Posted: 3/28/2013 4:26:26 PM EDT
|
Soooo, I was out at our farm, minding my own business. It was dark, spitting rain, but nothing too unpleasant. I started to get into my pickup when my peripheral vision picked up something almost behind me. I whirled around and was quite surprised to see that it was a jet with its landing lights on and it appeared to be headed right for me.
As it passed low and slow overhead, I pulled out my flashlight and was able to light up the underside of the aircraft. Just past my location, our ridge drops off into a deep and wide valley. That gave him some breathing room and presume he made it over the hills on the other side of the valley. My question is, I am guessing this was pretty abnormal? Or, will a controller or pilot make a decision to descend that low to get out of weather? |
|
Umm....yeah pretty abnormal.
Any Runways anywhere near where you live? My guess would be no since this is unusual. Most runways are aligned the long way down valleys not across them. What color was the aircraft? How many engines? What direction was it moving? How high up would you guess it was? Did it suddenly dart straight up and out of sight? What did you say you were doing out there? You sure this wasn't a black Helo? 
|
| First question. Was it a jet or a propellor-driven airplane? I know you said jet, but sometimes people will just say that when it wasn't one. It's very common (but still frowned upon) for GA aircraft to scud run. There are icing advisories in the area of MO today as well; perhaps the aircraft had issues with deicing equipment forcing him low. |
|
26 miles out is far for an aproach to a runway.
Could have benn an FAA flight test jet testing something. Could have been a jet at a min vectoring altitude which could be as low as 1000 feet if no towers in the area. This might be done to get below the weather to visually acquire the airport if the instrument approaches are out of service. Sounds infrequent. |
|
The FAA has a fleet of jets that run around the country testing navigation equipment. I have seen one shooting an approach before, and they appear lower than they are.
You may have an instrument approach that comes over your area. Many pilots of GA aircraft do not like instrument approaches to out of the way airports, and opt to land at bigger airports in really scuzzy weather. Of course, it could have been a local just making an approach to your local airport. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
First question. Was it a jet or a propellor-driven airplane? Jet. Two engines on the tail. I am guessing either a CRJ or ERJ version. Lots of large corporate jets have similar appearances as well, such as the Gulfstreams and GlobalExpress: Gulfstream: 
Global: 
|
|
Quoted: Quoted: First question. Was it a jet or a propellor-driven airplane? Jet. Two engines on the tail. I am guessing either a CRJ or ERJ version. Well, running at the ceiling can result in bad things in the -200 CRJ. See Pinnacle Airlines flight 3701. It was a ferry flight and the pilots set autopilot to too high a climb to FL410. Engines were locked up due to high power output, then the flameout. Both on board were killed in the crash. Which shouldn't have happened IF they would have declared emergency and executed a deadstick. But instead, they tried to restart and ran out of altitude. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
How high above the ground would you estimate he was? I would love to, but as an non-aviator it would be wildly inaccurate. 500 feet? It's been awhile but I think 500 ft is the minimum height a plane can fly in a rural area. It's 1000 ft flying above populated areas IIRC. |
|
Quoted:
It's been awhile but I think 500 ft is the minimum height a plane can fly in a rural area. It's 1000 ft flying above populated areas IIRC. I based my guess of 500' on 1/4 mile being 1320' and judging how far away it appeared compared to visualizing a regional jet at 1/4 mile. However, it was dark and lightly raining. |
|
Quoted:
Could Have been Flight Check. The FAA Aircraft that check the approaches. They will go 100 feet below mins to verify obsticles are not in the approach plane. Only right next to the airport. I doubt it was flight check. Scud running maybe, but that seams like more work than just filing. |
|
Quoted:
Could Have been Flight Check. The FAA Aircraft that check the approaches. They will go 100 feet below mins to verify obsticles are not in the approach plane. Not 26 miles out from the nearest airport they don't. OP states he lit up the belly of the aircraft, that sucker had to be VERY low. |
|
Quoted:
OP states he lit up the belly of the aircraft, that sucker had to be VERY low. Well hey now, I have a good flashlight: http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=22&tid=8&cid=1#.UVTqBluYW2w 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
It's been awhile but I think 500 ft is the minimum height a plane can fly in a rural area. It's 1000 ft flying above populated areas IIRC. I based my guess of 500' on 1/4 mile being 1320' and judging how far away it appeared compared to visualizing a regional jet at 1/4 mile. However, it was dark and lightly raining. doesnt matter, if you could light up the bottom with a handheld flashlight then you are right he was pretty damn low |
|
Two things. Darkness could have made it seem lower than it really was. Rain and maybe fog reflecting back light to you making it seem lower? As to pilots doing dumb things, I have seen a few. I know my area pretty well as I have flown around most of it. One day on a very low ceiling day a C172 came over the road at about 250ft, then followed the highway headed for the airport. It happens. I also know a guy that used to fly a Cub around his farm. I can't think of him ever being over tree top level. As to being a jet, maybe more money than common sense?  |
| Possibility of military aircraft? I know that there is a training operation out of Columbus, MS that flies bizjet type aircraft to train pilots for the bomber-tanker-transport role. Low altitude navigation flying is one of the things they teach that could account for what was seen. I've seen them buzzing along at low altitude doing radar-navigation in various lower mid-western states when I was driving routes out in that part of the country. |
|
Quoted: Quoted: How high above the ground would you estimate he was? I would love to, but as an non-aviator it would be wildly inaccurate. 500 feet? edit: already addressed.
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
How high above the ground would you estimate he was? I would love to, but as an non-aviator it would be wildly inaccurate. 500 feet? It's been awhile but I think 500 ft is the minimum height a plane can fly in a rural area. It's 1000 ft flying above populated areas IIRC. I've flown.....low  around here a lot and never had a problem. 91.119 says "...An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
I take this to mean 50 AGL is fine, as long as the first part of 119 is adhered to ("an altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface") and the above restriction on distance to people or structures isn't violated. In eastern CO it's pretty sparse. |