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RV-6 crash in WI

Looks like a good cleaning, and maybe a new prop, windshield, vertical stab, and rudder, and that might be flying again soon. Good to hear the pilot got out okay.
 
Man, I gotta get me one of those planes that can "land upside down", that would be a pretty neat trick...

Glad he walked away from that one.
 
Taildragger flips?

What? A Taildragger flipped? Thought only Nosedraggers did that (tongue in cheek remark)

Seriously, so glad he got out OK. My late friend Frank Eldridge flipped but was in about 6"-12" of water in the grass. It could have been bad had there been more water here. It takes an effort to get out of an upside down plane.

Years ago my father and I pulled a guy out of an upside down Great Lakes Special. About 20 people were gathered around it watching it burn. I was shocked at the inaction of others.
 
One of my fears is being upsidedown in my RV-6A with smoke simmering and seeing a crowd of smoking/joking audience there watching the show not knowing what to do. Maybe a hammer and a battery powered sawzall should be added to my tool kit....
cj

Have you seen those small, one hand-- Milwaukee sawzalls? Very handy & light. They have them at Home Depot.
 
Vern, I pulled a guy out of wrecked van once and had to fight through a crowd of about 20 people just standing there watching the van smoke and simmer. Several were smoking and joking. Almost like they were watching TV.

....
cj

...and I bet one or two had their cell phones out recording video for YouTube...:rolleyes:
 
Have you seen those small, one hand-- Milwaukee sawzalls? Very handy & light. They have them at Home Depot.

I witnessed a single car accident once (and made the 911 call) where an SUV rolled over a few times. Fire dept was on the scene in minutes and they immediately deployed the "jaws of life" and a Milwaukee sawzall. Which one did they use to cut away the door to get the guy out? Sawzall...
 
I witnessed a single car accident once (and made the 911 call) where an SUV rolled over a few times. Fire dept was on the scene in minutes and they immediately deployed the "jaws of life" and a Milwaukee sawzall. Which one did they use to cut away the door to get the guy out? Sawzall...

Drifting a bit offtopic by now, but I know my rural county EMS guys carry sawzall's in the truck along with the Jaws of Life. Sometimes you just need a cutting implement, and those motorized saws with a round metal-cutting blade generate too many sparks which you don't want around a possible fuel spill. The sawzall works great.
 
The guy in the blue-green shirt surrounded by rescue guys is walking away from the airplane, that would qualify the event as a good landing. :)
 
Apparently he landed off field in a swampy area. If true, why did that happen? Did he run out of fuel? Suffer an engine failure?
 
Emergency Exit Tool

:eek:
Drifting a bit offtopic by now, but I know my rural county EMS guys carry sawzall's in the truck along with the Jaws of Life. Sometimes you just need a cutting implement, and those motorized saws with a round metal-cutting blade generate too many sparks which you don't want around a possible fuel spill. The sawzall works great.

I am serious. You guys are giving me an idea for an emergency tool.

http://tinyurl.com/ka26kv7

Forget the little sharp tipped hammer/punch thing. If you were trapped after an accident, a battery powered reciprocating saw would be worth its weight in gold! :cool:

Let's see 4.6 lbs times ...what's the value of gold these days?:eek:
 
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I am serious. You guys are giving me an idea for an emergency tool.

http://tinyurl.com/k72ybg7

Forget the little sharp tipped hammer/punch thing. If you were trapped after an accident, a battery powered Sawzall would be worth its weight in gold! :cool:

Except that, like with any battery-powered tool, the battery is always dead when you need it!

It might be worthwhile if it was powered by a primary (non-rechargeable) battery pack that could be kept disconnected until needed - like the little plastic pull-tabs separating the contacts on some electronic gizmos. That's about the only way to assure that it will be powered when needed.
 
Mount the sawzall in the cabin with the power wired to the main buss. The battery would always be charged up ready for use.
 
I have several Li-Ion battery powered tools and I am amazed at how well they hold their charge. Some I use often, and some I use only occasionally.

I did read that the Harbor Freight recip saws are %#&%! They are rated as low as you can rate a tool.

If this guy had had one of these, he might have extricated himself. One report said he was alive for a little while. But he crashed on a remote island near Martha's Vineyard just yesterday, and it took a while for the EMT's to get to him. He might have died anyway, but I'd rather die lying on the ground than trapped in a plane...I think. :rolleyes:
 
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Perhaps someone who's more knowledgeable about battery-powered tools can chime in, but I'd be slightly nervous about using a device with an electric motor if I were trapped in a crashed airplane with the possibility of fuel vapor or spill. In my USAF day job we take explosive-atmosphere testing very seriously.

My $0.02...

Dave
 
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Frank Eldridge's Story and Escape

From the "Passed On.."

Former state senator Frank Eldridge of Waycross, Ga. died Feb 4, 2006. Frank, age 73, was a part of the Falcon RV Squadron at Peachtree City, Ga. Frank was Secretary of the Ga Senate at the time of his death and a flying buddy of Gov. Sonny Purdue, who is a Bellanca owner.

Frank owned various aircraft over the years but his favorite was his RV-6A built by the late Lon Johnson. It was lost in an engine failure several years ago and Frank was quite active in writing and talking about the accident in which his RV flipped upside down and trapped him in shallow water.The plane came to a stop within 30 feet of touchdown. Frank ended up in the baggage compartment. From then on Frank emphasized the importance of having the best possible seat belts and harnesses and always something available to punch out the canopy. Carb ice was later blamed for the accident.

Since losing his RV, Frank had been flying his Duchess. He was planning on retiring later this year and purchasing an RV-7A.

Frank was a true southern gentleman and was beloved by all. It was a pleasure to know him.



See http://www.vansairforce.net/rv_trave...asttocoast.htm

http://www.rv8.ch/article.php?story=...721&mode=print

Matronics digest link regarding accident

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?...03LA035&rpt=fa
 
recip saw?

wouldn't you need an edge on which to start your cut? If the canopy is closed, where would you get a "bite" on the skin to start cutting?
 
wouldn't you need an edge on which to start your cut? If the canopy is closed, where would you get a "bite" on the skin to start cutting?

Recips are excellent for "plunge" cutting. Just aim the blade at a small angle and go for it.
 
Provided your battery is up to snuff, and your Sawzall is not a Harbor Freight special, you could use one of those to cut an RV in HALF in about 3 minutes - plexiglass, aluminum, and all - regardless of where you start. If the canopy is in mud and that way is inconvenient, simply cut out the side wall - the longerons will take maybe 20 seconds and the side skin will go like tinfoil.
 
S&W 911

:eek:

I am serious. You guys are giving me an idea for an emergency tool.

Been carrying one of these for 10 years, airplane, truck or out and about. I too have been a first responder at three RV flip-overs.
Smith and Wesson 911B, don't leave home without it...:)
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/SW...ssisted-Tanto-Black-Combo-Blade-Glass-Breaker


V/R
Smokey

PS:One needs to look no further than the scene in the classic "The Great Waldo Pepper" to get the picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJJqdJ9rld8
 
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Been carrying one of these for 10 years, airplane, truck or out and about. I too have been a first responder at three RV flip-overs.
Smith and Wesson 911B, don't leave home without it...:)
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/SW...ssisted-Tanto-Black-Combo-Blade-Glass-Breaker


V/R
Smokey

PS:One needs to look no further than the scene in the classic "The Great Waldo Pepper" to get the picture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJJqdJ9rld8


No batteries needed, huh? I'd have to be extra careful if I ever fly commercial again. TSA would surely confiscate such a weapon. But I don't fly much commercial anymore anyway.
Don
 
I'm curious how something like that works with plexiglass. Do you have experience with using the exact tool? Or anyone else?

I would like to know that, too. I carry a small hatchet in my -4, but I am concerned that I might not have enough swing to break the canopy. If the spring loaded glass breaker is strong enough to crack the plexiglass canopy so that the blade can then cut, I'll spend the $50 to get one. But if not, and the canopy is not broken, how would one get the blade through to saw (which I assume is the advantage of this blade)?
 
Smokey

Hey Smokey thanks. I didnt even know you could get a good little knife with a glass breaker on it. Nice little unit. I just ordered two, one for both vehicles. Will throw in my plane when I fly. Always nice to have a good quality knife and the ability to smash glass, crack a canopy or cut a belt fast could be a very nice feature...even if just used once...:eek:

Amazon $42 each, shipping included.
 
...errr, a good landing is one wherein the airplane is re-usable. This was a lucky escape:)

Best,

Not the definition I've always heard: A GOOD landing is one you can walk away from. A GREAT landing is one after which the airplane is re-usable. I would add that an EXCEPTIONAL landing is one you'd be proud for others to witness.;)
 
Not sure but in this news video you can see some visual evidence of a wings level landing (scars in the cat tails in the shape of the landing gear looking as if the aircraft landed wings level in a successful landing flare). After the landing it seems like it decelerated quickly int he marsh and nosed over inverted. There is some talk about how they found and freed the pilot and also there is a video pan showing the landing site as it relates to the runway. Really happy the pilot walked away! It seems initially that he made the best of an off field landing in a marsh near the runway.

http://www.wisn.com/news/south-east...ash/-/10150328/20427438/-/hb12p4/-/index.html
 
Tip-up or Slider

Intuition tells me that an inverted slider might be easier to get out of. Anyone know what this one was?
 
Intuition tells me that an inverted slider might be easier to get out of.

Maybe not... I doubt you'd be able to hold the slider open throughout the nose-over process, it'll no doubt want to slam shut and maybe even jam in the shut position.
 
I wasn't thinking of opening the canopy, but in the amount of clearance provided by the roll bar to allow self-extrication. I assume in either case the canopy would have to be broken (if it's not already).
 
Canopy cracker demo video

I was fortunate to host a monthly meeting of Chapter 105 here in my shop, back in January, 2012. The highlight of the meeting was a demonstration of a canopy cracking tool on an actual canopy. It was my first canopy, which I inadvertantly ruined, and I had to get a new one. We put my original canopy to good use, allowing it to be used as a demo to test this tool.

There were actually 2 tools tested... the first one was a "thumper" or clicking type, and it had little effect on the plexiglass. But the second one worked quickly and effectively. No batteries required, light and easy to store in the plane. It won't cut through skins or longerons, but I plan on carrying one in my plane when it's finished.

Here's a link to my page discussing the meeting. The video is at the bottom of the page, if you scroll all the way down:

Chapter 105 meeting, January 2012
 
Having spent twenty something years riding a Fire Service rescue tender we have had a lot of practice with hydraulic rescue equipment etc. Occasionally the training sessions include a 'what if' scenario involving hydraulic pump failures with no back-ups etc. I can say with certainty that as a last resort a simple hacksaw will make short work of car door pillars, frames etc. Perhaps this techniques could be adapted/tested as a last resort for cutting through longerons, skins etc??

Clive Whittfield
Auckland
New Zealand
 
Great video, Bruce. Thanks for sharing. I've already received a few of those tools over the years as gifts....now I KNOW one will be inside my airplane. Thanks.
 
IMG_1580.JPG
 
Life Hammer

I watched the videos of the hammer being used on glass and that was impressive. Issue is has it been tested on the tough plexie we have on our canopies? I have some scrap plexie parts I could test if I had a hammer (catchy song title) I would buy a hammer if I knew it would bust out my RV-8 canopy. Upside down and on fire, getting out might be a problem I would prefer to solve fast and ahead of time.
 
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