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1. 04:34 AM - Please Read - This Is Safety Related And Is Very Important (jarheadpilot82)
2. 05:49 AM - Re: Please Read - This Is Safety Related And Is Very Important (Steven Dortch)
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| Subject: | Please Read - This Is Safety Related And Is Very Important |
Some of you may know that we have a forum for the builders and flyers of the Pietenpol
aircraft and Corvair engine combination. It is called the Pietvair Forum.
Recently one of our members, Bill Reynolds, posted a lengthy discussion about
an accident that we have all heard about, the crash and subsequent death of
famed aviator, Ron Alexander. Bill knew Ron quite well, and so this discussion
is not an abstract discussion about some guy, but rather it is the reporting
of the circumstances surrounding the death of a good friend. Bill felt that
it was important to warn our members about the potential for a deadly choice in
building their airplanes. I asked Bill if he would mind if I shared it with
this group, and he graciously allowed me to do so. It is safety-related, and it
is important, so I thought that it should be shared with this group as well.
Take from it what you will. But I hope that it causes all of us to think through
some of our choices. It cant happen to me is an unacceptable premise in construction
choices.
Bills post is below-
It is with great sadness that I must report the error of using hard lines inappropriately
to plumb fuel systems. On 17 November of this year, we lost a great
aviator and friend, Ron Alexander. Ron was a veteran of the Vietnam war during
which he flew C130s and was a recipient of the distinguished flying cross. Ron
also flew for Eastern and Delta Airlines from which he retired. Ron was flying
a recently restored 1918 Curtiss Jenny which belonged to the Candler Field
museum which He founded.
The cause of the accident was an incorrectly repaired wood propeller which failed
shortly after takeoff. I suppose this post could be about propellers but that
is not what killed him. What killed him was twofold. The first of which was
the decision to restore the Jenny to original specifications. The second was
the hard plumbed fuel system that was installed in keeping with the first decision.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the violent vibrations resulting
from the failed prop broke the hard fuel line spraying raw fuel all over
the engine. Unfortunately, the majority of the airframe was engulfed in flames
within seconds. The Jenny came to rest within feet of a suitable landing place.
Neither Ron nor his passenger escaped. Other than the engine and empennage
there was nothing left of the wreckage. The accident happened at my home airport,
so I had the opportunity to fly over the accident. From what I could tell,
I believe that absent the fire, Ron would be alive today. William Wynne has been
preaching against the incorrect use of hardline plumbing since his accident
and subsequent injuries and now this lesson has been driven even deeper into
my mind by the death of my friend. Rons passenger that day was Larry Enlow, Mr.
Enlow was an FAA antique airplane examiner from Florida. I did not know Mr.
Enlow, but I understand that he was a well known and respected aviator in his
community.
The propeller in question was a large diameter wood propeller with copper leading
edge attached to a Hispano-Suiza on the nose of a 1918 Curtiss Jenny. An inspection
of the propeller months before the accident revealed a crack in the copper
on the leading edge. The propeller was returned to the manufacturer (not
Sensenich) for repair. The repair consisted of rivets on either side of the crack.
On climb out the propeller separated sending a nearly 3 foot piece of the
prop into a residential area of the air park. Post accident inspection revealed
that the crack had migrated into the wood from the copper or perhaps the other
way around, we may never know. I was told that the investigator did note
that the crack in the wood was not recent as the wood inside the crack was discolored.
I do not know enough about this kind of stuff to comment, but I wonder
if it is possible that the engine/propeller combination could produce a harmonic
resonance strong enough to cause such a failure? People that knew airplanes
including one A&P that rode in the accident aircraft said that it did vibrate
considerably.
--------
Semper Fi,
Terry Hand
Athens, GA
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=463880#463880
Message 2
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| Subject: | Re: Please Read - This Is Safety Related And Is Very Important |
Terry, Thanks for posting that, Hard though it is to read. When I read
William Wynne's posting pleading that we replace the hard lines running
from the wing tank down, and describing his incident, I went to a local
place that made braided flexible lines for race cars. It was not as cheap
as I would have hoped but it is the smart thing to do.
Now, Having read this, I am going to evaluate the couple of places where I
have hard line in the system. If needed, I will replace the lines.
It is a hard thing to have to learn through flying accidents!
Blue Skies,
Steve D
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