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Aeroprakt A22


10 posts in this topic

Posted

I don't want to fly one...

Caution: Carnage may be offensive to some viewers

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Posted

I looked very closely at one of these at Airventure this last year.  An SLSA factory built plane.  

I was not impressed by the design or quality of build.  For a multitude of reasons I would not fly in one. 

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Posted

damn, does not look like there is shit for crash protection in that cockpit area. 

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Posted (edited)

damn, does not look like there is shit for crash protection in that cockpit area. 

I could show photos of two Kitfoxes that didn't come out any better - Well, maybe one did, but the pilot didnt!

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

I like to see those, Ed.  Along with the circumstances of the wrecks.

I've seen several Avid/Kitfox wrecks and the survivability of the cockpit is the reason I own one. 

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Posted (edited)

I like to see those, Ed.  Along with the circumstances of the wrecks.

I've seen several Avid/Kitfox wrecks and the survivability of the cockpit is the reason I own one. 

I should be taking the tarp off of my latest Kitfox 3 this week, and will try to post some photos - I don't know about the condition of the pilot, but the front end was in a ditch, and about totally broke all forward tubes.  I am going to check the seatcovers for blood too.

My Kitfox 1 landed in a large tree when the fuel pump wire burned in two - the pilot, wearing only the 3-piece belts, bent the upper tubes with his head and got 165 stitches in it, along with broken arm and ribs, but not like a engine in the ditch crash - He said the right wingtank just disintegrated when the wing hit the large limbs, and a cloud of gas evaporated fast.  They had to climb the tree to get him out, since he was unconscious.

I have some photos of my daughters sitting in it that I will also post for you.

EdMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted (edited)

I like to see those, Ed.  Along with the circumstances of the wrecks.

I've seen several Avid/Kitfox wrecks and the survivability of the cockpit is the reason I own one. 

Larry,

      Somewhere, I saw a diagram of the forward Kitfox/Avid tubes showing where they were prone to breakage in a head-on wreck.  I cant remember where I saw it.   The Kitfox 3 wreck was after a landing - I think 2-stroke quit - and deer were In the landing zone causing him to swerve into a ditch.   I believe Jim Chuk may have gotten the NTSB report on the crash.  I bought it for parts or a fixer-upper.

EdMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted (edited)

Larry,

      Here is a photo of my 6' 8" son-in-law sitting in the Kitfox 1 that landed in a tree.  The upper tube bent up is maybe not the tube that put 165 stitches in the pilot's head - I don't have an overhead photo, but the tubes at top left near the windshield were badly bent forward and outward, and this is probably where he hit his head.

      Note that he is not sitting as low as the seat normally would be - Strangely, we measured each of us from butt to head, and he is only 1" taller than my 5' 8" body - the big difference is in my short legs and his long ones.  He looks like me, and several times I was asked, "How did you get such a tall son?" - I just smiled and said, "His mother was tall"!

      I will try to get some photos of the head-on-into-ditch Kitfox 3 as soon as the weather gets better and post it here for you.

EdMO

Scan0139.jpg

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Hi Ed,  here is part of the NTSB report on your Kitfox 3 demise.  Another part of the report said the pilot suffered a broken ankle. Jim Chuk

The flight departed from the Central City Municipal Airport (07K), Central City, Nebraska, at 1430. The pilot was repositioning the airplane for its owner after the airplane had undergone a condition inspection. The pilot reported that about 50 minutes after takeoff, a total loss of engine power occurred and the propeller stopped turning. The pilot lowered the nose of the airplane to gain airspeed, engaged the starter and was able to restart the engine. The loss of engine power occurred five more times and the pilot was able to restart the engine four of those times. However, the pilot was not able to restart the engine when it lost power for the sixth time. The pilot chose a field in which to land, but the airplane collided with a grass embankment prior to the field. The airplane was equipped with a Rotax 582LC 2-cycle engine, serial number 3971866. A postaccident examination of the airplane was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector with the assistance of Rotech Flight Safety. Both cylinders were removed during the examination. The cylinders walls and the piston skirts were dull, contained vertical scoring, and exhibited the transfer of metal indicative of a lack of lubrication. The reservoir for the oil injection lubrication system contained about ¼ cup of oil. This level of oil was below the location of the pick-up tube. The integrity of the injection oil system was verified with no breaches noted. The pilot reported he did not check the level of the oil in the injection reservoir prior to the flight, but that the reservoir was half full when the airplane was taken to Central City for

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Posted (edited)

Thanks Jim,

      Greatly appreciate the report - Don't exactly match what Art told me, but engine-out story was about the same.

I will be posting some photos of front-end damage soon as weather clears.  Well, I PM'd them to Larry instead.

EdMO

Edited by EDMO

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