Tom Martin
Well Known Member
This is a follow up to this thread regarding the accident that took Andrew Phillips life, January 24, 2101 http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=53496&highlight=andrew+phillips
Gary Wolf the president of the Recreational Aircraft Association of Canada, RAA, attended a meeting with TSB officials to discuss recreational aircraft accidents in general and they discussed the RV7 accident that we are all interested in. The final report is months out but they let Gary circulate the following information as it should reassure us that there was no fault with the aircraft design. Here are Gary’s comments on what was presented to him.
"RV-7A Fatality
In January there was a fatal crash in an RV-7A near Ottawa and TSB has investigated this one thoroughly. The plane had an EFIS and a cockpit mounted video camera, and TSB has produced a computer simulation of the flight path of the plane and its instrument panel. Many RV builders have had concerns because there have been rumours that the tail came off the plane in flight and have wondered how this could have happened with an RV.
My own observation of the simulation is that the plane was doing a series of Dutch Rolls, at times rolling near or over 90 degrees. It then levelled the wings and entered a dive, with the panel showing that it reached an airspeed of 234 Knots. At that airspeed the plane then abruptly rolled right and flew into the ground. Physical evidence showed that both spars of the vertical stab broke near the line of the turtle deck, with only the lower section of the rudder remaining attached by its cables.
The speed of 234 Knots is far in excess of the manoeuvring speed and the Vne of an RV-7A.
Gary Wolf"
Gary Wolf the president of the Recreational Aircraft Association of Canada, RAA, attended a meeting with TSB officials to discuss recreational aircraft accidents in general and they discussed the RV7 accident that we are all interested in. The final report is months out but they let Gary circulate the following information as it should reassure us that there was no fault with the aircraft design. Here are Gary’s comments on what was presented to him.
"RV-7A Fatality
In January there was a fatal crash in an RV-7A near Ottawa and TSB has investigated this one thoroughly. The plane had an EFIS and a cockpit mounted video camera, and TSB has produced a computer simulation of the flight path of the plane and its instrument panel. Many RV builders have had concerns because there have been rumours that the tail came off the plane in flight and have wondered how this could have happened with an RV.
My own observation of the simulation is that the plane was doing a series of Dutch Rolls, at times rolling near or over 90 degrees. It then levelled the wings and entered a dive, with the panel showing that it reached an airspeed of 234 Knots. At that airspeed the plane then abruptly rolled right and flew into the ground. Physical evidence showed that both spars of the vertical stab broke near the line of the turtle deck, with only the lower section of the rudder remaining attached by its cables.
The speed of 234 Knots is far in excess of the manoeuvring speed and the Vne of an RV-7A.
Gary Wolf"
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