriate — runways to choose from.
I think that’s the big takeaway from this accident. As pilots, we pretty much have the right to land at any airport that we want to, in any airplane we want to. And I wouldn’t want to change that.
On the other hand, just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
The Numbers
Want to read more? Download the NTSB’s final report here ERA23LA116 or view the items on docket here.
Regarding a light GA airplane flying into a major hub – there’s the anecdote in aviation of the small town farmer flying into a major metro area and being criticized by ATC for not being prepared or not being able to “keep up” with the pace of instruction. In the United States we have an ATC system and airports that allow all types of aviators to fly into all types of airports, and we should take advantage of that opportunity. I’m not saying it’s a good idea to take small airplanes into major hubs frequently. But as Mr. Bechtold explained, the fact that a 737 was on the GA ramp, an inoperational one at that (if he had done his research) is no reason to shy away from an airport.
The author also mentions several satellite airports in the area. I trained for my commercial single and multi-engine ratings at Orland Sanford, and even though that airport is already loaded with heavy jet charters from Europe, we were encouraged by our flight instructors to fly to MCO for the experience. I have entries in my logbook of flying a C152 to MCO. We always landed on 18R, the designated GA runway, and ATC never questioned why we were there or discouraged us. I also obtained my private license at a flight school based at a Class B airport. ATC did a great job of mixing in C152s and 767s, and I gained valuable radio and wake turbulence avoidance experience. Every aviator should have the skills and ability to fly into a Class B if they need or wish to. ATC will let them know what is and isn’t acceptable.
Finally, I know Mr. Bechtold well, and he is one of the safest, most careful pilots flying today. He is meticulous in his planning and procedures. He was caught in a situation where someone else (the Challenger pilot) did something that he shouldn’t have and Joe was negatively impacted. Maybe the author should have written about the purpose of designated runup areas. If the Challenger pilot had read such an article, this article would have never been written.
Simply said, Joe is nothing more than a jackass, has a pocket full of unimportant certs. Some people think that that is what’s important in being a pilot, get as many certs under your belt and no one will judge your character, that couldn’t be father from the truth, that is nothing more than a cover up for being a jackass, with the thoughts and actions to go with that thought. There are a lot of good pilots out there, and there are a lot of pilots that think they are good pilots, than there are those that are just plain jackasses, and that is a way of life I’m afraid, nothing will ever change that, nothing…
You aren’t wrong, but not because of the incident in this article…..there are plenty of other reasons your assessment is accurate. For all the ways I’m a jackass, I’ve never characterized someone I don’t know on the internet without at least meeting or talking with them.
This is the unfortunate result of the author writing an article without making the effort to talk to the subject of the article, then pose rhetorical ‘questions’ and ‘answer’ them himself when he could have just reached out to me. It would have been a very different article.
I’m certain the author is a fine aviator and instructor – but not so much a journalist or columnist.
“The Pilot”
We have a 57-year-old male who held an “impressive wallet full of credentials”, including ATP and Commercial Pilot certificates and CFI ratings. He’s qualified to fly SEL, SES, MEL, & MES airplanes, plus gliders and helicopters…. Wow!
Yet, the writer states:
“For all of that, his total hours are modest for his age and certificates, just shy of 3,000 hours total time…”
I’m not defending the pilot’s actions, attitude, or ADM. I’m just pointing out what we’ve discussed in this forum before: Maybe he’s simply/finally got the time and resources to pursue his passions.
OTOH, even though this guy didn’t try to misrepresent himself as being an “occupational pilot”, I do hear lots of ‘stolen valor’ being tossed around out there.
Sorry, but…
Just holding an Airline Transport Pilot certificate does not make you an airline pilot.
Just holding a Commercial Pilot certificate does not make you a commercial pilot.
Holding a Flight Instructor rating only makes you a flight instructor if you’re exercising it.
Thanks Tom, for your measured assessment.
I pursued all the additional ratings as a way to learn more about aviation as my hobby and improve. I’ve never put myself out to be a professional pilot and every flight still strive to one day have that ‘perfect flight’ that has never occurred.
The author masks in this article that I was on a general aviation ramp at a general aviation FBO and was blown over by a general aviation aircraft who was burning off gas due to a missfueling and felt pressured by an impatient customer. The jet ran up engines to power on the ramp instead of taxing 200 yards to an authorized run spot. This is the reason the insurance found me 0% liable in this incident.
Commercial airlines were in no way involved in any of this.
There is a very interesting human factors story to be learned from my scenario, but the author never reached out to me or the FAA Inspector to find out what actually happened.
As the pilot being discussed, I find it very interesting that Jim took the time to research my background extensively but never reached out to talk to me.
The quick answers would’ve been: I landed at MCO to drop off another pilot who was flying commercial from that airport that day. I’ve landed at many large airports and never had a similar problem.
If Jim had spoken with the FAA investigator, he would’ve found out that the engine run was not authorized and that the estimated wind speed was 55 miles an hour, 560 feet away from the jet. He also would’ve learned that the 737 parked next to me was inoperative, which I knew. He would’ve also learned that the MCO West runway is dedicated to GA and I wasn’t mixing with airline traffic.
I suspect it would’ve been a much different article if Jim had taken the time to reach out and I’m still happy to have that conversation if he’s truly interested in what happened that day – but I suspect he just wants to come to his own conclusions to fit a narrative that doesn’t in any way apply to what happened that day.
The EAA chapter that debriefed this incident for almost 2 hours with me know that I didn’t cast blame on everyone else.
Mr. Bechtold;
Thank you so much for weighing in with your actual version of events!
I wish more folks that are subjected to these ‘analyses’ would participate…and keep the discussion closer to the facts.
I very much appreciate you doing just that!
Tom
Thanks, Tom. I’ve shared my story twice in EAA presentations and I’m always happy to help others learn from my experience. Beyond the aviation elements, I passed along to my EAA friends some of the complexities of working through the insurance claim process and my lessons learned. I’m happy to share with anyone who is interested.
It was a very educational experience. The good news is that my KitFox was back in the air within six months with new floats, a new left wing, new left flapperon and new left wing strut. As a result of the investigation, everything was covered and I received reimbursement for rental aircraft during the downtime as well as some loss-of-value compensation.
The folks at KitFox and Sawtoothaero are the absolute best!
I have put another 500 hours on it during multiple coast-to-coast trips in the 18 months……including 114 landings in 7 days to earn the Washington State aviation passport jacket. Many of those were water landings in lakes and rivers. The Kitfox amphib is far & away my favorite aircraft in over 31 years of general aviation hobby flying.
I agree with “Jim”.
Responsibility, which can and will, stir up “good judgement”.
It is seen very often…..people unwilling to be responsible for their actions, REPEATEDLY, exercise lousy judgement, annd blaming EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING, and the consequences, are in plain sight, for everyone to see. It seems that, if we will “own our blunders”, we will be considerably less likely to repeat the blunder, on the next opportunity.
How many times, have we said, “been there, done that, and don’t want to do IT again”?
Where should the line be drawn and who gets to draw it?
The bigger story here is this pilot’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for poor judgement.
He blames the flight crew of the jet, the FBO, the linemen, the ground controllers, and even his headset, but not once does he take responsibility for taking the light-weight (it had a gross weight of 1,550 pounds, making it only marginally heavier than a Light Sport seaplane) backcountry amphib, built to turn every breath of air into lift, into a large airport like KMCO.
Hi Robert, a few points of clarification because the article is a bit misleading.
1) I don’t blame my headsets. I noted that because I was wearing headsets, I couldn’t hear the engine run, which was behind me and out of my field of view.
2) The MCO investigation along with the FAA investigation speak for themselves regarding the ground controllers, the air crew and the FBO. You don’t have to believe anything I say.
3) While the KitFox is relatively light when compared to other aircraft I’ve flown, it won’t tip over in a light wind. According to the FAA investigation, the jet blast was 55 miles an hour at the point where it contacted my aircraft. I’m not sure that other certified four or six place general aviation aircraft wouldn’t have had the same result.
I put together a presentation for my EAA chapter that provides far more details and I’m happy to share it with anyone else who wants to learn from this experience. I’ve made plenty of mistakes over 30 years of flying aircraft and beat myself up for them all the time. My friends and family can attest to that. Strangers on the Internet should be a bit more measured before jumping to conclusions….. but again, the article was a bit misleading and the author didn’t take the time to reach out to me.
I too own an amphibious float plane. It takes very little wind to push the plane in any direction with those big fat floats hanging down. Like I’ve said many times before, one can make aviation as safe as they want to.
Hi Kelly, I’m not sure what type of float plane you have but my KitFox is far more stable on floats than it is on my 29” tires.
It’s interesting for amphib pilot to talk about safety in regards to this particular article. I personally feel that I have to accept much more risk flying an amphib to a water landing than the risk of taxing into a general aviation FBO. This same incident could’ve happened at an uncontrolled airport where the exact same jet routinely operates. Is the conclusion of the crowd that my KitFox doesn’t belong on any tarmac shared with jets?
It’s also interesting to note that the company changed their procedures for running engines based on this incident.