Phil Perry Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Just had this posted on Fizzogbook by my mate Kev Armstrong,. . . . he posted it ten minutes ago ( 13:28 bst ) so he's obviously not that bady broken. . . .( Neither is his smartphone evidently ) Waiting for details. That's not his home fireld so it could be power failure without a suitable landing field. Will update. ( light damage should buff out easily I would have thought ) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teckair Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Gee Phil looks like a mess glad your mate survived that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 Gee Phil looks like a mess glad your mate survived that. Thanks Teck,. . . .Kev is an engineer par excellence, and in the forefront of various microlight developments in the UK, and a really nice bloke too. He posted that picture from the crash site after crawling out of the wreckage. I have not got the full story yets, as this happened less than 2 hours ago. I only got the "Engine fail" bit secondhand, but that definitely doesn't look like any part of his airfield, although it COULD be near another he was visiting maybe. The trike is a single seater ( Was - sorry ! ) I'll get some more info later, the facebook page has gone mad but Kev hasn't replied yet, they are probably patching him up in a medical facility somewhere. His phone is now off as well. I'll report back later when there's more info. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 Update. . . From Kev Armstrong's Brother Chris. Kevin is in hospital and talking gibberish ( not unusual ! - probably the morphine. . . ) Badly shaken, cuts & bruises, sprains etc. no info on anything more serious. Engine seized, height unknown, very little choice of good flat landing places. Highly experienced pilot. No point in speculating, will find out in due course. Here is a ( rather clipped ) picture of what the trike used to look like. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 No more news yet, but another photograph uploaded by a friend. I'm wondering about the poor blokes feet and legs, this aircraft had no pod, just simple footpegs. This pic shows a bit more of the frontal detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teckair Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Most would be talking gibberish after that, he would be in shock and lucky to be alive. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Shame to hear about Kev. Yep talks gibberish at the best of time ... but there is an engineers brain inside that is off at 100% all the time ... and half of that gibberish is just good solid thought ... just ask all the P&M Quik owners with his nose suspention mods ... Hope he's back up and running again soon ... and FYI the engine was almost certainly his modded Vangaurd V twin lawnmower engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic36 Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Cool reg letters for a guy named Kev Armstrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deskpilot Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 I don't usually speculate but to me it looks like he landed nose wheel first on very marsh like ground. Wheel dug it, flipped him over and the mains never touched the ground at all. A very sudden stop. I'm not surprised his brain is not quite right at the moment. He's a lucky guy to be able to walk away from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Indeed - and his previous trike was G-KEVS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 I don't usually speculate but to me it looks like he landed nose wheel first on very marsh like ground. Wheel dug it, flipped him over and the mains never touched the ground at all. A very sudden stop. I'm not surprised his brain is not quite right at the moment. He's a lucky guy to be able to walk away from it. Nope to first part - in a trike its not actually possible to land nose first - the trike hangs nose wheel high and in an engine out situation even if you push out really fast the wing pivots more than the trike angle of dangle changing. - take a look at the avatar image of mine with the EclipsR - nose in flight is about 12" or 30cm higher than the rear wheels ... and the thrust line of the trikes are usually set up with very little power impact on swing ... unless you are flying a 1980's early trike and then you have significant swing from power ... but the modern ones do not and the Magic trike Kev was flying does not. And the Magic trike hangs quite nicely nose high as well. The real issue looks to be bog and tuck under after getting the wheels down - if you have few options on where you arrive you take your best available. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Gnu Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Wow he is fortunate to be alive Phil. Also fortunate to be in England with the ground is always wet and spongy.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi303 Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Looks like he had a soft landing, and not in the sense of a light touchdown, but more in the sense of a squelching halt in brown goo. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Bugger- Glad he is alive and gibbering. Phil- it might need more than a polish though, at least a good wash. Be interesting to hear what happened to the engine in time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 Shame to hear about Kev. Yep talks gibberish at the best of time ... but there is an engineers brain inside that is off at 100% all the time ... and half of that gibberish is just good solid thought ... just ask all the P&M Quik owners with his nose suspention mods ...Hope he's back up and running again soon ... and FYI the engine was almost certainly his modded Vangaurd V twin lawnmower engine. Thanks Kasper,. . . He mentioned that engine a while back. . .always trying out new stuff ! That's the beauty of single seat deregulation. .more room for innovators. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 I Think another mad friend named Kev Mallin had that G-KEVS reg at some stage,. . .don't know if it was before or after KA though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasper Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 I Think another mad friend named Kev Mallin had that G-KEVS reg at some stage,. . .don't know if it was before or after KA though. Nah, Kev M has G-KEVZ ... but he is mad as well ... just differently. And for total bonkers ask Kev A when he semi aware to show you the design drawings for the split wing flexwing - differential pitching of the wing halves split along the keel ... even I went white at the idea but have to admit his drawings of the structure looked like they might work .. but not with me anywhere near it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 Nah, Kev M has G-KEVZ ... but he is mad as well ... just differently.And for total bonkers ask Kev A when he semi aware to show you the design drawings for the split wing flexwing - differential pitching of the wing halves split along the keel ... even I went white at the idea but have to admit his drawings of the structure looked like they might work .. but not with me anywhere near it KEVZ. . Yeah that's right . . . . about him being mad as well I mean ! Formation leader of the "Pound Green Pirates" regular visitors to Otherton, though not so much since our gorgeous Lady with the hot food truck has packed it in. . .we're trying to organise a static cafe again, but the regulations and permissions required are many and varied. . . .No hot food = No Kev. . . .just says "Hiya" as he and his pack whizz through our overhead at 4,000 ft on their way to a site with free flowing tucker. . . Kevin A. is back to posting his usual drivel on FB today, with no mention of his Whoopsie. . . .? Posted a vid showing American transports dropping vehicles on parachutes, with one in four of these falling to the ground unchecked. . . I guess he'll post a bit on the BMAA site when he's ready. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Perry Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 Kev's Youtube vid of the accident - with typical title. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9yocHOffSg 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pylon500 Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Nice looking runway dead ahead at 1:09? Heat of the moment I guess.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenaviator Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 He certainly got the title right. It looked like there were so many better landing options. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdseye Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Just didn't have a plan I'd suggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teckair Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 At least he didn't stall it and fall to the ground like a rock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi303 Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Or hit that manor house it looked like he overflew the gardens of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 From the look of how the cloud shadows were moving, did he land with a bit of a tail wind? As said before, there were a whole lot of other options, but we can only say that in hindsight. I don't know if I'd do any better when the adrenaline starts pumping. I remember in my emergency training selecting what looked like a very smooth field to land in from 2000ft, only to find at about 500ft that it was a bit rough, but I was committed. You can't go changing your mind when you have no altitude, so you have to see it through. I'm glad he is ok. The video is priceless, watching it got me thinking of my emergency training. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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