If you popped in from some other location please visit my main website at: Monsen's Desert Aviation Connection
August, 2000 The plan was a two week "road trip" after the EAA airshow in Oshkosh in a rented Cessna 172. We didn't have any special destination, just fly around the US for two weeks or so. Then Rich Hewgley (ex combat vet in Navy A-4s with every FAA rating possible), asked us for a ride from Oshkosh back to Waco Texas. Of course we said "sure" and off we went. The first stop was at Miegs field in Chicago to pick me up. I had gone back down by car in order to "pack lighter" because we were carrying an extra passenger. Rich Schultz was in the left seat and I took the right with the other Rich in the back. We took off and headed south paralleling a line of T-storms moving south-southeast. Once we got even with Evansville Indiana or so, we cut to the west. The cloud base was still fairly low (1500agl) in haze and low cumulous. We were going to refuel near Centralia, Il. 20minutes from landing and after 3hours and 20min total flying time on full tanks, the engine quit. We were about 1200'AGL, not very high for field picking. Rich turned north and we all began looking for a field while we attempted to relight the motor. The right tank showed more then 1/4 fuel remaining, so I switched the fuel selector from 'Both' to 'Right'. Nothing happened. The weather was hot and humid and at our altitude ripe for carb ice although the engine quit so suddenly it didn't seem a likely cause. We pulled the carb heat just for fun anyway. The prop just kept wind-milling quietly. We were now in the 'commit to the field' stage. As we got lower it really boiled down to one hayfield located at the end of a road with power lines on the threshold. Rich did a good job of gliding toward the field and we left the flaps up until we crossed the lines and then dumped 'em all. We plopped down into the soft field with 'shin high' stalks and the plane came to a stop rapidly. Luckily we didn't flip and we stopped 50' or so short of a bean field. No damage to airplane -- whew! Now what?
We did a visual inspection of the tanks and they were dry! It seemed impossible. The plane was supposed to be good for 4.5 hours not 3.4! Also the right tank had showed better then 1/4 tank when it quit. With the master on it still showed fuel but a visual inspection showed nothing. We found out later that there was a blockage jamming the float. We also found the plane was burning close to 11gph when it should have been 8.5. We walked out of the field back to the road by the power lines pacing off the field as we went. It turned out to be about 900' long. At the road a lady delivering newspapers in her car picked us up and took us about 15miles to the local airport. There we were given the keys to the airport car and we headed off to Wal-Mart for 'supplies'. We bought two gas cans, rope, water, and anything else we thought might help us get the plane out of the field (thought of beer, but decided to save that until later...).
We got back to the plane and refueled it with about 10gals of gas. By then, the local farmers had taken notice and we were swarming us with offers of assistance. We first tried to taxi, but the field was too soft and the plane wouldn't budge. The farmers got some boards which we stuck under the wheels to get out of the mud. They then hooked up some 4-wheelers and helped pull the plane all the way to the road. There were a couple of muddier places where we had to use the boards, but ultimately we got the plane across the ditch and up onto the road.
Just getting to the road was a relief, but we still had to find a safe place to takeoff. We spent a little time driving around with the farmers looking at nearby farm roads for a suitable candidate. They all had their problems, mostly mailboxes, trees and power lines. We finally narrowed it down to a little bit bigger blacktop about a mile away. I was designated pilot, so I taxied the plane down the road toward the 'bigger' blacktop.
We got within 500' of the road we wanted and couldn't get the wings past the trees! Luckily, the farmers got some chainsaws and sawed the limbs off the offending trees until we had worked the plane out to the road.
We took everything out of the plane and Rich and Rich along with the farmers blocked off two ends of the blacktop. I taxied the plane about 1.5miles until I got to an area that didn't have as many obstructions. I put the right main gear close to the shoulder and gave the throttle. The left wingtip was somewhat close to the power lines so I was intent on making sure I didn't drift around on the takeoff roll. It turned out to be more difficult then I thought because the road is curved for the rain to run off, so the plane naturally wants to run into the ditch. After I got off the ground I let the plane drift over the bean field/cornfield to give myself a little room from the power lines.
I came back around and buzzed the farmers and then headed up to the airport. Rich and Rich followed in the airport car. We refueled and continued on our way. The rest of the trip was uneventful except that everywhere we stopped for gas the line guys would comment on those 'muddy tires'. "Where did you get those?" wink, wink, nudge, nudge.... We got tired of that and washed the plane when we got to Waco.