Narrative:

I have delayed writing this because of the big scare I got, the worst in 28 yrs of flying. I thought I was dead, and I don't really want to think about it. The right hand seat pilot/passenger is also submitting a report. He is a good friend and also an experienced formation pilot (we fly together regularly) and we have agreed not to compare notes in the preparation of our reports so that the 2 points of view and best lessons are brought forward. The occasion was the visit by 7-YAK 18T's and 1 antonov an-2 light aircraft, all russian, to archerfield as part of a recent goodwill tour. By arrangement with the archerfield senior controller we were departing with the russians for a short flight to say goodbye to them. It was to be a formation event. Discussions were held with the australian pilot in the lead yak 18T. Because of language difficulties, no discussions were held with the antonov an-2 pilot. The antonov was to depart last, and we were to formate on his right. A block takeoff clearance was given. The 7 yak 18T's departed as a group. The antonov an-2 lined up, and I made a decision (a wrong one!) to line up on the right instead of a stream takeoff, because I was concerned for his propeller turbulence. (The previous day I had led a formation of 7 cessna 152's to welcome the russians and had been warned not to cross the antonov's wake). My formation group has made many 3 aircraft vic takeoffs on the same runway in cessna 152's and 172's. I rolled about 10 seconds after the an- 2. He went straight down the centerline, and he was airborne quickly. My cessna 177 was fully loaded (full fuel, 4 adults). Just after I rotated, it was as if a big hand had grasped the aircraft, and it was deposited firmly back on the runway (there was no rolling motion). I instantly realized there was a slight southerly wind drift across the runway, and I had encountered the downwash from the antonov's right wings. As I did not know what would happen if I closed the throttle (the aircraft was experiencing turbulent buffeting and I was unsure of my position relative to the runway edge lights). I made a decision (another wrong one) to keep the aircraft in the air. I rotated again, climbed a few ft with adequate airspeed, and decided (my third wrong decision!) that with the wind drift I would be better on the left of the antonov. Completely forgetting the propeller wash, I banked the aircraft left, straight through it. The antonov's 1000 hp engine increased my rate of left roll. At first I let it go as I was moving the way I wanted to. With roll rate rapidly increasing I applied full opposite aileron. Some right rudder and flew by airspeed. Airspeed went high (the propeller wash), I think I must have converted this into lift, and remember looking at the left hand side of the runway strip, at a bank angle of about 60 to 70 degrees, suddenly in smooth air, nose slightly down, still flying airspeed at 65 KTS. Eyewitnesses have confirmed the bank angle and attitude, and advised my wingtip went no closer than about 20 ft to the ground. I thought it was much closer and that I was dead. Eyewitnesses all thought an accident was imminent. Somehow I leveled the wings, established a climb, and the rest of the flight proceeded without incident. During the course of events, I had retracted the gear (useless, as it takes 12 seconds to come up in a cessna 177, and full proceedings only occupied 5 seconds) and there was no flap, as in my haste to depart I had forgotten to set takeoff flap. As with all such occurrences, there is a human factor. I hadn't been sleeping well because of business overload, and the day the russians arrived was long and exciting. My neighbor hadn't got a ride in a yak 18T that day, and I offered a consolation formation ride to see them off the next morning. I only had about 4 1/2 hours sleep and though I felt ok, I didn't really want to go, but didn't want to disappoint my neighbor. His wife decided to go also, and I ran into my formation pilot friend on the morning offering him a ride. Thus, the aircraft was fully loaded. Alcohol was not a factor. (I had about 4 light (means low-alcohol in australia) beers between 5 pm and 7 pm the night before). In short, my judgement was somewhat impaired by fatigue. The lesson to be learned is that, however much experience you have, you are not immune to bad judgement. An antonov an- 2 is a single-engine, fixed gear biplane, and there its similarity to a tiger moth ends. It has a 1000 hp radial engine, and carries up to 14 people. I was overconfident in my abilities, and should not have been anywhere near it on takeoff. Looking back through the retrospect-O-scope, I was plain stupid, and nearly killed all first officer us in the cessna 177. Somehow I lived simply through luck. Wake turbulence is not caused only by big jets, a lesson I already knew, and had to learn again the hard way. Please feel free to publish this report as you feel fit, although I prefer to remain anonymous. About 100 people saw me nearly buy the farm and I receive enough ribbing now! My pilot friend in the right hand seat videoed the whole proceedings, but I haven't looked at it yet as I don't want to relive happenings. If and when I do copy it, I will forward one to basi, if it looks useful.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL AS A C-177RG ENCOUNTERS WAKE TURB DURING A FORMATION FLT TKOF.

Narrative: I HAVE DELAYED WRITING THIS BECAUSE OF THE BIG SCARE I GOT, THE WORST IN 28 YRS OF FLYING. I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, AND I DON'T REALLY WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT. THE R HAND SEAT PLT/PAX IS ALSO SUBMITTING A RPT. HE IS A GOOD FRIEND AND ALSO AN EXPERIENCED FORMATION PLT (WE FLY TOGETHER REGULARLY) AND WE HAVE AGREED NOT TO COMPARE NOTES IN THE PREPARATION OF OUR RPTS SO THAT THE 2 POINTS OF VIEW AND BEST LESSONS ARE BROUGHT FORWARD. THE OCCASION WAS THE VISIT BY 7-YAK 18T'S AND 1 ANTONOV AN-2 LIGHT ACFT, ALL RUSSIAN, TO ARCHERFIELD AS PART OF A RECENT GOODWILL TOUR. BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE ARCHERFIELD SENIOR CTLR WE WERE DEPARTING WITH THE RUSSIANS FOR A SHORT FLT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THEM. IT WAS TO BE A FORMATION EVENT. DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD WITH THE AUSTRALIAN PLT IN THE LEAD YAK 18T. BECAUSE OF LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES, NO DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD WITH THE ANTONOV AN-2 PLT. THE ANTONOV WAS TO DEPART LAST, AND WE WERE TO FORMATE ON HIS R. A BLOCK TKOF CLRNC WAS GIVEN. THE 7 YAK 18T'S DEPARTED AS A GROUP. THE ANTONOV AN-2 LINED UP, AND I MADE A DECISION (A WRONG ONE!) TO LINE UP ON THE R INSTEAD OF A STREAM TKOF, BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED FOR HIS PROP TURB. (THE PREVIOUS DAY I HAD LED A FORMATION OF 7 CESSNA 152'S TO WELCOME THE RUSSIANS AND HAD BEEN WARNED NOT TO CROSS THE ANTONOV'S WAKE). MY FORMATION GROUP HAS MADE MANY 3 ACFT VIC TKOFS ON THE SAME RWY IN CESSNA 152'S AND 172'S. I ROLLED ABOUT 10 SECONDS AFTER THE AN- 2. HE WENT STRAIGHT DOWN THE CTRLINE, AND HE WAS AIRBORNE QUICKLY. MY CESSNA 177 WAS FULLY LOADED (FULL FUEL, 4 ADULTS). JUST AFTER I ROTATED, IT WAS AS IF A BIG HAND HAD GRASPED THE ACFT, AND IT WAS DEPOSITED FIRMLY BACK ON THE RWY (THERE WAS NO ROLLING MOTION). I INSTANTLY REALIZED THERE WAS A SLIGHT SOUTHERLY WIND DRIFT ACROSS THE RWY, AND I HAD ENCOUNTERED THE DOWNWASH FROM THE ANTONOV'S R WINGS. AS I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I CLOSED THE THROTTLE (THE ACFT WAS EXPERIENCING TURBULENT BUFFETING AND I WAS UNSURE OF MY POS RELATIVE TO THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS). I MADE A DECISION (ANOTHER WRONG ONE) TO KEEP THE ACFT IN THE AIR. I ROTATED AGAIN, CLBED A FEW FT WITH ADEQUATE AIRSPD, AND DECIDED (MY THIRD WRONG DECISION!) THAT WITH THE WIND DRIFT I WOULD BE BETTER ON THE L OF THE ANTONOV. COMPLETELY FORGETTING THE PROP WASH, I BANKED THE ACFT L, STRAIGHT THROUGH IT. THE ANTONOV'S 1000 HP ENG INCREASED MY RATE OF L ROLL. AT FIRST I LET IT GO AS I WAS MOVING THE WAY I WANTED TO. WITH ROLL RATE RAPIDLY INCREASING I APPLIED FULL OPPOSITE AILERON. SOME R RUDDER AND FLEW BY AIRSPD. AIRSPD WENT HIGH (THE PROP WASH), I THINK I MUST HAVE CONVERTED THIS INTO LIFT, AND REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE L HAND SIDE OF THE RWY STRIP, AT A BANK ANGLE OF ABOUT 60 TO 70 DEGS, SUDDENLY IN SMOOTH AIR, NOSE SLIGHTLY DOWN, STILL FLYING AIRSPD AT 65 KTS. EYEWITNESSES HAVE CONFIRMED THE BANK ANGLE AND ATTITUDE, AND ADVISED MY WINGTIP WENT NO CLOSER THAN ABOUT 20 FT TO THE GND. I THOUGHT IT WAS MUCH CLOSER AND THAT I WAS DEAD. EYEWITNESSES ALL THOUGHT AN ACCIDENT WAS IMMINENT. SOMEHOW I LEVELED THE WINGS, ESTABLISHED A CLB, AND THE REST OF THE FLT PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. DURING THE COURSE OF EVENTS, I HAD RETRACTED THE GEAR (USELESS, AS IT TAKES 12 SECONDS TO COME UP IN A CESSNA 177, AND FULL PROCEEDINGS ONLY OCCUPIED 5 SECONDS) AND THERE WAS NO FLAP, AS IN MY HASTE TO DEPART I HAD FORGOTTEN TO SET TKOF FLAP. AS WITH ALL SUCH OCCURRENCES, THERE IS A HUMAN FACTOR. I HADN'T BEEN SLEEPING WELL BECAUSE OF BUSINESS OVERLOAD, AND THE DAY THE RUSSIANS ARRIVED WAS LONG AND EXCITING. MY NEIGHBOR HADN'T GOT A RIDE IN A YAK 18T THAT DAY, AND I OFFERED A CONSOLATION FORMATION RIDE TO SEE THEM OFF THE NEXT MORNING. I ONLY HAD ABOUT 4 1/2 HRS SLEEP AND THOUGH I FELT OK, I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO GO, BUT DIDN'T WANT TO DISAPPOINT MY NEIGHBOR. HIS WIFE DECIDED TO GO ALSO, AND I RAN INTO MY FORMATION PLT FRIEND ON THE MORNING OFFERING HIM A RIDE. THUS, THE ACFT WAS FULLY LOADED. ALCOHOL WAS NOT A FACTOR. (I HAD ABOUT 4 LIGHT (MEANS LOW-ALCOHOL IN AUSTRALIA) BEERS BTWN 5 PM AND 7 PM THE NIGHT BEFORE). IN SHORT, MY JUDGEMENT WAS SOMEWHAT IMPAIRED BY FATIGUE. THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED IS THAT, HOWEVER MUCH EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE, YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO BAD JUDGEMENT. AN ANTONOV AN- 2 IS A SINGLE-ENG, FIXED GEAR BIPLANE, AND THERE ITS SIMILARITY TO A TIGER MOTH ENDS. IT HAS A 1000 HP RADIAL ENG, AND CARRIES UP TO 14 PEOPLE. I WAS OVERCONFIDENT IN MY ABILITIES, AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR IT ON TKOF. LOOKING BACK THROUGH THE RETROSPECT-O-SCOPE, I WAS PLAIN STUPID, AND NEARLY KILLED ALL FO US IN THE CESSNA 177. SOMEHOW I LIVED SIMPLY THROUGH LUCK. WAKE TURB IS NOT CAUSED ONLY BY BIG JETS, A LESSON I ALREADY KNEW, AND HAD TO LEARN AGAIN THE HARD WAY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PUBLISH THIS RPT AS YOU FEEL FIT, ALTHOUGH I PREFER TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. ABOUT 100 PEOPLE SAW ME NEARLY BUY THE FARM AND I RECEIVE ENOUGH RIBBING NOW! MY PLT FRIEND IN THE R HAND SEAT VIDEOED THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS, BUT I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT IT YET AS I DON'T WANT TO RELIVE HAPPENINGS. IF AND WHEN I DO COPY IT, I WILL FORWARD ONE TO BASI, IF IT LOOKS USEFUL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.