Closest Calls/Scariest Moments

None yet for this low time PPL...I've had a few instances where I've been closer to other traffic than I would've wanted to been, but nothing major.
 
Can't count em, don't want to. Electrical smoke after takeoff in hard IMC in a 210 rings a bell. (Bad) fire indication and engine shut down in an MU-2 was scary at the time, but really a non-event in terms of "Danger" (thing flies great on one). Had an engine that was producing maybe half rated power after takeoff in a 210 in the sorta-mountains of Arkansas. That was "attention-getting". The ones where I was probably closest to death were all weather related and my own dumb fault. Watching the wings of a Baron flex up and down in a level 5, etc. At the time, I didn't know any better...ignorance is bliss.

The simple truth is that as steely-eyed as we think we are, flying airplanes just ain't all THAT dangerous. My problem is more like you have to really push it to even stay awake.
 
Complete mag failure 5 minutes after TO in a Warrior. An engine shutter noise I will never forget. Fortunately I wasn't far from the airport and managed to find the right combo of mix and power to get it going again and landed safely. My legs were shaking so bad I had to let the tower know I need a few moments to regain my senses so I pulled off and sat there for a few minutes. Taxied to our parking, locked her up and havent flown since.
 
#1 Fuel Emergency in a 172 on a ferry flight to Puerto Rico from FL... last leg from Provo to Puerto Rico - Fuel valve failed, left 4 gal of usable fuel at the exact halfway point between Provo and PR... a distance of almost 350nm - diverted to Punta Cana, which was 90nm away, I was at 12,500 - engine started to die on base to 9 at Punta Cana -

#2 Low Fuel, bad weather in a B55 shooting an VOR approach in Dom Rep with no approach plate, no en route chart, no conversational Spanish in IMC, just a WAC chart and a VOR, no GPS. 10,000' terrain. Had no choice....long story.
 
Instructor thinks I'm flying the plane. I think he has controls in hardcore IMC (overcast ceiling like at 800ft.) while he was pointing something out in the approach plate. This led to an unusual attitude in real IMC. Instructor freaked out and made the situation worse by taking the plane to a spiral dive. I had to yell at my instructor to level the wings and reduce power. It was interesting. :eek:
 
Instructing an instrument student once, I got a little too complacent on the G1000 MFD traffic information system and had a Cessna caravan pass about 100-300 ft horizontal off my left wing.

On a non close call story, how about bird strikes? I once was doing a night flight and saw an enormous flock reflect off the landing light on a crosswind turn in the pattern. We then annihilated, and I mean absolutely disintegrated a bird in a cloud of blood all over the windscreen. My student could still see out of his side though. The funny thing is, it took about 30 seconds to realize that I should probably discontinue the flight. I was just sitting there thinking "Well I still judge my students performance and just look through his side".
 
Ah yes, I remember another. I once landed a Cessna 152 in a 14 kt direct crosswind, gusting to 19 kts. Let's just say that I know what my limitation is when it comes to C152s.
 
A few years ago a guy in my flying club who I knew fairly well, asked if I wanted to go up with him for a flight the following Tuesday. He said he wasn't flying much and would feel more comfortable having another pilot on board. We talked on Friday and worked out the details to go down to KVNC the next Tuesday.

The next night I got a call - he had driven our plane nose first into Tampa Bay with his parents on board, killing all three of them. http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=1814

Been very cautious about who I fly with ever since.
 
Had an engine start sputtering on me on final.

Oh yeah, and it was midnight, tower was closed, and the approach end is nothing but trees.

First thing I did after landing was filled out my brackets for March. Didnt want to think twice about it until morning.
 
Most all of mine come from when I was flying part 137 (spraying mosquitoes mostly).

Almost hit an ultralight out in central California. I was at 300 AGL, they were at probably at 300 AGL. I ended up leveling out about 50 ft over the vineyards that were under us.

Door popped open on the F model Aztec I was flying one night. Hot. Humid. Loaded to the gills. Popped open about 25 ft off the ground. Airplane stuggled to get back around the pattern performance wise.

Somebody mentioned bird strikes. Had a terrible night down in Florida one year. Three bird strikes in about 45 minutes. One I managed to hit three times (off the nose, then the wing, and finally the horizontal stab), another I took on the center portion of the glass windshield in the Beech 18. Talk about getting your attention!
 
Was flying out to a practice area, a guy overtaking us said he had us in sight, I saw him pass by, then shortly after he made a sharp turn right at us. Guy completely lost his SA. I was not happy.

Another one was during a night flight, I just happened to look up and see a chopper zoom right by us. No radio calls, his lights blended in real nice with city lights since he was lower. If I had to guess, we probably missed by 100' I was rather amazed I didn't have to change my underwear ofter that one.

Another was when I was first instructing and my student was having a rough day in the pattern, altitude was all over the place, kept drifting near and then away from the runway on downwind. After about an hour my patience was just about gone. We were on short final maybe 200' from the threshold, and the airspeed got 10 kts slower than it should have been, and I finally lost it and shouted: WILL YOU GET ON YOUR G-DAMMED AIRSPEED! and my student freaked and jerked the yoke back. It was one of those moments when time seemed to slow down, I grabbed the controls and landed it. We had a nice little chat when the aircraft was tied down. And I picked up smoking again at that point for a few years.
 
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