Republican Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy and an unidentified instructor elected to belly land an L-39 Albatros with an unresponsive engine rather than risk a low-altitude ejection in a crash last April 10, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report (copied below). By the time they’d attempted to relight the engine, they had lost significant altitude on their approach to Ennis-Big Sky Airport and spotted a field for an off-airport landing. “The pilot provided guidance to the flight instructor during the final approach and flare, and the airplane touched down facing uphill, eventually coming to rest about 500 yards beyond the touchdown point,” the report says. One of the crew suffered minor injuries, but the plane suffered major damage to the fuselage and wings.
The engine became unresponsive as Sheehy and the instructor lined up for the mountain airport during a training flight prior to a checkride for Sheehy. As they slowed to 190 knots, the engine quit and the instructor took over. Sheehy was in the front seat so he had to call out flare and landing instructions to the flying pilot. Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL who founded Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company.
That was an expensive day.
That’s okay, the jet belonged to our new NASA Administrator.