Lessons Learned~90 lb dog takes over controls

[ussyorktown]

I am starting to think that I am not living a normal life.
I did another dog rescue. I picked up a big old dog from another pilot at KNAM. She is very energetic and very big so I tied her up so that her head was caught on a loop over the passenger seat top.
Once she is calmed down, I leave loop over back seat of pass. side but unhook that leash from her neck. (nearly fatal error)

I was flying at 10k over the mountains and this giant dog turned around and around and finally put her ass on the middle console and her head near the right door. She slept mostly at 10k. When I broke over the mountains and began my descent to get to KUAO the dog COMES ALIVE.
I am flying over the mid field of UAO when the dog gets up and lays her head across my lap, puts her legs between the seat and my door and her big ass PUSHED THE THROTTLE TO FULL.
I am over the airport and pulling back the throttle. I push the buttons for auto pilot so I can take my hands off the stick and push her over to her side.
I lift her by her collar with her legs dangling but paws still at my leg level but she is playing limp. I try again and she again hits the throttle which knocks the auto pilot off (I hear CLICK CLICK CLICK) and then the plane is going up up up and I'm thinking STALL STALL STALL.
I reach over and drop nose and can smell the damn dog's breath as she lifts her head to give me a lick from time to time.
I lift her up and as she pushes onto the stick, I reattach the snap to the leash over the pass. seat. I hear, but can't see, plane going down. I grab stick. Put it back into auto pilot. It pops out again and I can't do 4 things at once. She is not being pulled into her seat and after I'm on the ground I see that in the struggles she has lifted the loop OFF of the seat top.
I am getting closer to the mountains on the north side of the Willamette River and know I've got to turn now.
I decide she is not going to move and I'll have to find a way to get on the ground the way things are.
I make a near-Mayday call to others. I give my locations "I'm east...I mean west of the airport. "I've got a serious situation here. I've got a big dog out of control and I can't reliably control my plane. Request that all planes get out of area as I'm going to do whatever I need to get down."
Two planes come on radio and tell me they are leaving the area. (The chick at the FBO later told me "we thought you were making a joke because earlier you radioed 'Ten miles out. DOG IS MY CO PILOT.")
I think that this has reached past the polite level with Bry the giant dog. I take out my survival knife (which is in pocket at my left ankle to cut me out of parachute and/or seat belt entanglements.) I think I will stick her with sharp point. But she might react by biting me. It has a little spike on the end that is exposed without opening the knife and stick her with it to get her attention. She reacts not at all. She is looking out the left pilot's window! "slobber slobbery, boy this is fun looking out the window!"
My plan is this: 2 souls are NOT going to die today, but one might. If I can't control you, then I shall cut your throat, you'll go limp when you bleed out and I'll move you over to the left side and land the airplane (to the horror of the 3 kids waiting to see their new dog Bry). (FBO chick says "if you have to do that DON'T land here with the kids waiting-traumatize them for life. Old pilot later says to me, "if you stuck her with the knife you only extended her life a little as a rescue dog as they were going to stick her with the needle if you didn't bring her here)

I have my right hand on the throttle at all times and am pushing it into the gut but see only white over white. Dead stick now. Still too high. I tell dog, "get ready for some fun." I push the left rudder to the floor and right stick and see I am going down nicely but I am still a day late and a dollar short.

I already have flaps at 15 so I go to 30 and see speed reduce but still too high. I finally see red over white and I aim at the numbers. 5000 foot runway so I figure I can land anywhere and then stop by braking but I've got to get down now as probably impossible to do a go around.
I keep hand on throttle to protect the throttle and Bry from hitting flap control.
I land at maybe 50 knots. I taxi to Aurora Aviation FBO, pull close, turn plane, turn off engine and 3 kids and MILF jump out at me! Dog is still with legs to my left but head up looking at the welcome.
I go inside for cup of coffee to becalm myself. Coffee pot is empty! The kids waiting for the dog have made Star bucks type sugary coffee drinks for themselves and the coffee pot is empty.
MILF thanks me. We take a picture. I try to convey what I went through but nobody is listening-too busy petting my near assassin.
I go home.

[ussyorktown]

One 80 year old pilot there, hears my story and says "Did you sign the dog's log book before she left?"
Message on my cell phone:

She is here!!! We can't believe it! Right now she is on the floor beside
my bed. She has calmed down a great deal. Dan said that she was in his lap just
before he flew in with her. She is a big sweetie. Dan when you have the time could
you send me the picture of you, Bry and my family standing next to your plane. By the way
my kids were SO impressed with your plane, it is amazing! A big thank you to each
of you for bringing Bry to us! What a huge effort this was, we just can't thank you all enough.

Hugs and kisses xoxoxoxoxo
The Johnstons and Bry

[FastEddieB]

I am starting to think that I am not living a normal life.

I don't know about your life in general, but your flying escapades as outlined here are decidedly abnormal, at least in my view.

Accidents rarely have a single cause, hence the concept of "links in a chain".

This pertains to a Part 121 reg, but it came to mind regardless:

From Wikipedia:

The Sterile Cockpit Rule is an FAA regulation requiring pilots to refrain from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight, normally below 10,000 feet. The FAA imposed the rule in 1981 after reviewing a series of accidents that were caused by flight crews who were distracted from their flying duties by engaging in non-essential conversations and activities during critical parts of the flight.

Just sayin'.

[ussyorktown]

What happened to me was like a bird strike. Deal with it to stay shiney side up using your talents, guts, training, instincts and get on the ground as soon as you can.

[CharlieTango]

What happened to me was like a bird strike. Deal with it to stay shiney side up using your talents, guts, training, instincts and get on the ground as soon as you can.

A bird strike can be impossible to avoid, what happened to you was the result of poor planning.

I saw something from you a little while back looking for someone to fly a dog from Shasta ( I think ) to Aurora and I thought to myself that I could do that and use it as an excuse to visit my father. The I realized that I would not take my own dog for a 2 hour flight in my CT because there would be too many things that could go wrong.

You elected to fly with a large, strange dog in your CT that was barely restrained. Not very responsible but your decision. It crosses the line when in your effort to weave a romantic tale, you try to sell yourself as a talented, gutsy, trained pilot with good instincts. Breeding irresponsibility in other pilots isn't hard to do.

[FastEddieB]

CharlieTango,

Thanks!

You saved me a lot of typing.

Ditto, BTW.

[ussyorktown]

You elected to fly with a large, strange dog in your CT that was barely restrained. Not very responsible but your decision. It crosses the line when in your effort to weave a romantic tale, you try to sell yourself as a talented, gutsy, trained pilot with good instincts. Breeding irresponsibility in other pilots isn't hard to do.

20/20 hindsight makes everyone a genius.

I don't try to sell myself as anything less than a low hour pilot learning something new every time I go up.
She proved herself to be docile at 3,000 to 10k (so i unhooked her so she could sleep) feet but came alive at 2,000.
I've had 5 dog rescues so far and this one came alive when she thought she was getting back on the ground.
Unforeseen and I was prepared to end the threat but instead dealt with it.

Lesson learned-I duct tape big dogs front legs and have them leashed to the right seats headstand. (Three pilots who were part of this rescue on legs before me say that I did everything correctly. Expertise from them contrasted with "your opinion, man.")

[CharlieTango]

I thought you were a lawyer? You don't know how to argue.

You quote me but cut out the part where I use foresight and choose not to fly a dog in a CT and then you accuse me of 20/20 hindsight.

Then you go back and edit to tell me my opinion has no value. Your word for the title of your thread is "Deadly" yet there is no emergency and no reason for deadly except for your poor planning followed by your poor decision in flight.

Time and again you demonstrate that your judgement is off.

If you want to fly rescue dogs, get yourself a kennel that will fit where your right seat is. Secure it properly, ( this means overkill to you ). You will have to limit to a medium size.

Transporting dogs is not worth a plane crash and your ridiculous plan to cut its throat with a knife in flight is another award winning bad idea. What do you think a 90lb animal is going to do in reaction to you cutting its throat? Good planning!

[ussyorktown]

I refer you to my earlier statement.

Wait, Clint Eastwood has been in the news and also wants to say something...

[drseti]

Cut the inappropriate language, folks, or I will delete this thread.

/s/ your friendly neighborhood moderator

[ussyorktown]

It wasn't me, it was Clint. I'll tell him to watch his language.
"You telling me to watch my language? Punk?"
Yes. Mr. Dirty Harry.

[SSDriver]

Hi Yorktown,
First as a dog owner/lover I commend you on using GA to help our "furball" friends. As a student pilot (hopefully that changes the end of the month, checkride looming..) the subject is of interest to me as generally my own dogs go everywhere with me. Belgian Malinois specifically. For now I've decided they'll have to remain at home until I find a personal comfort level before I attempt to take them up.

Your photo spooks me though to see your passenger laid up that close on the yoke though. Knowing myself, I would personally become fixated on the "what-if's" in that situation alone. Also, flying with strange animals, unknown to you... would a muzzle not be a good idea for your own safety? Honestly, it's one thing to say you'd dispatch the animal but can you imagine actually having to do that while flying the airplane at altitude or heaven forbid at a critical phase? From the outside looking in, there are alot of unknowns with these animals it seems of course you can't blame them for that.

Rather than duct tape your passenger, with due respect, given the size cockpit your operating, maybe a size/weight limit would be safer for you and the passenger? I can just IMAGINE how quick cell phones would be fired up at the FBO if someone saw you prepping your passenger with a roll of duct tape LOL. Please understand it's not my attempt to bash you or anyone else, I'm here to learn and share experiences like everyone else. There was certainly a lesson to be learned here so thank you for that. Very happy to read it turned out well for you in the end instead of another NTSB report.

Take Care,

[ussyorktown]

Duct tape the front legs seems reasonable as for 99% of the time Bry laid like the pic with her paws together. I figure that I'd land. Get on the taxi way-cut off the bonds and then go to the FBO. 3 other pilots had set it up and I was the last leg from Nampa KMAN to Aurora KUAO.
By the way, that is the greatest fly if you are into geology! I bought a book on Earth Science because I am seeing so many wonders. Buttes, mesas, deep canyons, valleys where suddenly there is life, water and towns. It is a blast up there! I wish I started doing this earlier as it is so much fun!

[FastEddieB]

NBC Nightly News had a nice story tonight about airplanes and animal rescue:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp ... 9#49366539

[ussyorktown]

I usually don't watch NBC (lying sacks of poo) but I got advance word on this so I watched it. Nice public relation for general aviation, eh?