Tiger Moth - On the beach at Fire Island

(What! Where were Moose and Derf? They always seem to be there with their camera's when airplanes pop in from the sky!!) :wink: :wink: :D

I'm a member of the Bayport Aerodrome Society. At our meeting last Sunday, Tiger Moth owner and pilot Ed Katzen relayed the story to us of his recent off field landing. He departed Bayport and was flying over Smith's Point Park on Fire Island when he suddenly smelled oil. He looked at the oil pressure and it read zero. He shut the engine down and made a perfect landing on the beach just west of Smith's Pt. I don't have the exact maintenance details but when his mechanic showed up it was determined that the engine problem was not that serious and was easily repaired and the oil refilled.

After a while the park police showed up. Ed at that point begged and pleaded with them to let him take off again from the beach as he only needed a few hundred feet. The answer was an emphatic no. After a while the park police approached and said "Tell you what we'll do for you....We contacted the Suffolk County police and they will close down William Floyd Parkway for you...."

"Great....so we can take off on the parkway then....", "NO!!" "But you can tow it to Brookhaven Airport." That worked out ok as the Moth did not have to be taken apart. She made it to Brookhaven, repairs were made and back to Bayport it was flown.

Pete

Photo by BAS member Bob Mott from his C-150.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...t/IMG_7189.jpg

Wow, crazy. Too bad they didn't let him take off from the beach.

I read about this in Newsday but they didn't give the details.

Too bad he couldn't get it fixed before the Parkies showed up. He could have just taken off again from the beach.