Lousy ending to a great day

[6320012s 12]

How did it happen?  Really quick!!  Was alone and I'm OK. Happend at Moose Point about 15 miles by beach from the end of the road in north Kenai.

 

Contributing factors

1. was warm and had the door open (little less lift on left side) in addition to my fat butt.

2. static port in cabin made airspeed read low.  Probably touched down at 45-50 instead of 40, leading to a bounce on a 3 point landing.

3. Somewhere in the 3.5 seconds it took to flip, the bracket holding the right side gear stripped the threads off the bolts holding it on.  If this happend during the bounce, the uncontroled departure was inevitable.  Never did find the bracket piece.   Bolts on the other side were fine.  Nothing bent on the fuselage or the gear.  Seems strange that bolts would give way before the gear or tubing.

4. Was trying to perfect my precision short field landings.

5.Headwind quartering at 2:00 at 5-10 knots.

6. A tempting of fate by giving her a new paint job.

 

 

Lessons:

1. Dont practice landings on narrow strips in remote locations.

2. Close the door before landing.

3. Need more practice powering out of a bounce.... (done close to home!)

4. Quit talking about installing an outboard static port and do it!

 

Damage:

Prop

Windshield

Cowling crack

Right wing tip and two inboard ribs.  Front spar seems to be slightly bent back but probably can be fixed with re-instaled drag tube.

Struts look like linguini. 

Wing attach points may be tweaked a bit.

Missing Gear attach bracket.

Wounded pride, a couple million mosquito bites, and a nice sun burn.

[BryceKat 125]

Glad your ok!

[wypaul 448]

I feel for you man, good news is that it's repairable and you are OK.

[horsepower 24]

I too feel your pain,glad your OK.Randy

[C5Engineer 1170]

I know your tired of hearing this because I to know the feeling after an incident but it could of been worse. I think you get the award the most creative way to get a plane home in that last picture! Do you have 4 point harnesses or the 3 point set up? I've often thought that my 3 point set up wouldn't do me much good if I ever ended up on my lid. Curious if you whacked your head on the skylight or not??

[lv2plyguitar 172]

Glad your okay and for sharing your experience.  My static is not connected and never thought about the change if the door was opened.  I am probably going to hook my static up now.  Been a very hot summer in Alaska and have had my doors open on several occasions. 

 

Thanks

Edited 29 Jul 2013 by AVID STOL HH

[EDMO 1078]

I know your tired of hearing this because I to know the feeling after an incident but it could of been worse. I think you get the award the most creative way to get a plane home in that last picture! Do you have 4 point harnesses or the 3 point set up? I've often thought that my 3 point set up wouldn't do me much good if I ever ended up on my lid. Curious if you whacked your head on the skylight or not??

Joey,

There is a guy in Alaska who will tell you that the 3 point harness is not worth a shit! He landed his Kitfox in a tree, and got 165 stitches in his head where he bent the upper tubes, along with broken arm, ribs, etc. AND THIS WAS NOT UPSIDE DOWN.......Another who went to the bottom of the lake in Alaska almost didn't get his wife out of the 3-point before she drowned. I threw my 3-point away and bought a 4-point.

EDMO

[Mendlerr 4]

I used to build race chassis in small import cars, still kind of do.. I can tell you from personal experience on the track that no 3 point belt will save your life in a car, let alone an airplane.

We build to 5 pt minimum, but nowadays I typically install a 6 or 8pt harness. Submarining under the belt is a huge cause of avoidable death on the track and on the street.

My kitfox has good 4 pt harnesses but I've been thinking about adding the sub belt just for peace of mind.

Another thing to consider, GOOD harnesses are desgined to stretch about 2" on impact, CHEAP harness will not do this. This in turn snaps your collarbones. Ask me how I know. Took 2 years to recover from a buddy wrapping his Factory Five AC Cobra into the wall at Virginia International Raceway while I was riding shotgun, broke my left collarbone pretty badly

Glad your okay

Edited 30 Jul 2013 by RMendler

[EDMO 1078]

I feel for you man, good news is that it's repairable and you are OK.

Always sorry to see a good plane all wrinkled, but you walked away OK, and that's what is important - Just one more reason for me to build with Grove gear and nosewheel - but I'm getting to old to fight with TD anymore.

EDMO

[ZippyB 0]

Glad your okay and for sharing your experience.  My static is not connected and never thought about the change if the door was opened.  I am probably going to hook my static up now.  Been a very hot summer in Alaska and have had my doors open on several occasions. 

 

Thanks

 

If you do install a new static port, I'd install a three way valve in the static line while you check out your new  port. Then you can switch back and forth between the cabin and the new port.

 

When I bought my Model IV, there was a static port installed on the boot cowl, but it wasn't hooked up.  Not long thereafter,  while I had the boot cowl off, I checked that the port was clear,  then reattached the static line.  On my next takeoff, I was fat, dumb and happy a few hundred feet in the air as I cleared the end of the runway.   When I pulled my eyes back in the cockpit for a quick instrument scan I nearly laid a brick - the VSI showed several hundred feet per minute DOWN. 

 

After a few seconds of confusion laced with a pinch of terror, I realized what the problem was.  If the VSI was that much in error, so was the altimeter, and to a lesser extent, the airspeed.  But I couldn't reach the static line to pull it off the outside port.  So there I was in a plane I wasn't very familar with at an airport I also wasn't very familar with.  Boy, was I happy to get back on the ground that day.

 

After that, I made a proper, if clunkly, hemisperical-nosed static probe and clamped it to the strut bracing.  Using a three way valve to switch between the probe and an open tube under the panel,  I decided there wasn't just much difference between the two.  (I didn't try that with the door open.)

 

I've since removed the test probe, but am still considering permanently installing a hemispherical-nosed pitot-static probe.  Figuring out how to mount it and drilling another hole in the rear spar (for the static line) slow me down, though.

 

Anybody else have an installed a pitot-static probe?

[6320012s 12]

Regarding the seatbelt.  I had a 4 point harness, but still banged my head a bit.   As I am pondering the chain of events though, I am more seriously thinking the flip may have been the result of a chain of events that started with the right side gear clamp coming loose.  The gear clamp was nowhere to be found, and the threads on the bolt were stripped off.  Also broken was the brake line.  What I have no explanation for is the fact that the swivel end of my rubber brake line was broken off as was the brass adapter that was screwed into the gear.  In short, the brake line broke in two places with the adapter part missing.   If the gear clamp came loose earlier and the brake line was compromised, application of the brakes would have caused me to veer off the runway.  As I think of it, that may be why the left tire is black as if it had been scrubbing against the gravel, and the right is just dusty.  Anyway, anybody with Grove Gear might want to check the condition of those bolts on occasion.  Could be mine were over torqued.  When I dig out the bolts I'll post a picture. 

[SuberAvid 617]

Man Dave, I am thankful your OK and sorry about your plane.  Glad you are focused on getting it back together again soon.

[SuberAvid 617]

Not to make light of it but this shows that all gear can have problems; recently posted on this forum; scratch 2 grove gear, 2 bush gear, 0 bungee gear.