wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (03/12/86)
This is mostly of interest to Seattle area pilots, but I though this might be of interest to the net in general. About a month ago, a Cessna 195 crashed near Seattle under mysterious circumstances, killing the pilot. The initial report was of a mid air; several witnesses, including the victims's uncle, saw a red and white C-150 fluttering down after the C-195 went in. No trace of a second aircraft was found. The 195's pilot was dead at the scene, and they found the right wingtip about 1/2 mile from the main wreckage. Let me interrupt for a second, with three interesting sidelights: 1. I own a red and white 150; 2. I was flying at the time of the accident; 3. The person killed was the former owner of my 150! Dee-dee Dee-dee dee-dee dee-dee :-). Anyway, I was well west of town when the accident occured, checking out the mothball fleet at Bremerton. Last week I flew into the 195's destination to get fuel (incidentally, this is the FBO that sold me the water-contaminated fuel last year). Knowing the history of my airplane, the FBO gave me the current direction the crash investigation is going: The 195 had flown in from Boise, coming over the Cascades at about 10,000 feet or so. The destination altitude is just 5 miles West of the mountains, at 450 feet. The last radar contact, after the pilot closed his flight plan, showed the 195 in a tight spiral, descending at high speed towards pattern altitude. The current theory says the pilot saw a second aircraft, and wrenched the wheel to avoid collision. The pilot was well-built, and they suspect the aileron bellcrank broke. Flutter quickly set in, and the wingtip then ripped off. The news media here had "search stories" for days, concerning the second airplane in the "midair." Nothing further has been on the news since, prompting me to post this for the edification of those local pilots who might still be wondering. But the lesson is clear to all of us... we usually think of "overstressing" an airplane in pitch, as in "pull too many Gs." The maneuvering speed is the limit at which any full deflection of controls should be made... elevators, ailerons, or rudder (rudderS to you B-25 pilots). Again, this is preliminary information, but still, food for thought... Ron Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja) P.S. For those with VCRs and/or HBO, rent/watch "Fandango." There are some really hilarious flying/skydiving scenes in it...