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My latest AirBike flight was March 31st 2015, it was during a pleasant early evening. That is my favorite time to fly; low sun angle, temps about 80 degrees (F) but on this flight, visibility was limited due to haze generated by wind and dust. I flew for .9 hour and thoroughly enjoyed myself, that is until some Huns aimed their big guns at me when I landed.

Over the fence at 40 mph, touchdown just above 30 mph, a left cross-wind meant the left wing was down and I would land on one wheel. The landing was harder than normal. The left wheel assembly broke off the gear leg when the socket did a "cell-division" process. This resulted in my shortest ever landing; about 25 feet from touchdown to coming to rest inverted.

The photos show the prop scars and eventual scratch mark resulting in it becoming horizontal which prevented it from breaking. The long gash is from the amputated gear leg until it dug in shortly before the engine made contact with the ground.

The plane hit real hard on the engine bottom front cylinder then up onto its nose, bounced like a Tiddly Wink, went airborne and landed on its back about 5 feet further. So much for keeping the greasy side down. This was a very violent maneuver! It wasn't just a tip-over, it was a bone-jarring stop. Thank goodness for a 4-point safety harness and helmet.

This action resulted in achieving my second aerobatic maneuver; for a very brief moment I did "fly" inverted, albeit going in reverse! My first aerobatic maneuver, done some years ago, was the ground loop.

Aside from a severely damaged ego and being thoroughly pissed about wrecking my plane, I was OK with only a  few bruises and sore neck and back muscles. I did go to the doctor to get checked out. She asked me if I do this often, I said no, this was the first time I ever flipped an airplane. She restated her comment and asked how long I have been flying. I guess words can have different meanings between the sender and receiver.

The photos below provide a good description of the ON-AIRPORT-LANDING. Previously, I have had off-airport landings but this is a first at my home airport that ended in an unusual attitude. I am still disassembling the plane to determine how to proceed with the repair.

Paul D. Fiebich

Yeouch! That's not going to buff out. Glad you weren't physically hurt, but I'm sure the emotional side is quite different. In the top photo it would appear the wing and fuselage aren't perpendicular anymore, or is that somehow just the camera angle?

Doctors....I think they'd rather we all stay in our protective bubble, but then we'd be told we need exercise. When I was in my 20's and having a occasional rapid heartbeat, I asked my doctor if it was OK for me to race motocross. Not only did he think that was a bad idea, he thought motorcycles in general were ill advised. That might have been my last visit with him.

Best wishes on the damage evaluation and coming repairs!

Lynn

Oh no! what a pity..
First of all I'm glad you're OK and the machine gun bullets didn't touch you.
I hope things don't look as bad after you disassemble the air bike. Never the less it'll keep you busy for a while.
I think your incident will remind all of us that things should never be taken for granted no matter how much experience we have.
You have all our support for a fast recovery ..... an Ace like you is needed at the front lines.

Glad to hear your ok, Sorry about your plane mishap

Good to hear that you are ok after the incident. Did your fuselage tube repair hold together?

YIKES those Huns a brutes; glade your on the mend and considering a rebuild.

Hi Paul;
Good grief, I feel terrible for you. I wish you were closer, I would help you get her back together. I am very glad you were not hurt. You need to get busy, good flying weather is around the corner. I wish there was a way for me to help.
Bob

Paul,
Glad to hear your ok which is the main thing....The pictures just make me sick.   ..I hate seeing your Air-Bike in that kind of shape. ..Best of luck in your repairs, and I hope the damage is less than what it looks like it might be.
  Larry

Paul,

I'm glad to know you are ok. I wish you'd have called for assistance, but I'm guessing some of the guys were there to help you with the egress and aftermath. Having more than a few landing at the former Selby (now Blue Sky) Aerodrome, I can picture in my mind's eye, exactly what occurred.

I'm sure you were doing your customary wheel landing, yes?

It looks like a hidden stress crack opened up and once it got going, it was a microsecond before the gear leg was in the dirt. Damn man.

Just from the pics, the wing looks easily salvageable although I'm sure the struts were stressed heavily at the cabane attachments. That will require some close inspection. My guess is that the wing/fuse angle is due to twisted wing mounts. Control linkage may be gorked a bit too. Fuel tanks might have torn loose of their moorings depending on how much fuel was on board.

The fuse looks pretty straight behind the firewall. Gonna need to check and triple check all the corner welds.

I don't have high hopes for the engine. With the front head hitting that hard at an angle and the obvious sudden stoppage. The crank will need to be magnafluxed I'd think. The gear box may be toast. Prop looks intact, but I'm not sure I'd trust it.

Oddly, the covering and the tail feathers look ok.

Let me know how I can help buddy.

Again, just glad you were well enough to send me that email and post here. Damn Huns can't kill your spirit!

Paul, I am glad you are OK, and I wish you get back soon after having this accident, we all enjoy your writings except this latest one. You cant really do anything about material problems. I can honestly share your feelings.You are not alone.
But it will be ok for sure !

Hi Paul,
Your picture speaks itself. Its an uneasy experienced but fine you're ok.
Does Murphy's Law includes material fatigue?
I just hope everything will be fine on your Airbike's airworthiness in the future.
Phil                                                                            

Wow. Paul, your post struck me in several ways. Like everyone else, foremost, I am so thankful you are ok, both physically and psychologically. For you to be able to post such tongue and cheek and witty description of the event reinforces a lot about your approach toward life, which has been evident to us from your adventures and writings for years. Broken wood, metal and cloth can (and I am sure will) be repaired and replaced relatively easily. Broken spirits are another thing. Your story, like so many before, is a great inspiration. Thank you. (I am still anxiously awaiting your collection of flying essays in book form!).

It also reminded me, yet again, of how slim an edge we play on once we leave the ground. You rank among, if not at the top, of the most experienced and skilled among us at flying these birds; yet, even with all precautions, procedures and practices "as  usual," stuff happens.

I really look forward to your coming stories of getting back in to the air! I know they will continue to inspire and entertain a bunch of us. Really glad you are ok!

Hi all, thanks for your condolences, empathy, and offers of support. That means a lot to me and will provide inspiration during the repair process. One of the fortunate things is that I only got banged up a bit, some of the bruises are now quite colorful and the muscle soreness is going away---gradually. You are right Lynn, the scratches on my helmet won't buff-out (let alone the AirBike).

The wing and fuselage are askew, I think that once the bent tubing in the cockpit is either removed or straightened I will be able to use the wings as leverage to return them to their normal position.

Interesting enough Richardo, during each pre-flight, I do look at the sockets joining the wheels to the gear leg. I didn't see anything out of the normal. However upon closer inspection of that joint now, it appears as though the tube was not welded all the way around (on the bottom). I will check it more thoroughly and also examine it for previous cracks.

I haven't yet examined that previous weld repair TJ but will get to it today when I go out to do more disassembly. And yes Andy, it was a wheel landing, on one---it was a cross-wind landing. I thought of calling you for help but lots of people came out of the woodwork to lend a hand once I had removed the ASI, prop, air box and exhaust to avoid damage during tipping it back over.

Yes Larry, I keep my fingers crossed that the damage is less than what it appears. Rest assured that the entire plane will be thoroughly examined and necessary repairs made to make it airworthy. An A & P mechanic will look at it Wednesday and offer his suggestions and expertise for the frame repair and necessary welding.

Having read this Board for 15+ years, I know most of us have had to deal with various levels of plane damage, PK, yours is a good illustration of a tip-up with minimal damage, how fortunate. We all get through this type of thing--with the moral support of the others. Redbird, I am glad you found a little humor in my initial post, gotta keep my attitude or else I would get depressed.

You are right Bob, good flying weather is upon us and I want to get the plane fixed quickly to enjoy it. So, after posting this, I will be going out to the hangar.

Some more photos show the damage

Paul Fiebich

Paul, glad you are ok and I hate to see an airplane tore up.

I to am inspired by your positive way of looking at this accident. Your plane might be broke but you spirit is not. I thank God that you will be alright and can't wait to here more flying adventures from you. The Huns won this time but you will get-em back. I noticed all your oil bottles on the ground...you are prepared for fuel stops.

Monte

Such a shame, Paul, but so glad you are not too badly injured.  

I would be very interested to hear any more of your observations on why the gear failure occurred. I'm sure that a 'heavier than usual' landing for you equates to a greaser for most of us, and it would be reasonable to expect there should be a fair bit of reserve in the gear for heavy landings.

I hope you can get your trusty steed repaired in time to return to the skies come summer and do battle once again.

Bruce

Well buddy, it's a great chance to make some improvements if you had some in mind.

I guess you could always set it up as a tricycle.  

I'm glad your OK Paul. I saw the plane when talking to Bill and the owners yesterday. I'm going to be back on the 18th. If I can be of any help just let me know.

Chris

HI Paul,

Dang, what a shame!  Sure glad you are safe!  Since I am not a builder, I wonder if your gear leg is the same as on the Mini and HiMax?  

Until you get her put back together, you can just write us "reruns"!!  LOL,

Dennis

OMG Paul.....I too feel ill reading through your ordeal....what a bloody shame.

Im so glad your well and not injured physically, certainly great praise for the design and the designer.

I do know that after 1000 hours in your old steed that it can be rebuilt....hey they build warbirds from WW2 from very little...and your warbird is just as important to you.

I wish I could also assist with some support in the rebuild..!! After all she is a calender girl....I have the proof as its still hanging on my wall. above the telephone

You have my best wishes and like you Im glad as your family is that you are not hurt..!!


cheers Arthur

Glad your OK Paul, makes me a little sick. We will not be able to read about your adventures for a while. Good luck with the repairs and keep everyone updated.

Paul,  Glad to hear your in good condition and not broken.  Your Bike will be up again to ward off the Huns in the near future.  Go for the mods you have been putting off.  Huns beware as Paul will be back in the air and you have no place to hide.
BobN

Not so sure the 50 caliber mods he wants to make will be all that safe... under full auto it could cause the airbike to...... back up

From the description and the evidence it looks like the landing was not all  that hard. The gear legs are still perfectly straight. All the damage is from flipping over.
On properly designed gear the axle shouldn't be the first thing to break, the wheels should keep on rolling even on a collapsed and bent gear.
I hope other Airbikers are taking a note of this.

Quoted from 71
On properly designed gear the axle shouldn't be the first thing to break, the wheels should keep on rolling even on a collapsed and bent gear.

Agreed.

When I had my engine failure and had to put the Himax down in a rough cutover,  I hit a deep stumphole on landing that broke the left fiberglass main gear leg.  No harm was done to the Black Max 5/8" axles or wheels.

About George's fiberglass/carbon-fiber Himax gear spring:  It's likely what saved my Himax from being totaled.   It absorbed the impact, sparing the plane from major structural damage. If I had been using the original factory gear, I believe the outcome would have been far worse.

And Paul,

Glad you weren't hurt.

Agree with Termite, I've seen an example of a Minimax that lost the engine and had a near perfect landing in Very Tall grass...
The grass wrapped around the gear and yanked it down and busted the Fuse up pretty bad, as well as driving the right strut thru the wing.
one gear leg snapped, the other tried to come thru the cockpit......

It's Wally's parts bird now.

Note that this break was not up at the fuse where a secondary support might make a difference.  This break was right down on the end of the leg where it attached to the axle.

Looking at the Airbike design you have a socket on the fuse and a socket on the wheel mount.  These suggest the leg tube was intended to flex to absorb shocks and be the sacrificial element bending rather than breaking.

The mental note I have made here is to add a small bit of gusseting to that wheel mount socket end.  Provide more connective weld area to spread the load over that way.

Or to just build that as a carbon fiber moulding  

Glad Paul is ok and thankful he shared the experience and pictures!  

Wretched Huns! Blast!!

What a violent landing. I've parked a couple with the down and welded gear pointing up after engine failures, and I've had friends experience the same, but I've never heard of anything like yours. Scary.

Sounds like it's not your heart that's purple. Glad it's still beating.
Probably a good thing the voice recorder was never recovered.

I hope you get back into the air soon.

Law suites not withstanding, Mr. Ison designed a good airplane, did he not? It must be a pretty tough machine since you were not seriously hurt.

Please allow me one question. Did all of you notice Paul's reference to the condition of his helmet? As far as we know, Paul and I share no ancestors since Noah, so I assume that his head would not have fared as well as did his helmet, or as well as my hard old noggin' might have. Leave paint on the scene, not hair.

Paul, wish I could encourage you.

Looking at the Airbike design you have a socket on the fuse and a socket on the wheel mount.
  
          The socket on the wheel end is not on the plans. These are Rans parts.

These suggest the leg tube was intended to flex to absorb shocks and be the sacrificial element bending rather than breaking.

         Yes. If you go to Pauls website you will find pictures of a gear failure he had in the past. The legs bent and were replaced relativly easily with no fuselage damage.

Or to just build that as a carbon fiber moulding

         I bet if a composite gear reaches its limit its gonna fail with a bang.

         The lower leg that fit into the socket is cut off square, a great way to concentrate stress.
In hindsight would it have been better to cut it off at an angle? Same idea as a tube splice, or tapering a spar doubler.
  
        Paul, glad your OK. None of this is meant to bash you or your modified gear.  
Good luck with the rebuild, she looks a bit tweaked. Have you considered that wooden Airbike by TeamMiniMax?

Thanks again for all your words of support both for myself and the AirBike. Below are specific responses to some of your comments, they should provide a clearer picture of the event.

Monte, yes, the oil bottles on the ground are part of my onboard supply. I always carry enough for 10 gallons of gas. I just can't get 2-stroke oil at an airport. You are both observant and understand pre-planning.

Bruce, Dennis, George, & Steve; the AirBike gear IS the "fuse" that can prevent extensive damage to the fuselage. I have had landings that retracted the gear to the full up and locked position and had no other damage (Flint Hills rocky field). As someone else noted, the AirBike gear and the MiniMax gear are different. It WAS the socket that joins the wheel assembly to the gear leg that broke, nothing else broke. I am not sure why the socket broke.

The majority of impact was taken by the front cylinder, there was only some dust on the prop bolts. When rotated by hand, the engine turns smoothly with no noise. Will put a dial indicator on it later as well as remove and check the gearbox.  Damaged windshield, wingtip, cowl, and two front cockpit tubes occurred during the inverted impact with the ground. That is when my helmet got its paint transfer and scratches. Engine tube and fuselage tube damage occurred during initial impact. Note the twist in the fuselage from the cockpit forward.

Tom, I agree, ground damage is better than falling 500 feet then hitting the ground. Rebuilding the plane will be less expensive and time consuming than salvaging it to make another. The plane is well designed, however I have seen two others that were destroyed (cockpit fwd) in very severe crashes.

While the plane is down, improvements will be made Andy. Namely George's SuperCowl and Hap's disk brakes. Some of the repair has already been done by me and others farmed out. I want to get back in the air!

Hey Arthur, sure glad to learn that you still have my AirBike calendar of several years ago. I have always wanted to make another but haven't done so yet. As well as writing the book "(mis-)Adventures of AirBike Ace."

You are right Ace, the socket is an aftermarket part I had made during a transition from the Rans gear and back to the TEAM gear leg only. I don't think there is any stress on the end of the gear leg that is cut off square because its only connection with the socket is the AN-3 bolt holding the two pieces together. The end termination of the gear leg would seem to have no bearing on the socket failure.

Yes, I really like TEAM MiniMax's wooden AirBike. I think it is a great idea and the component design makes assembly concise.

Attached are a couple more photos showing damage. In a few days the fuselage will be trailered to an A & P's shop to be repaired. As well as being an interesting incident, I hope all of this has been useful to you and may well build confidence in your planes. To varying degrees, most of us have been there.

Paul Fiebich