Watch: Plane clips SUV near Texas runway
ROANOKE, Texas (AP) - A woman who shot video of her husband landing a small plane at a Dallas-area airport captured the aircraft clipping an SUV driving near the runway.
The Department of Public Safety says both people in the SUV suffered non-life threatening injuries in the accident at Northwest Regional Airport. The pilot wasn't hurt in the crash landing at the airport near Roanoke.
An airport official did not immediately provide further details Monday.
The video shows William Davis trying to land the single-engine Cessna on Saturday when the plane's gear hits the top of the SUV. Pieces of the landing gear break off. The top of the SUV is damaged.
The airport is a privately owned public use facility. The word "stop" is painted on the roadway near the runway.
Reversed my opinion on this collision. The driver was driving on Kelly Rd. and not on the tarmac nor were they crossing the flight path except incidentally since Kelly Rd. runs perpendicular to the glide path/runway approach....thanks satellite imagery.
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It seems that the pilot was actually exceptionally low on approach, for some reason, and was barely making the strip. The local field provides a standard marking stripe at about 300 feet painted on the tarmac indicating a touchdown "target" which, had the pilot successfully targeted within 100 feet, would have avoided this collision.
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Reviewing the video several times suggests that the car strike dramatically knocked the landing gear from the aircraft without significantly altering its glide plane suggesting that the pilot had significantly under shot the landing strip on approach and was simply too low.
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The driver had no reason to stop or slow or any duty to be particularly cautious of incoming aircraft.
@Icarus: You expressed doubt about state laws requiring drivers to watch out for airplanes. Here check the Texas drivers manual here: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/documents/dl-7.pdf Chapter 4 (page 23) begins by stating: "Drivers, at times, must yield to others. There are certain rules to help determine the right-of-way, but if the other driver doesnât follow these rules, give him/her the right-of-way. Remember, in every situation, right-of-way is something to be given, not taken." It then stipulates a fine of $500-$2000 if: "Driver commits any traffic offense of which failure to yield the right-of-way to another vehicle is an element and causes bodily injury to another." Since there was a legal stop sign before crossing the flight path to the runway and it was (should have been) known to the driver that he/she was right next to an airport and in fact right at the end of the runway, a prudent drive would have known to check the airspace for approaching aircraft. Indeed, with no road intersection, there was no other reason for a stop sign to even be there. The auto driver was negligent, plain and simple, and watching the video I cannot see how anyone could have missed that plane coming in for a landing. The auto driver failed to yield the right of way, period.
 @You're Kidding...RightÂ
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Please, allow me to restate what I have mentioned above:
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Regardless of how stridently you or anyone else presents an opinion, it remains just an opinion. And, you are entitled to your opinion just as are all the other strident and tiresome poser posters are entitle to their opinion. I would mention that it is exceptionally poor form demonstrating a complete lack of confidence and social ignorance to resort to attacking someone by berating them and resorting to the lowest and most childish of grade school attacks, name calling, simply because your opinion isn't shared by all. But, please, do whatever you believe is necessary to feel like a winner there are many who seek the internet as the one opportunity to feel power in their life, I understand that.  Remember, however, that ultimately, this will be resolved by an investigation which may validate your opinion and may discredit you, regardless, it will never validate your anti-social behavior.Â
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Following that investigation there will result any number of lawsuits.
@Icarus @You're Kidding...Right Name calling? ?????????????? Please explain to me where I called you any name anywhere in the post. If I called you a name, please report my post and let a mod delete it. Berate you?? ???? Please show me anywhere in the post where I berated you. I referred to and quoted from the Texas drivers manual and then offered my opinion. Again, report my post and have a mod determine if I berated you. You seem to be suffering from a prosecution complex. (my opinion)
@Icarus "The driver had no reason to stop or slow" ...except for the safety of the passengers and the extreme mechanical turbulence associated with striking an aircraft.
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The Kelly Road is entirely different from the tarmac and there is no special duty on drivers to exercise greater caution there than if they were driving across the 205 Bridge which runs perpendicular to the PDX approach. Only if an air craft is too low would it be a problem for drivers near either airport.
@Icarus Only if an air craft is too low would it be a problem for a driver near either airport? Only if a pedestrian is crossing the street would it be a problem for a driver near a sidewalk.
 @flyroy  @IcarusÂ
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So you're trying to convince me that all the chevrons on the north side of the stripe on the landing strip have nothing to do with providing information to the pilot such as indicating emergency use only? And, the stripe across the landing strip doesn't indicate the start of the landing zone?
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Reviewing the satellite photo again there is a very lightly painted "stop" without any stripe or additional signage on the roadway; this paint was ignored by the driver. And, I believe that this is rather common as an aircraft flying THAT low would be rather uncommon.
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It is not a cut and dry case of negligence or bad piloting and it will be interesting to see who is named at fault in the investigation and who sues whom. I would lay money that the air port is named and the least likely case of lawsuit is if the driver of the car is also a pilot.
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The collision was clearly an "unfortunate event" had either action: low flying or selfish driving occurred independently...of the two I agree that selfish driving happens far more frequently....there wouldn't have been a collision.
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Here is the satellite image...have a look at that paint. The landing strip is 17.
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https://maps.google.com/maps?q=northwest+regional+airport+roanoke+tx&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl
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@Icarus Another mistake on your part, the FAA does not investigate aircraft accidents, the NTSB does. Your igonorance in aviation is only making you look the part. You will find all the information you need on airport operations in the FAR-AIM. I would suggest you read the whole thing if you can, but if you want a place to start, try part 91 and part 135, these are the Federal regulations that control aviation which is Federal, not state. This road is on airport property, and all vehicles Must yeild to landing aircrat which always have the right of way other than emergencies.
 @flyroyÂ
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Let's follow the FAA investigation up and learn what their determinations are.Â
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Perhaps, the driver of the SUV will get a citation from the State Police; it would be really great if you could cite those state laws that dictate that it is the duty of a motorist to avoid Aircraft while driving on motorways. Â
 @flyroyÂ
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"Runways are marked, but for other informational purposes for the pilot."
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Yes, like a center line and chevrons to designate soft tarmac and compass headings etc. There is a stripe on this 3,600 ft. runway at each end of this particular runway at approximately 300 ft. which should probably coincide with the lights establishing the glide plane.
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So that "informational" purposes is for the pilot but has nothing to do with landing an aircraft. Really? So my only statement is that this pilot could have avoided hitting this car if he had simply chosen to touch down about 300 ft down the runway where there is a clear stripe rather than within the first 4 feet of the runway where there is no marking.Â
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The simple fact that the aircraft impacted the SUV suggests that it was too low on approach.
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 @Playanekes  @IcarusÂ
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We're agreeing...I think. The air craft was simply too low on approach to avoid the SUV. The road upon which the SUV was traveling wasn't part of the landing runway although it was proximate to the air port. Blaming the driver would be like blaming somebody driving on 82nd. when the were hit by a plane.
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It would not be a surprise if this didn't turn into a law suit in which the Air Port was also named as a defendant.Â
@Icarus Newtonian physics have right of way. When an airplane is low enough to hit you on short final it can't go around. Maybe it'll miss you, or maybe the prop will rip through the vehicle and turn everybody inside into pink mist. As long as you have a copy of the state driver's manual, the FAA regs and an insurance policy, I can see no reason to watch out for landing airplanes...
You are incorrect on all counts! Obviously know nothing about aviation, or driving a car and right-of-ways near airports or runways. There is no such thing as a touch down target or stripe on the runway. Runways are marked, but for other informational purposes for the pilot.
Dear Aman dah, that was not a "nose dive". That was a belly landing!
The airport is a privately owned public use facility. The word "stop" is painted on the roadway near the runway.
The suv FAILED TO YEILD THE RIGHT OF WAY. SUV IS AT FAULT.
The SUV doesn't have an insurance coverage tat would pay for the planes replacement. I Don't think any of us do .
these moron drivers should not have been on the tarmac at all !
Now after watching the whole video on the news, I like how the wife asks the driver or passenger. Why did you pull out in front of an air plain trying to land? "WE DIDN'T"! A ya you did!
Ouch, both parties fault. How do you not see each other comming?
 @dkgiovenco A Cessna 172 comes "over the fence" at about 65 mph in a nose-up attitude called a "flare." The pilot probably saw movement in his peripheral vision, lost his concentration for a brief second (possible tipping the nose forward to see) and lost two feet of altitude too much.Â
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At that moment the pilot is looking down the runway, at the airspeed indicator, trying to find the runway in peripheral vision on either side of the instrument panel if it's a student pilot working the crosswind such as he was, he's tunnel-visioned and nervous as hell. Student pilots are not trained in any FAA resource to watch out for cars and trucks on short final.
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The airport needs to displace the threshold further or find a better way to keep traffic off the end of the runway because that could have been a fireball full of passengers and innocent lives regardless of who is at fault.
The road should have been marked 'Whoa, Nelly!'
The wife who was filming was overheard saying, "Dam and to think I could have used that insurance money."
Plenty of blame to go around on this......
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IMHO the pilot is at the most fault, should be fliying higher over the road heck, he was almost landed short of the runway,  air port does not have the road adequately marked to caution drivers  and the driver of the SUV should have looked to the left.
 @kramr Actually there was nothing the pilot could do at that point. He probably had engine at idle at that point trading altitude for airspeed to gently touch down on the strip. The SUV should have stopped but when they didn't there was nothing the plane could have done. I don't think it would have been possible to go full power, build enough airspeed to be able to climb and avoid the SUV. You can't climb just because you pull up - you need speed which is the opposite of what you have that far into final...
@Shawn Alley  just out of habit, I would think ANY pilot would make an approach where the landing gear would be high enough to clear vehicualr traffic.  From the above vid., it states the land the private road is on is NOT part of the air port so it would seem to me that any aircraft SHOULD being clearing that airspace by at least the height of auto traffic.
 @kramr "IMHO the pilot is at the most fault, "Â
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Did the pilot run a stop sign?
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When you're landing an airplane in a crosswind you're using your rudder to control your runway alignment, your aileron (roll) to correct for wind drift, your pitch for airspeed and your power for altitude. You're looking down the runway for things like birds and wildlife and your aiming point, and at no point during the experience should you have to make sure some soccer mom in an SUV isn't going to run through a stop sign directly in front of you.Â
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An airplane has no horn, it cannot slam on the brakes, and if he pitches up suddenly (pitch for airspeed) he could stall the airplane, sink quicker and have an even worse accident. It's counter-intuitive to slam on the throttle when something is in front of you.
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Student- and low-time pilots don't always make great landings. It's a fact of life. Sometimes the wind changes, sometimes a bird distracts you, sometimes a gust hits you...
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They're all very lucky to be alive. But if the FAA wants to hang the pilot, they will.
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@Playanekes   IMHO, pilot should not have come in so short on the runway.  Just out of habit any pilot should pass that road so the landing gear would be higher than most vehicles. BTW, the from other vids I've seen the there was no stop sign on an amateur looking "stop" painted on the ground as its reported to be a private road...... an we have no idea how far back the stop was painted anyway.
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edit: the vid said the road is NOT part of the airfield, therefore it seems very clear to me that ANY pilot should be flying over the road at a height to clear any auto traffic.
"The word "stop" is painted on the roadway near the runway."
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So, does that mean that airplanes have the right of way on the road? Â Another reason not to live in Texas.
 @Emi-Lynn You honestly don't think that the plane would have to yield to the car, do you?
 @HuskyKMA No, I'm thinking there's got to be a better way to lay out the road and the runway.  It's not like there's no room around there - it's Texas after all.
 @Emi-Lynn Well, I don't want to you drive yourself to suicide or anything but those sorts of things exist all over America. Troutdale has/had a sign that says CAUTION! LOW FLYING TRAFFIC.
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The pilot is landing nearly short of the runway. It's probably a good thing the SUV was driving so slow, it could have potentially spun the plane around if it had been going much faster and caused a much more serious crash.. ie fatal.
The pilot was probably texting and not watching for cars on the runway.
 @swimbad He ran the stop sign.
 @Playanekes  @swimbad Who ran the "Stop" sign, the guy in the plane?
Exactly and in case they get there at the same time, whoever is on the right gets to go first
 @swimbad  @Shawn Alley That's what I was getting at. They should also put in a railroad crossing.Â
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(The helicopter pilots are laughing AT us.)
 @Shawn Alley  @swimbad  @Playanekes They should think about a 4-way signal to prevent this from happening again.
 @swimbad  @Playanekes No, the SUV who ran over the "STOP" sign painted on the ground...
@swimbad No he was saying, "Here. Hold my beer."
 @WendyTeagarden  @swimbad Maybe the pilot was saying to his passenger "Hey, I see my wife with her video camera, lets pretend like we're going to hit that car".
U 2 r funny :-)
 @dkgiovenco We try!