---------------------------------------------------------- Pietenpol-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 12/13/16: 2 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 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) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:34:50 AM PST US Subject: Pietenpol-List: Please Read - This Is Safety Related And Is Very Important From: "jarheadpilot82" 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 _____________________________________ Time: 05:49:47 AM PST US From: Steven Dortch Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Matronics Email List Services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post A New Message pietenpol-list@matronics.com UN/SUBSCRIBE http://www.matronics.com/subscription List FAQ http://www.matronics.com/FAQ/Pietenpol-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/pietenpol-list Browse Digests http://www.matronics.com/digest/pietenpol-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.