One too many turns?

[captain_john]

Check out this video:

http://www.big-boys.com/articles/biplaneair.html

Looks like the pilot got carried away and went one turn too many.

What is your analysis?

I hope he lived. I am sure he MUST have been injured!

CJ

[cjensen]

yeah, i just saw that one over the weekend on one of the aviation video sites (alex parkin, i think). i can't imagine he or she would've lived through that one. it's eerily familiar to me, as we lost a legend here about 7 years ago, Charlie Wells, when he did the EXACT same thing, in the same airplane. it happened right out our front door here at work. autopsy mentioned possible medical problems, but we'll never know for sure.

sure hate to see this happen again. it happens all too often at airshows...

[jim_geo]

Proof. You can stall an aircraft at any speed and any attitude.

[Dan A]

We lost one like that a few years ago here at the annual airshow at Fairchild AFB. He was just finishing his routine and the stick locked up. He just had leveled the wings with the rudder at about 50 ft. and it slamed into the ground and bounced up about 20 ft. We lost a good friend, a Cap 10B and I lost my aerobatic instructor. Not good!

Dan

[Spike]

Not much doubt in my mind that he or she died on impact. I watched a local aerobatic pilot die years ago at a local airshow almost exactly like that. He recovered from his spin to late and put it right into the ground. Freaky for a kid to see.

[l & d lewis]

Jim is right on the money with that one, accelerated maneuver stall. Unfortunately Spike is probably right also.......its a pretty common maneuver/mistake..........Larry

[Spike]

I guess I'm not sure why though. He had just rolled level and then pitched up. Its not like he snapped out of a manuever, and it appeared that he was coordinated (level, flying straight). It almost looks like he did it intentionally. He went around twice and recovered in the same direction that he entered it. It seems to me that if it was accidental his recovery would not have been nearly as coordinated with this entrance.

[azav8or]

Unfortunately, this pilot did die in this accident.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_i ... 8848&key=1

[l & d lewis]

Spike,

In an accelerated maneuver stall the flight may be coordinated, but the momentum of the airplane is in the original direction of flight. In this case down. The human body can't take the deceleration G forces (impact) and the organs and aortas are dislodged. The structure of the aircraft also compresses, causing injuries, and then springs back, almost to its original shape. That's the short version of why. Manufacturers are currently working on seats that will absorb high G's, and support structures that deform less. Very unfortunate accident...........Larry

[jim_geo]

I wonder how much help a good seat would have been.

[Spike]

I totally agree Larry that he was in an accelerated stall when he crashed and what G forces do to a body (13 years in the fire service.) What I was commenting was more on his entrance, it seemed purposeful. I do believe that he recovered and was in an accelerated stall though precluding his ability to arrest his descent.

[l & d lewis]

In this particular case the seat probably would not have helped, but we see a lot of fatalities and spinal injuries with a lot less force, that's where crashworthy seats would help. I worked a similar accident (accelerated stall on final) last year where the two front passengers were fatal and the two rear seat passengers survived. In that short distance the structure had absorbed enough energy to save the rear seaters, dual shoulder harnesses can't hurt. I worked an RV7 a while back and the roll bar/wind screen support held up very well. and I'm sure saved the pilot some injuries. The low altitude aerobatic types ar pretty much on their own, but seat design and structural integrity can certainly benefit us GA folks who occasionally get ourselves into trouble..........Larry