What actually caused this...shouldn't it be in total control even if the engine quits ?
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
He was in control of everything but thrust the entire time. What's not easy to see from the video is that the wind was howling out of the south. He ran out of altitude and options before he could align with the runway and ended up in the weeds.Originally posted by Juke View Post
I certainly can't say whether a better outcome was possible, but I was glad to see him walk away without serious injury. -
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
It was windy enough that day that the Unlimited Gold event was canceled. I'd say getting the plane on the ground with that sort of a cross wind would have been tough with a healthy engine, let alone one that had already let go.
George was lucky to walk away from that, it could have been much worse. Still, I think he did a pretty good job of getting the plane on the ground given the circumstances. I was there to see that. It looked to me like he ran out of altitude and options and did the best he could with what he had.
WillComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
Hindsight being 20/15 and all....
Putting the gear and flaps down on the downwind when it was blowing as hard as it was is what sealed his fate.
On a 'normal' day at Stead, he would have been fine. But given the conditions, he should have held the gear and flaps until (as we were taught in the military) assuring the runway was made. In this case, that would have been short final.
But he walked away, and that is the important thing.Comment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
The fact that the '10 Gold finals were cancelled for wind speaks more to the dry mouths of the officials than to any actual risk posed by the weather. The racers have run in worse more than once since 1964.
$"Man was meant to fly -- the earth is for worms!"
Martin CaidinComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
Not having been there at the time but what was reported at the time it wasnt the officals that made the call to call of the gold final it was the pilots of the gold final that chose to call it off as they all felt the conditions were unsafe at the time bear driver or any one there at the time care to give the correct answer Mr Whiteside Mr Penny Mr ArcherOriginally posted by split-s View PostComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
I am glad he walked away but for me the most important thing was he ended up 100-200 yards away, IIRC, from that F/A 18 Rhino surrounded by packed people in the military area and not into it. Sometimes I do have false recollections, but as I remember the incident, he had alot of time in the air to decide what to do....did he ever say why he didnt take the usual mayday runway considering the south winds?Originally posted by Big_Jim View PostComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
Wrong answer.Originally posted by split-s View Post
While the wind gust speeds may have been 'worse' before, they have always been blowing in a direction that the aircraft could safely land 'into' the wind on the available runways.
In 2010, the wind DIRECTION was the major factor, blowing out of the south directly across the main runway...as witnessed by the fact that several aircraft risked even more damage by choosing to land on 36/18, which is in horrible condition and has been closed as an active runway for as long as I can remember. If the aircraft had chosen to land on 08/26, or 14/32 during an emergency, the cross-wind component would have been far outside the acceptable envelope.
I for one would not want to land a powerless (or worse) clipped wing Unlimited in that severe of a crosswind.Comment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
Best to get the gear down with the prop still spinning as hydraulics are motor driven !!!!" Hindsight" probably the best decision would have been to stand down like the t-6's !!!!! any other ??? you can ask george in sept
....personally I think he did the best he could with the cards he was dealt
Jim Adams
Blue Thunder 2 crew
Picabo race 51 crew
Rapid Travel race 75 crewComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
Okay...I got it..the wind howling is audible on the video too.Originally posted by tim View PostComment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
wish we would have waited three airplanes got damage in our race and I end up finishing the takeoff in the gravel not fun , I miss that plane
Comment
-
Re: 2010 Thunder Mustang crash ?
It's so easy to look back at an accident and second guess what the person flyng may have done differently. When the fan quits at low altitude and things are going to hell in a hurry, one has little time to make the right choice, even if there is one and this was compounded by the wind. I've had two forced landings in my 185 in the 36 years I've owned it. One was at 6500 AGL and the other at 500 AGL. Guess which one was easier to handle? When the fan quits at altitude you have a lot of time to decide your fate. If he had not lowered the gear and flaps, he may have made the runway, even if he did I'm betting he would have lost it in the severe X-wind with no power. And maybe he would have been better off to try and use the rest of 14. I do know that when the engine pukes at low altitude and you can't trade airspeed for altitude you've got seconds to decide your fate. I don't know how many of the big iron drivers could have made a sucessful landing with a dead engine in those conditions on that runway. Remember "Georgia Mae" with the clipped wings (shorter ailerons) in 1985 landing on 26 with a bad x-wind. It ended up out in the sagebrush north of 26. We were staying at MGM where the crew was also staying and we ran into them at the bar that night. We had a few drinks and talked about the accident, they put the blame on the short ailerons and the x-wind. They were sad about the accident and said it would be back better than new. They say (who ever in the hell they are) that any landing you walk away from is a good landing.
Ron
Comment
Comment