RV-3 accident yesterday (Wednesday, March 28, 2012) - Page 3

VCMaine · #21 04-02-2012, 10:19 AM

Hard to engineer a lot of pilot protection into a very small airframe. Was aboard a Cherokee for a slow flip onto a snowbank once. No injuries, but plane and pilot's ego were both signficiantly damaged. Wonder what a helmet would do for my odds in the RV-3?

N941WR · #22 04-02-2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VCMaine

...Wonder what a helmet would do for my odds in the RV-3?

A helmet won't do you much good for compressed vertebras. On the other hand, you will probably be able to have an open casket.

LettersFromFlyoverCountry · #23 04-02-2012, 10:50 AM

No opinion on the accident. Just want to say the Sioux Falls Argus Leader account of the accident is some of the most godawful writing I've ever read.

Larry DeCamp · #24 04-02-2012, 03:25 PM

Probably enough already said. However, I own the salvage from one of Andy Hill's post with four links to NTSB reports. Link #1 "Nose over minor injury", refers to Kenny Rausch in Ohio. The VS and Rudder were crushed more than the Iowa photo. The HS flexed so hard the top spar reinforce strip buckled away from the sheet metal spar. The fuselage buckled 360 degree behind the seat bulkhead. Th 4130 tube roll bar ( per plans ) was bent, but did the job. The cowl was a little cracked from flexing and the the rear engine baffle was bent down just a little. So, it looks to me like the RV3 geometry is reasonable, however, shoulder harness performance could be an area the think about carefully. You don't have much room up or forward before things become uncomfortable. Hope this clarifies some details about RV3's.

TSwezey · #25 04-02-2012, 05:44 PM

I think many injuries depend on the size of the pilot. If you are short and your head is not anywhere near the canopy chances are you are not going to break your neck on a minor flip but if you are very tall and heavy even a slow flip can be fatal.

VCMaine · #26 04-03-2012, 08:34 AM

My '93 Miata offers about the same protection in a roll over, maybe less....
Best to keep the wheels underneath you when traversing terra firma.

rv7boy · #27 04-06-2012, 10:45 AM

While reading through this thread, I couldn't help but be reminded of the accident that took the life of the famous aerobatic pilot Charlie Hillard at Sun'n Fun in 1996. For whatever reason, his Hawker Fury show plane veered off the runway and flipped over.

The cause of death was not a broken neck but rather "postural asphyxia," which means his body being inverted pushed his head down into the canopy and he suffocated before he could be removed. It didn't matter whether the roll bar protection worked or not; apparently it did. And I never heard whether his harness was at fault. It's just another thing to think about; another reason we don't want to flip over.

I've never heard of "postural asphyxia" being a cause of death in an RV accident. I don't know if it's even possible in an RV, but it does give one food for thought.

jrs14855 · #28 04-06-2012, 10:51 AM

I was there when the Sea Fury adccident occurred. There was plenty of help to get the tail lifted so Charlie could be gotten out of the airplane. The Lakeland Police Force "secured the accident scene" and prevented rescuers from reaching the aircraft. I will never go to a Sun and Fun again..
The accident report is an interesting read.