Warbird Information Exchange

Pure speculation on my part, but, there was another Stearman on the runway ahead of him. I've found myself almost unconsciously getting up on the toe breaks in formation landings when I'm worried about overtaking someone. Just a thought. Also I would think if the reporter was getting his feet up on the brakes, the pilot would have felt that.

Steve G

I'd tend to go with the reporter theory. No matter if he was properly briefed, it'd be a lot more likely that he "forgot" the briefing in the excitement or concentration of getting the perfect shot, and while a pilot might have felt the feet on the brakes, it's not at ALL certain that he'd be able to do anything about it. Amateur aerial photographers can be the worst passengers - and the most fun - with all due respect to our great WIX photographers!

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

It was confirmed that the reporter admitted that he was pushing the brakes to push himself up for a better look. Ouch!

Where'd you see that? I'd be very interested in seeing that. I hope that the insurance will cover the Stearman.
There's also an interesting write-up here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 0060805323

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Glad to hear that the reporter owned up to it. Unfortunately I do not think the explanation will get as much coverage/ press as the accident did.

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Share your story: Rutgers Oral History Archive http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/

Officials probe vintage plane crash at Reagan National Airport

By Stephanie Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 9, 2010; B10



Federal officials are investigating why a vintage plane flipped over at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday morning, suffering some damage but not injuring the pilot or the Washington Post reporter inside.

The Boeing Stearman PT-17, a 1943 biplane built for World War II training, turned over as it was landing on the airport's main runway just after 10 a.m. The brightly colored plane, nicknamed the "Yellow Mistress," was the second of eight Stearmans descending. The planes were publicizing the premiere of the 3-D IMAX film "Legends of Flight," held Tuesday night at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Flying in from Manassas, the two-seater touched down at National and briefly rolled at 70 mph before flipping on its back, said Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, at a news conference Tuesday.

Both the pilot and The Post's transportation reporter, Ashley Halsey III, appeared to be unharmed.

The accident bent and curled two of the propeller's blades, and it damaged the plane's tail, rudder, vertical stabilizer, right wing and part of the engine, Hersman said. The NTSB did not have an estimate of the damage.

The agency had not determined the cause of the accident as of Tuesday afternoon. Robert Benzon, a senior air safety investigator, is leading the probe.

"We're looking at any limitations or whether winds have affected the accident," Hersman said.

The plane is licensed to Michael A. Truschel of Nokesville, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. The pilot has logged 800 hours of flight time, 180 of them in Stearman planes, said Tom Haueter, director of the NTSB's Office of Aviation Safety and a pilot who has flown Stearmans.

Two thousand of the planes are in operation, Haueter said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/08/AR2010060805222.html?sid%3DST2010060805323

I've been in a similar situation, where someone else damaged my airplane (in this case, he flew a 60 lb RC jet into it at 80 mph, as it sat parked by the crowd). There's no point in getting mad. Doesn't accomplish a thing. What's done is done.

What you want after a bad moment like that is to just calm everybody down. Then later let the lawyers and adjusters sort it out.

Dave

Paul, what is your source or quote that the passenger said that he touched the brakes? I haven't seen that. I think I read on another site, like Avnews or similar, that one said he "tapped the brakes" on landing, and I thought this was the pilot saying that. I haven't seen it anywhere else and did not see anything like this in the piece by the Post reporter , the passenger.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Right now, I cannot reveal my source.

It was in the reader comments on one of the articles when someone who was there said the reporter admitted to using the pedals for leverage to get a better view of the landing. Can't recall though which site it was on though.

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Don't touch my junk!!

I read that also on the first day. Not sure where.

Well, "Gunny" on this WIX topic, had that as a logical guess, but I did not see it anywhere else as a definite, including the references I got yesterday by going to Washington Post Stearman topics. I can't get most of the other things or videos to run on my computer, but yesterday I did look at a number of them on another computer. Someone else with a better computer can perhaps check all these sources and get back to us. As I said I did see the one quote about "tapping the brakes" on landing, but I thought it was the pilot who was saying that, and I noted the exact language which sounds like a pilot and is somewhat different than saying one stood on or propped yourself up on the pedals. There wasn't much else in that story, it did not say or expand on the passenger doing anything. In the Post article the passenger did compliment the pilot and said he'd fly with him anytime. The NTSB report may address this issue in time. My guess on the odds are likely 60/40 passenger/pilot.
If neither is the cause, then it is probably Al Gore's fault or B P.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Apparently not the passanger:

"Paul, A very reasonable question to ask: did I mistakenly hit the brake pedal. And Will asks a good question too: should the safety brief have included "keep your feet off the pedals..." Here are the answers: Mike's very thorough safety brief did include that, and I was very careful to stay away from the pedals throughout the flight, including on landing. I don't know what caused the crash, but I do know Mike's a very fine pilot and I look forward to flying with him again. Best, Ashley Halsey The Washington Post.

posted by Ashley Halsey on June 10, 2010"

In the Comments section here:

http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVwe ... 696-1.html


June 9, 2010

Your Accident: Film at 11!

By Paul Bertorelli





Except it won't be 11, it'll probably be five minutes after you crawl out of the wreckage, if you're so lucky. That seems to be the most compelling message from Tuesday's noseover of a nice vintage Stearman at Washington's Reagan Airport. In case you missed the story, a formation of Stearmans flew into DCA to publicize a new IMAX film called Legends of Flight.

They got publicity alright. There are no fewer than three camera angles on this accident, including one from inside the cockpit shot by Washington Post transportation reporter Ashley Halsey. Kudos to him for first escaping unharmed and second, sticking to the view finder throughout the noseover sequence. We'll know later if he deserves a razz for inadvertently planting a foot on the left brake, for in this CNN footage, it sure looks like the left wheel was locked up, which may have precipitated the noseover. Why it was locked will be for the investigators to determine. (Check out the beeping sound in Halsey's footage. What does that mean? WARNING! Your airplane has turned over! WARNING!)

There but for the grace of God (and persistent luck) go us all, I suppose. I have a little bit of Stearman time and my sense of it is that if well-handled, it's no different than any other traildragger. But where my little Cub will leave bite marks on your butt if mishandled, the Stearman will take off an entire cheek. It's heavy, has a lot of power and brakes powerful enough to nose it into the runway in a heartbeat. I've been reading Robin Olds' biography and he notes that during World War II, an accident like this was a several-times-a-day event. At one field he trained at, there were nine accidents of various aircraft in a single day.

So, lemme see. The takeaway? Always wear your nice flight jacket, because if you screw up, it'll be on TV and YouTube at the speed of heat. Also, this: There are so many clichés in aviation that you never know which to believe. But the one about never relaxing in a taildragger until it's tied down seems to be an enduring truth. A few Sundays ago I was out sticking landings in the Cub, working on wheelies and trying maintain the centerline within inches.

After four or five perfect examples, I exited the runway—first turnoff, of course—and while taxiing along in that smug aura of the self-satisfied expert airman, I came within a dozen feet of plowing right into a Cessna Conquest. I caught it because I saw the tail of the twin just in time to swerve. In a Cub, you either S-turn to see what's out front or lean out the door periodically. I had done neither as I relaxed in a haze of self-congratulation.

Like I said, there but for the grace of God who, fortunately, seems to look kindly upon idiots who can, nonetheless, occasionally do decent wheel landings.



Comments


With a taildragger you fly it til it's tied down, then you back away.

posted by Richard Montague on June 9, 2010 (report abuse)


Good words on taildragging.

posted by Ryan Lunde on June 10, 2010 (report abuse)


No experience with taildraggers, although an endorsement is in the longterm plan, but I'm also working through Robin Olds bio. Now that's "the Right Stuff"!

posted by Roger Hamilton on June 10, 2010 (report abuse)


Maybe the safety brief should have included "keep your feet off the pedals"? I'm curious to read what the federales come up with for probable cause.

posted by Will Alibrandi on June 10, 2010 (report abuse)


The wing top landing was on youtube within moments, it seemed. I've no experience with TD's but even I saw what appeared to be a lock-up of maybe, both brakes? (it flipped so evenly) and thought the pilot would never do that.... maybe the startled passenger or a malfunction. Anyway the poster on youtube headlined the accident as the pilot's fault, and in the spirit of softening another aviation black eye I commented on the above possibilities other than pilot error. The video poster agreed he jumped the gun but still didn't change the biased title. The guy is a pilot, too. Glad to see both people walk away from it, tho.

posted by Dave Miller on June 10, 2010 (report abuse)


Paul, A very reasonable question to ask: did I mistakenly hit the brake pedal. And Will asks a good question too: should the safety brief have included "keep your feet off the pedals..." Here are the answers: Mike's very thorough safety brief did include that, and I was very careful to stay away from the pedals throughout the flight, including on landing. I don't know what caused the crash, but I do know Mike's a very fine pilot and I look forward to flying with him again. Best, Ashley Halsey The Washington Post.

posted by Ashley Halsey on June 10, 2010 (report abuse)


Thanks, Ashley. I hereby unconditionally withdraw the razz. But hadda ask. Look at this way, no one else in the newsroom can claim such a spectacular arrival at DCA. Thanks for checking in.

posted by Paul Bertorelli on June 11, 2010 (report abuse)

I just saw this video for the first time today. " The actual cockpit accident footage" HOLY SH@# !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YJmxqCHjoY

So who's fault did it end up being pilot's or reporter's ?

MAN.... the sound of the the prop hitting asphalt right before the flip over, along with the tail smashing into the ground makes you cringe every time.... I have to say I have watched it a dozen times over, still hasn't gotten old.