History Main / CaptainCrash

->"Launchpad, can't you even ride a camel without crashing it?"\\
-- '''Scrooge [=McDuck=]''', ''DuckTales'' TheMovie

->"Anakin, did you get shot down ''again''?"\\
--'''[[StarWars Obi Wan]]''', ''TheCloneWars''

** Gravity can be a harsh mistress when your engines are dead and you've barely outrun an explosion.

** The {{X Wing Series}} gives us AscendedExtra Derek 'Hobbie' Klivian and his much-lampshaded tendency toward spectacular crashes and long periods in a Bacta tank. Despite this, he's unquestionably an AcePilot and even seems to make it work for him: no matter what violent fate befalls his vehicle, Hobbie will ''always'' eject, survive and be back kicking ass within the week.
** The first-published comic arc in that series, The Rebel Opposition, makes it necessary to mention Hobbie's squadronmate Tycho. He put on Imperial guise and reported in saying that his TIE had crashed. They gave him a new one. He flew on a mission, was shot down by his own X-Wing(long story), [[EjectionSeat ejected and survived]], then returned to the Imperial base. They gave him a new one. Then he betrayed them. In fairness, these [=TIEs=] are apparently so light that an X-wing they are chasing can easily [[http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/653/swrstro311.jpg get]] [[http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7724/swrstro312.jpg behind]] them, and so incredibly fragile that [[http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/3060/swrstro308.jpg a Wookiee swinging a stick]] can [[YouFailPhysicsForever shred their wings]]

* I once read a romance novel where the hero, an airplane pilot, was called "Crash." Because he crashed a car.
* HarryPotter crashes in almost every one of his books.

* Captain Jet Morgan of the old BBC radio serial ''JourneyIntoSpace'' could fit this trope. He captains the spaceship Discovery, and when it's required that the ship lands, Jet is always the one who pilots her down. Unfortunately he tends to crash, or at least make hidiously bumpy landings, more than he manages to bring her down smoothly. Of course, one of those times he had actually been knocked out before the ship was quite fully landed, but most other times it's just Jet. Nobody ever really comments on this.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Smith Edward Smith]]: First he was captain when a ship called the RMS ''Olympic'' collided with a British warship. Then ''Olympic'' lost a propeller blade and she returned to her builder for emergency repairs. Then he was captain when a ship called the RMS ''Titanic'' decided to sail from Southampton to New York City. [[{{Titanic}} Perhaps you have heard about what happened during that voyage]].
** In fairness to Captain Smith he had had some twenty years of eventless sea experience before that. The simple fact is Olympic and Titanic were ''much'' larger than his previous ships and required a whole new type of seamanship - a fact neither he nor anybody else appreciated.

[[caption-width:350:[[MostTriumphantExample "If it's got wings, I can crash it!"]]]]

** And let's not forget Luke's [[TheyDo future wife]], Mara Jade. She crashed a Skipray Blastboat in 30 seconds, drove her Z-95 Headhunter into a Star Destroyer's docking bay and ejected into an ion blast, and crashed the Jade's Fire to [[SaveTheWorld save the galaxy]]. She even crashed into a wall while '''on foot'''! After all that, Luke still built her a ship of her own. Hope you installed air bags, Skywalker.
*** Well, in fairness, the Skipray was because of C'baoth taking out her repulsors (and also the need to [[FakingTheDead make him think she died]]) and that ''was'' a landing, even if it was hard. The Headhunter was previously hit by another fighter, so the crash was [[TakingYouWithMe really just spite]] and a bit of RammingAlwaysWorks. And as mentioned [[HeroicSacrifice Jade's Fire is a special case]].
*** Before another JustifyingEdit: Note that there were ''two'' "crashed" Skiprays in the Thrawn Trilogy. One chasing Luke, the other "shot" down by C'baoth throwing rocks.

*** The first-published comic arc in that series, The Rebel Opposition, makes it necessary to mention Hobbie's squadronmate Tycho. He put on Imperial guise and reported in saying that his TIE had crashed. They gave him a new one. He flew on a mission, was shot down by his own X-Wing(long story), [[EjectionSeat ejected and survived]], then returned to the Imperial base. They gave him a new one. Then he betrayed them. In fairness, these [=TIEs=] are apparently so light that an X-wing they are chasing can easily [[http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/653/swrstro311.jpg get]] [[http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7724/swrstro312.jpg behind]] them, and so incredibly fragile that [[http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/3060/swrstro308.jpg a Wookiee swinging a stick]] can [[YouFailPhysicsForever shred their wings]]

[[caption-width:350: "If it's got wings, I can crash it!"]]

* WorldOfWarcraft: At the end of the Alliance Questline to Twilight Highlands, Fargo Flintlocke says he ditched the landing gear among other things to make the plane lighter - he doesn't "land" usually anyway. Fargo's remark at the end of the trip is a CrowningMomentOfFunny.

* This is pretty much Chakotay's nickname in ''((StarTrekVoyager Star Trek: Voyager))''. He ends the second part of the pilot episode crashing his original ship into a Kazon cruiser, and nearly every shuttle he touches from then on is doomed.

** [[SubvertedTrope Hilariously subverted]] in ''The Golden Goose'' when Launchpad attempts to crash on purpose, only to land perfectly.

He's supposedly an accomplished pilot, but when he gets behind the wheel he crashes it. Even if he's in the desert with nothing to crash ''into'', he'll somehow find a way. To his credit, the crashes are survivable, so he does have that going for him.

* [[TheCloneWars Anakin Skywalker]] is the finest starfighter pilot in the galaxy... he's also the worst starfighter ''lander'' in the galaxy.

**In Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala have each had only one of their mobile suits survive the end of the series (one each across two series), every other suit they used was totaled, though Athrun went though far more suits, to the point if he touched it it was probably doomed and Kira's tended to be rebuilt and destroyed again.

** There's a ShoutOut to this in the card game CosmicEncounter, with the "Spiff" race, who have the power to "crash-land" when they lose a battle.

** On StarTrekVoyager, meanwhile, Chakotay crashed enough shuttles for it to become a joke among fans.

* Although being a competent pilot, Boomer in the re-imagined {{Battlestar Galactica}} is known for her terrible landing skills, causing a dent on her ship every time she lands.

* For Jake Cutter, of TalesOfTheGoldMonkey, crash landings were routine and accepted as such on Bora Gora.

* Captain Jet Morgan of the old BBC radio serial "Journey Into Space" could fit this trope. He captains the spaceship Discovery, and when it's required that the ship lands, Jet is always the one who pilots her down. Unfortunately he tends to crash, or at least make hidiously bumpy landings, more than he manages to bring her down smoothly. Of course, one of those times he had actually been knocked out before the ship was quite fully landed, but most other times it's just Jet. Nobody ever really comments on this.

*Kreyg (AKA Hot Blooded Gaming) from Justin TV does this a lot when he plays GTAIV, he even made a company for it!
* ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''. Woozie, a very bizarre ally, can drive maginificently. Walking into walls, however, is a frequent occurence. Even More amazing is the fact that he can drive while being blind.

* More of a player Captain Crash than anything else, but in [[SaintsRow Saints Row 2]], if the Boss is driving in a car with Johnny Gat and s/he crashes into something, Johnny is liable to muse, "Just like old times."

* Batman in the DCAU. IIRC, the Batwing was destroyed in every appearance it made in JL/JLU. I'm not even sure the thing has landing gear.

* [[TheCloneWars Anakin Skywalker]] is the finest starfighter pilot in the galaxy...he's also the worst starfighter ''lander'' in the galaxy.

--> '''Common aviation proverb'''

-- '''Common aviation proverb'''