[GMAs]

Well we hit ice... but, we made it past the new build up... which was putting out the lightening and hail... and now we had another problem for him to work out... he said he had about 2 inches of ice.. and couldn't see out the front window... So I though... stay on instruments... and listen to us... but, this guy wasn't instrument rated.. according to his wife who was handling the radios... great this guy is out flying in the soup and probably didn't check the weather before he left... and got stuck.. and now we find out he is not instrument rated... geezzzzz...

I told him to stay on course and if the plane could not maintain altitude.. to let it start down.. but, to maintain his airspeed... which luckly he did... we in the mean time had our problems with heavy iceing as the 130 was not liking flying at the spead I was..doing.. it wouldn't shake the ice.. so we offset the two outboard engines... ya we had 4... and let the vibration of the out of sync shake the ice along with the heat and boots... again it was a little trick we learned from experance... of course the crew downstairs are going nuts but, you do what you have to... kinda thing and they knew it... so they just stuffed more cotton in the headsets and beared it...

The good news started when the Wx officer said... 6 miles.. clear air... a quick check of the alt and we guestimated that he could make it.. if he didn't lose too much... I called Center and got a IP for the O2's on line... and asked if he had any advise ... command had already called him up and he was listening to the calls... and said .. we were doing it right... and that if things got worse he would call SnR for him next...

It was a long 6 miles and 3 min time... for the guy but, they broke out on the backside of the dry line... at about 4000 ft... then the front engine quit... but, the back one was still turning and burning... man this guy was out for a thrill of a lifetime.. was my thoughts... the co-pilot commented .. bet he gets down and never goes flying again... I just smiled and said ya on the intercom...

But, not all was through yet... his radio kept getting weaker and weaker... and was hard to hear... we called center again and they said that they could not raise him... so we cranked it up and we could just barely hear his wife talking when we were within 1/2 mile of him... when we got a visual .. he looked like a white ice cube... and the antennas for the radio.. were gone on top... at least that is what the observes said as we went by... and yep the fwd engine was feathered and iced up... according to them...

I called center and said we needed a field for him to land at right now... they said to hold on a min and came back with a small field about 5 miles due ahead... great at least something was going right for this guy... so we thought... but, nope... things got worse again... now we got rain.. heavy rain.. and when we came by again... the obs could not see inside the cabin... saying it looked like it was frozen over... darn... this guy is not a instrument pilot... and now we have one shot at getting him down on a runway... but, the rain was a blessing because when we made our next pass... I told him to drop the gear.. and when he did.. those great big doors... shucked ice off and opened up... droping the wheels... some of the ice hit one of my props but, nothing big...

I explaned that the runway was due ahead... and that he was going to have to land... we would set him up on course... and stay off to one side... while he came down the slope... he replied that he could open the vent window and see out of it.. but, the windsheld was frozen over... and the defrost was not working anymore because the fwd engine was out... too late I though... this guy is heavy with ice and now is the time... he kept his airspeed up ... as we told him to... and I planed a sweep around about the time he was going to be touching down... he was dead on the runway... and as his wife said it was real scary to think they could not see ahead... but, they could to the side thru the little vent window..hole... he got to withing 20 feet of the ground and all by his self he made a good landing... with only a little help from us to keep him streight on the runway...

Later we got a call from the CAP who was on their way over to the field... and they said they couldn't believe the Ice that they plane had on it.. some 30 min after it landed.. big chunks were falling off... on the ground.. it was clear ice... from the frozen rain we had gone through... and they said that when they opened up the fwd cowl...the engine was one solid piece of ice...inside...

You still want to fly in the thunderstorms.. and bad wx with your little radar... you are brave...

As to lightening hitting aircraft.. ya it makes a little burn mark.. and will blow the static discarges right off the plane if not the heavy duity types.. and you will lose your radios and any other electronic device that is not grounded well... anything with a antenna is history... unless its commercial military grade... so we have seen... but, most of the time you will get residual induction from the bolt... and contending with static discharge is about all ... if one does hit the plane... my advise is to land... now... as the wx is going to get much worse... and lightening is not your biggest nightmare... Ice and hail is... in all my years of flying I never heard of many small planes getting direct strikes except for being on the ground... then again I have heard of golfers getting zapped more times than planes getting hit... smile... maybe it has something to do with the fibbing on the scores... Hmmmmm...

Ok end of war story... seriously.. check the wx and if their is any chance for thunderstorms CB's Q's or sever wx like freezing rain... stay out of their.. your plane is strong but, not that strong.. and I don't care if your flying a 130 C5 or 737... iceing and hail is the worst thing that you can get into... not lightening... its the second worst thing... and the third is the viloent drafts and wind sheers... all of which will runin you day... if you get into them...

Its not much to play in the fuffly little white clouds... that look like cotton balls.. but, when they start to group up and the heat of the day comes... time to land.. because they go from fun to some serious life threating flying... real quick... best to land and watch it from the ground and have the bird in the hangar.. so the hail doesn't turn it into wrinkle finsih... smile..

Only advise I can give ya... smile.. hope somewhere in their is a lesson to be take seriously.... G.M> GMAs