#749440 - 03/22/1202:22 PMRe: Flyboys having fun...
[Re: 2MANY]
ColeyG
Ranger Danger
Registered: 02/08/07
Posts: 2489
Loc: Talkeetna, AK
I don't really see anything that points to mechanical failure. It appears to me as though the machine stalls (wing stall not engine) on the climb after buzzing the buildings and the pilot doesn't have enough elevation to recover. They lose the tail rotor in the bounce which of course leads to the grand finale.
Not the first time a little military flying fun has gone wrong. My guess is a few somebodies are probably without jobs after that stunt. Lucky to have lived.
The guy that was flying this plane had a long and well documented history of showing off and taking unreasonable risks to the point that many would not fly with him. They now use his "legacy" as a case study for breakdowns in decision making and chain of command in the context of risk management. His wife and kids were at the show.
#749449 - 03/22/1202:45 PMRe: Flyboys having fun...
[Re: Direct-Drive]
ColeyG
Ranger Danger
Registered: 02/08/07
Posts: 2489
Loc: Talkeetna, AK
I don't see anything that indicates loss of main or tail rotor authority in the early part of the clip.
He approaches in a straight line, banks a short turn over the buildings, and starts a steep climb (all indicating intact authority), which to me looks like he either stalls out on, or something happens in the cockpit to restrict the pilot ability to manipulate the controls. He tries to dive out of it and/or autorotate to the ground, but doesn't have the room to get it done. No external indications (smoke, vapor trail, etc.) of a mechanical failure, but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't lose power. Seems unlikely though as those ships have two engines.
#749455 - 03/22/1203:10 PMRe: Flyboys having fun...
[Re: ColeyG]
Direct-Drive
ExtenZe Field Tester
Registered: 11/10/09
Posts: 4402
Loc: Vancouver, WA
Originally Posted By: ColeyG
I don't see anything that indicates loss of main or tail rotor authority in the early part of the clip.
He approaches in a straight line, banks a short turn over the buildings, and starts a steep climb (all indicating intact authority), which to me looks like he either stalls out on, or something happens in the cockpit to restrict the pilot ability to manipulate the controls. He tries to dive out of it and/or autorotate to the ground, but doesn't have the room to get it done. No external indications (smoke, vapor trail, etc.) of a mechanical failure, but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't lose power. Seems unlikely though as those ships have two engines.
Just looked squirrelly at the front end. A panicked recovery attempt, maybe.
I think that the way the crowd was lined up, they were going to do a planned, high speed pass over the snow field. Camera guy was there, etc.
Maybe they came in too low, tried to fix it, and everything went south.
My parents said years ago, cars will have wings n fly by the time you drive... HOLY SH!T am I glad that never happened...those are nasty fender benders...