Boambee Beach Crash Crime Scene

[kgwilson]

I heard on the radio on my way home from the airfield that a small aircraft believed to be an ultralight crashed on Boambee Beach this morning & police have declared it a crime scene. No further details are available other than 2 people were believed to be on board & escaped with minor injuries.

 

Very suspicious.

 

Boambee Beach Crash

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Chipmunk..?...............

 

 

[deadstick]

Looked like a chipmunk just now on the news.

 

 

[dutchroll]

"Crime scene" = "poetic licence used in initial media report"?

 

 

[Ultralights]

sounds like someone forgot how to recover from a spin, hope they recover fast and back to full health

 

 

[turboplanner]

Or engine off operations?

 

 

[dutchroll]

"Descending rapidly, spiralling...."

 

Ugh. Chipmunk spin. Ya just gotta get that stick way forward and be patient in a Chippy!

 

 

[bexrbetter]

The pilot suffered a fractured skull and head injuries - might be from Tasmania.

 

(and genuinely wish him a good recovery).

 

 

[David Isaac]

I thought I heard the news article state or imply low level aerobatics?

 

 

[turboplanner]

There's precious little news except for the original link, and "spin" could mean anything. A fractured skull as the worst injury would indicate quite a lot of control, at least close to the ground, but there's very little to go on.

 

 

[Bandit12]

The "ultralight" became a "Chipmunk specially built for aerobatics"? A Super Chippy perhaps?

 

Hope the pilot pulls through okay.

 

 

[facthunter]

A chipmunk requires respect with any spinning . An unintended spin at a low level may be unrecoverable. Also a recovery using full forward stick may place it in an inverted spin. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

A chipmunk requires respect with any spinning . An unintended spin at a low level may be unrecoverable. Also a recovery using full forward stick may place it in an inverted spin. Nev

I can agree with that after trying to do a 90 deg turn then being aware of ground/sky/ground/sky, my cheeks compressed against my teeth, no idea which way was up let alone what to do, and the instructor chuckling behind me.

 

 

[facthunter]

If you don't have a lot of height, no-one should be chuckling.

 

I don't want people to get the wrong view of a Chipmunk. It's a very nice plane to fly and has an exceptionally good feel on the controls. It has, however, killed quite a few people and almost killed a lot more with autorotation and was the subject of an inquiry which in my opinion didn't get the full story out as the plane was being used as the primary trainer at most good flying schools. and there was nothing better about at the time. There is a larger rudder mod, (which I haven't flown). If you have the height and a good COMPREHENSION of spin recovery generally and training in the aircraft with someone who knows it, FINE... otherwise DON'T spin it especially at low level. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

Well I was totally responsible for the result of my smart arse action, and the instructor was one who taught gentle actions at all times.

 

Although it was a taildragger it was also easier to line up and land than a Jab from my recollection.

 

 

[dutchroll]

I won't deliberately enter a spin in anything at less than 6000' - even a plane like a Pitts with well defined spinning characteristics and responses. Plus at the first hint of a manoeuvre with lots of rudder going wrong at altitudes lower than that, I'll usually go idle and centralise. I'm selfish like that - I want to do aerobatics, but still live to see retirement.

 

We used to spin the Macchi jet from 20,000'. The only reason I didn't go higher was because it took ages to get up there (well that, plus if you couldn't recover by 10,000' you had to set off the explosive charge under your seat, which by all accounts from those who had done it, was a rather violent experience).

 

 

[facthunter]

Aw,,, C'mon Turbs A Jab isn't hard to land. Just don't cross it up and always land on the back of the wheels.

 

DR, Chippy was my initial trainer. Taught spinning later on them and DH82's One of which was not exactly predictable for spin recovery. I've spoken to many instructors who were of the same era. They all admit certain times of unpleasant uncertainty . Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

The more I think about the Chipmunk the more I remember it as very responsive to the controls and easy to fly, except for that little burst of excitement (mimicking an uncle who'd demonstrated it in a tiger moth.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Aw,,, C'mon Turbs A Jab isn't hard to land. Just don't cross it up and always land on the back of the wheels.

I found the LSA a little twitchy, the J160 good, but the pre-modification J170 didn't like quartering gusts on those big winds and short-coupled tail unless it was landed with the nose wheel reasonably close to the ground so the wind had less chance of catching the wing after the flare.

 

 

[turboplanner]

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2014/aair/ao-2014-114.aspx

[facthunter]

Hope they recover OK.. The ROD is usually quite high in a spin, in a DHC-1 and more often than not fatal. The bush may have helped to cushion the arrival. Appears to be a standard chippy.. A lot of damage.. Nev

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

don't confuse a flat spin (nose high low rate of decent) with spiral dive (nose low high rate of decent).

 

 

[David Isaac]

Bit more to it than that Steve, if your nose is high in the spin, you are in deep deep do do and likely to be a statistic.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Better than a windscreen full of rotating ground.

 

I was told years ago that if i was ever caught out in cloud that was down to the deck the method most likely to produce survivable results was to back stick it into a flat spin holding full back stick and full rudder. You will still hit the ground hard but good chance to get out of it. Better than spinning it and tearing the wings off.

 

Looking at this wreckage i'd say good chance it was nose up spinning wings still attached and tail not twisted off, not to much damage to the crew.

 

Question remains why no recovery back to normal flight.

 

Let the debate begin

 

 

[rankamateur]

pancake on and rip the aorta clean off your heart, won't hurt for long, and you will make a prettier corpse.