---------------------------------------------------------- Kitfox-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Sat 05/02/09: 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 07:05 AM - Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event (Tom Jones) 2. 10:03 AM - Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event (Lynn Matteson) 3. 10:16 AM - Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event (Lynn Matteson) 4. 10:24 AM - Re: Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event (Lynn Matteson) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 07:05:41 AM PST US Subject: Kitfox-List: Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event From: "Tom Jones" That is an interesting story Paul. Thanks for posting that and the pictures. By the way, it is a small world. My wife's great grand father had a ranch about 12 miles east of Shrag. His name was Radke. I thik she said he moved away from the area in 1925. do not archive -------- Tom Jones Classic IV 503 Rotax, 72 inch Two blade Warp Ellensburg, WA Read this topic online here: http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=242401#242401 ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 10:03:10 AM PST US From: Lynn Matteson Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event So we can now take the wooden propellor off the dangerous list, and put it in the category of things that are safe, but have gotten a bad rap. Good story...scary for the fliers, of course. I hope hearing this clarification will allow you to put the fears to rest, Paul, as there are thousands of wood props out there, and people fly behind them every day...I do. Lynn Matteson Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger Jabiru 2200, #2062, 635.2 hrs Sensenich 62x46 Electroair direct-fire ignition system Status: flying do not archive On May 1, 2009, at 11:07 PM, Paul A. Franz, P.E. wrote: > > > A couple weeks ago, the current thread of interest was propeller > failure. I had > recalled the story of what I thought was a wood prop failure on > nearly new aircraft owned my uncle Victor R Franz with a mailing > address of Ritzville WA but actually residing on a farm in the > Warden Lind area very close to Shrag WA which has a railroad siding > and wheat elevators about half a mile from what is now I-90, but on > the track of former US-10. The photos and memory of this > significant event are still vivid in my mind even though this even > occurred when I was not quite 4 years old. I was just talking to > Vic via e-mail and informed me that the prop that was replaced was > not wood, but rather composite and the one that failed in flight > was an all metal one. > > Vic had this to say in particular: "The propeller was a Hartzell > Snap-o-matic prop with metal blades. The original blade used on > this type prop were composite. I was surpised when the prop showed > up with metal blades. This heavier metal blades probably > contributed to the hub failure. The Whole propeller hangs on the > wall in the farm shop." > > Vic and his wife have been active members of Washington Flying > farmers for about 60 years now and the following is an account of > this accident that happened about 10 miles or so from where I grew > up on a farm in Othello WA. "Al" is mentioned in the article. That > is my father. I have attached two composite photos, each with 4 > scans on them. They are pretty big so if you have a modem > connection you might act accordingly. > > MEMORIES STILL VIVID AFTER FIFTY YEARS! > > by Vic and Phyllis Franz, Washington Flying Farmers > > Even after fifty years, Vic Franz and his cousin Earl Franz are not > likely to forget what happened to them on October 16, 1949. For > them, the memories of what transpired that day during their flight > in Eastern Washington are as vivid as if they happened yesterday. > > The Sunday was one of those cloudless bright autumn days just > perfect for flying. After attending the morning worship service, > Vic and Earl made plans to enjoy an afternoon flight. Vic, a pilot > with 532 hours, was anxious to show Earl what his plane, a 1948 > Luscombe Sedan, Model 11A, could do with its new propeller that had > been installed just two months earlier. Flying was Vic's passion > and this was the fourth airplane he had owned since he began to > learn to fly at the Lind airport. His check ride for his private > pilot's license had been given to him by Opal Hicks three years > earlier in November, 1946. > > Vic had purchased his new Luscombe, paying $6,995 for it, in > August, 1948. About a year later, in a quest for more speed, he > had the Hartzell Snap-O-Matic prop with metal blades installed on > the four passenger plane at Wallace Aviation in Spokane. The day > the installation was checked out and approved, it was not necessary > that every Civil Aeronautics Administration inspector in the > Spokane office fly in the plane, but they did out of curiosity and > interest. > > Vic took off from his farm strip west of Ritzville and quickly made > the short flight into the Ruff area where his cousin lived. After > Vic landed in the wheat stubble field near Earl's home, Earl hopped > in and off they flew south to the picturesque but rugged scab rock > country northwest of Othello. > > Soon they were over the farm strip of John Para, a fellow Flying > Farmer friend of Vic's. Vic "buzzed" the strip and pulled up in a > steep climb. After leveling off at around 800 feet, Vic shifted > the propeller into high pitch....and suddenly there was a violent > vibration and for a moment it seemed as if the plane was hanging in > mid-air...then silence. Vic had no way of knowing exactly what had > happened, but he was sure the plane's whole engine had been torn away. > > Ironically, earlier, Vic and Earl had discussed what Earl should do > if they had an engine failure. Vic had told Earl he should climb > into the back seat to protect himself. With this is mind, Vic > started to tell Earl to climb into the back and then immediately, > Vic changed his mind and told Earl to remain in his front seat to > help stabilize the plane. > > With his mind racing, Vic thought about a family that had recently > died in an airplane accident in the Ritzville area. Vic was sure > that he and Earl were going to die also and yet he wasn't afraid of > dying. Earl also had the same feeling, he was not afraid of the > thought of death but he was terrified at the thought of a plane crash! > > Not panicking, Vic automatically put his piloting skills and > knowledge of flight to use and put the control wheel all the way > forward. The plane handled well with not much forward speed but > enough to maintain flight. Vic did not have much control over his > choice of where to land and made some quick decisions in the two > or three minutes he had to guide the gliding plane own. With the > plane headed directly into a bluff, Vic made a ninety degree turn > and in the remaining few seconds, he realized the fence posts along > the road where he was going to land were too high to pass under the > wings > so he landed the plane in the adjacent field. As he was making the > turn to land the tail went down even with full forward pressure on > the controls and as a result Vic made the best three point landing > he had ever made with that airplane. > > Vic and Earl can not remember what they said to each other after > they were safely on the ground. Surely, they each uttered their > own prayer of thankfulness as they walked to the front of the > Luscombe and found the whole engine gone! > > A short time later, a young couple happened by on the country road > and gave them a ride into Othello where Vic phoned his brother > Walter to come pick them up. Sleep did not come easily that night, > as the incidents of the accident flooded Vic's mind. He then > remembered that he had been smoking a cigarette when the engine > tore loose. Wondering what he had done with the lit Camel, he > felt his fingers. They were blistered; automatically he had > snuffed the cigarette out in his hand. > > John Klettke, in his Stinson Station-Wagon, flew Vic over the > terrain the next day and they located the engine in a rocky field > about a mile from the location of the airplane. A few days later, > Vic took an inspector from the Spokane CAA office to see the plane > and engine. Later, personnel from the Seattle office also visited > the accident sites. It is interesting to note that a CAA > Airworthiness Directive on Hartzell Propellers was issued the next > month, November 28, 1949! > > Vic had to finish the fall seeding before he could get a truck and > bring the plane back to the farm. With the help of his hired man, > he removed the wings and loaded them and the engine on the truck > and towed the plane home. Within a few weeks, he purchased a J3 > Cub so he could get back into the air and also to use it as a spray > plane. The next spring, Vic hauled the Luscombe to Spokane and > traded it in on a metal wing Cessna 170A. It was a thrilling day > when he took delivery of 9553A at the Cessna factory in Wichita, > Kansas. About fours years later, after his brother Al had started > farming in the Othello area, Al heard about a sheep herder that had > found a piece of a prop. Sure enough, it was the blade that left > the plane with the failed hub. The two pieces were reunited and > now hang together in the farm shop. > > After reading an article about the Luscombe Sedan in the January > 1989 AOPA magazine and also one in the Private Pilot magazine, a > lot of curiosity was sparked in Vic as to what had happened to > Luscombe 1615B. He located it in the FAA Aircraft Registry and > contacted the owner, Charles M. Bratton of Kaufman, Texas. Charles > was delighted to hear from Vic, the original owner of his restored > Luscombe. He said the plane's logbook recorded that the plane had > had a new firewall installed but he did not know > the engine had been torn off. However, Charles had wondered about > the dent on the front corner of the fuselage. Vic sent him a copy > of the original Bill of Sale/Application of Registration of the > Luscombe and Charles sent Vic a photo of the plane. > > Later while traveling in Texas, Earl was able to visit Charles and > see Luscombe 1615B. When Earl sat in the plane....the whole > hallowing experience once again tumbled through his mind. > > What happened to Vic and Earl that Sunday afternoon could have > abruptly ended their young lives. But fortunately the story has a > happy ending. Each young man got married, raised a family, were > successful farmers and an asset to the community, and now is > enjoying his grandchildren and retirement. Vic went on to fly > another forty years, owning a total of twelve different airplanes. > His interest in flying was passed on to his family with his wife, > Phyllis, and two sons, Randy and Curt, all obtaining their pilot's > licenses. Now his grandson, Peter, has soloed. Vic's love of > flying took him on flights over much of Canada and the United > States. He also flew into Mexico thirteen times and to Central > America twice. Many of these trips were to take part in Flying > Farmer conventions or tours. Vic was the 1984-1985 International > Flying Farmer president. > > Harry Blunt, a former Alaska bush pilot friend of Vic's, after > hearing about the > incident told Vic that since he had survived this accident, he > would always be safe while flying from then on. This proved to be > true and Vic also has an unique flying story to share with other > pilots. > > -------- > Paul A. Franz, P.E. > Registration/Aircraft - N14UW/Merlin GT > Engine/Prop - Rotax 914/NSI CAP > Bellevue WA > 425.241.1618 Cell > 425.440.9505 Office > > > Read this topic online here: > > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=242370#242370 > > > Attachments: > > http://forums.matronics.com//files/luscombe_sedan_1_129.jpg > http://forums.matronics.com//files/luscombe_sedan_176.jpg > > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 10:16:56 AM PST US From: Lynn Matteson Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event Sorry for the double posting.....now triple... : ) Lynn Matteson Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger Jabiru 2200, #2062, 638.7 hrs Sensenich 62x46 Wood prop Electroair direct-fire ignition system Status: flying do not archive ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 10:24:07 AM PST US From: Lynn Matteson Subject: Re: Kitfox-List: Re: Propeller failure - 1949 account of frightful event I used a 1/8" cable routed through the firewall, and around the engine, secured to itself with 4 cable clamps. I did this after reading of Gary(?)'s episode where the prop shucked a blade, and the resulting vibration tore the engine loose from the mount. Adding this cable is why I now only eat half the french fries that are included with my Big Mac. : ) I figure that if the engine at least stays inside the cowl, it was time and weight well spent. Lynn Matteson Kitfox IV Speedster, taildragger Jabiru 2200, #2062, 638.7 hrs Sensenich 62x46 Wood prop Electroair direct-fire ignition system Status: flying On May 2, 2009, at 2:07 AM, Cwehner wrote: > > Wow, amazing they weren't hurt. So this brings up a question I have > not yet tackled. My father and I are in the finishing stages of our > Kitfox IV build and just recently were discussing if anyone was > securing the engine to the frame by cable. He seems to remember > discussions of it in the past. Just wondering if any one has done > this? > > -------- > Chris Wehner > Tulsa, Oklahoma > Kitfox IV, 912, Final push for completion! > > > Read this topic online here: > > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=242380#242380 > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message kitfox-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Kitfox-List.htm Web Forum Interface To Lists http://forums.matronics.com Matronics List Wiki http://wiki.matronics.com Full Archive Search Engine http://www.matronics.com/search 7-Day List Browse http://www.matronics.com/browse/kitfox-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/kitfox-list Browse Other Lists http://www.matronics.com/browse Live Online Chat! http://www.matronics.com/chat Archive Downloading http://www.matronics.com/archives Photo Share http://www.matronics.com/photoshare Other Email Lists http://www.matronics.com/emaillists Contributions http://www.matronics.com/contribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.