This is the very real, and absolutely chilling moment, a student pilot navigated an emergency landing after losing his engine mid-flight.
Brian Parsley’s Cessna 150 plane cockpit video was shared by VASAviation and shows the terrifying moments of the pilot’s solo cross-country flight on May 22.
The trouble started 12 miles out from the airport. At first, Brian thought that the engine issues were caused by “carb ice”, so he took action to remedy the situation. It included starting the plane‘s onboard cam so he could show an instructor in case it happened again. And that is how he filmed the troubling events that followed when he lost power to the single-engine plane as he was getting closer to the airport.
Thankfully, Brian was able to keep his cool and land in a nearby field. He shared the story in a subsequent video, which is a bit easier to watch since he’s sitting safely in a regular chair on the ground.
Here’s Brian explaining what went through his head as the plane was losing power:
“The first ten seconds was panic mode it’s almost like this disbelief is this really happening …I could hear my confident calm tone begin to shift and change but after about 10 seconds I knew I was faced with absolute incredible task saturation within that moment and the strange thing began to happen because I’m looking around and I’m saying okay I know there’s a field here …I had to make a choice okay and once I kind of said okay this is where I’m going it was almost like an out of body experience in a way although I was consciously there and muscle memory kicked in.”
“The aircraft ran out of fuel and this was 100% my responsibility at the end of the day. I did do my flight plan, checked fuel, and all necessary checks prior to leaving. It’s also worth noting I’ve flown the same route with my instructor without refueling prior. So using this assumption and the fact I did my flight planning correctly I flew. This was the wrong decision and the biggest takeaway for me. I will get fuel going forward every time I land regardless of what gages state or distance. That mistake could’ve cost a life. This was more than just a ‘near death’ experience. It was an incredible learning opportunity for others as well.”
Check out Brian’s commentary about his experience by clicking below.
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