ETLB Squawk Forums — Archive

My friend, Ron Ward, was killed in his Challenger II last Friday.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyC29CdlS4&feature=channel

Really sorry to hear about your friend Charlie. Hopefully his Son n law will make a full recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and you as well......
Mark

Heard  about the crash on the 10:00 PM news, had no idea you knew  the fellow.  What a shame.  Our prayers and  thoughts go out to the families of the pilot and  the injured  passenger.  Were you, Charlie, the fellow  they referred to on TV as  supplying some information  about the pilot?

The Challenger is considered either Experimental  or  LSA, I suppose we will hear more about this accident from the  FAA.

Paul Fiebich

Sorry you lost your friend.prayer sent up! If there is anything we all can do just let us know charlie.

Hi Charlie,

Very sorry to hear of your friend and this accident.

I hope the survivor recovers quickly.

My prayers, best wishes and warm thoughts are with the family, at this difficult time.

regards Arthur.

Having lost a friend earlier this year in a plane crash at Selby I understand how you feel and can tell you it will get better.  My prayers and best wishes are with you and your family and I pray for a speedy recovery for the son in law

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. I hope the passanger recovers fully. It is difficult to come up with the words to ease your grief. Prayers are on the way.

Ron and I met several years ago when he bought the Challenger.  He was a pilot but didn't have any UL experience and asked me to help him transition into the CHII.  He was an excellent pilot and was quickly flying the plane extensively.  He moved to a farm north of Leavenworth and cut a short strip.  I landed there several times and visited him.  He then quit flying for a few years while working as a military contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He contacted me a couple of months ago to let me know that he was back home and starting to fly again.  I can't imagine what caused the crash. The plane had a BRS and you could see that the chute laying in the trees in the news video of the crash.  That could have happened on impact.  

Charlie

Quoted from fiebichpv Were you, Charlie, the fellow  they referred to on TV as  supplying some information  about the pilot?

Paul Fiebich

No, I was out of town all weekend and didn't find out about the crash until Tuesday evening when I looked at my Facebook page and saw a message from his daughter about it.

I spoke with Ron's brother-in-law who also flys a Challenger.  He had examined the wreck and couldn't find anything obvious.  Ron told the son-in-law that the winds were a little rough and that they would just do a short flight and land.  Whatever happened, Ron said to hang on and he was going to fire the chute.  Looks like the chute didn't have time to fully deploy before the impact.  The plane hit trees only about 50 yards from an empty bean field.  It's a mystery.

Ironicly, I was flying my Sonex on Friday afternoon at about the same time as the crash, only about 30 miles away.  The winds were reported at 210 and 11 knots where I was.  I can't imagine how the weather would have been a factor, but who knows?

Charlie

I talked to Ron's brother-in-law this morning and he has an idea of what caused the crash.  Ron found one of the bolts that holds the horizontal stab on the plane appeared to have an old fracture.  The other bolt was also broken but this one looked new and shiny.  The old fracture looked gray and had what looked like rust.  If this bolt broke in flight the stab would likely depart and the plane would pitch straight down.

The stab half was found some distance from the crash and was undamaged (no sign of impact...dents, etc).

Charlie

Sorry to hear about what happened.

I don't know if that kind of damage would have been visible, but it sure does lend credence to a good pre-flight.  That will make me be a little more observant from now on....

These particular bolts are near impossible to inspect other than by completely disassembling the tail section, yet they are one of the most critical parts on the plane.

I figured that was probably the case.  A friend of mine who is a Luscombe guy told me of a bracket or fitting at the tail.  It is usually fatigued over the years by guys doing mild aerobatics.  It can be a fatal flaw but near impossible to inspect without taking a lot of parts off.

Sorry to read about your friend's loss Charlie. My condolences to his family and friends.
Something will be learned after his accident, such as better inspections or replacing bolts more often than manufactufacture's recommendations.
By the way, how many of us have the manufacurer's maintenance program for the Max line? and those who bought used planes, is there a maintenance record of the aircraft kept by prior owner?
The price to pay could be  too  high if overlooking these minimum requirements.

I replaced bolts on Maggie Mae ...Minimax 1500R

1 - all the wing bolts for the strut attachments...as well as the U/C bolt points. I dissassembled the U/C and checked for wear and damage.

2- All the tailplane bolts..which had very slight corrosion

3- and the tailwheel bolts

4- all engine bolts...........ALL Bolts seemed to be in very good condition, except for the slight corrosion on the tailplane bolts

The worst thing I found was about a pound of dust and grass in the very rear fuselage which has collected, over time. I now take the tail off every 2 years to check and vacuum the rear fuselage.

Minimaxes seem very durable.

regards Arthur

I'm wondering if a list should be made of the "critical" hardware (bolts, fasteners, etc.) that maybe should be replaced on a time schedule - similar to items on a helicopter.  Like Arthur said, not much of an investment and perhaps doing it every other annual inspection or such would give a certain amt. of peace of mind.  It may be overkill, but for a few bucks it might just prevent an event like the one above.