Anyone agree? YUP, me. The pilot of the 9A.
With all do respect, there is a piece(s) of the puzzle missing here. Anyone agree?
We need more information in order for the pictures to match the event. If it happened as described, this event would be a very unique occurrence. I'm sure many with nose gears have hit more significant bumps, holes etc...without issue.
So please provide more information.
Darwin, I welcome your questions and those from others. I have posted my phone number and email address and welcome all questions. "We" should feel free to call me after 8am MST at 520-797-0265.
1) How much flying time do you have? 241 hours
2) If low time, what were you flying before this? 99% of the time prior to the 64 hours in the RV was in a Cessna 150.
3) RV Training? Type? Hours? Where? 2 hrs transition in Payson with Dan Anderson in his RV7A. Dan issued my BFR and told me "I had become one with the airplane" after only 30 minutes of flying. The reason I did well was the many hours I devoted to learning to land an RV using a Cessna 150.
The task calls for "driving" the airplane to the runway versus a full stall. I usually brought along a passenger in the 150 who would spot my distance to the ground and call it out. In that manner I learned how to adjust for the difference in the 9A. Chet (my build partner & good friend) and I used to tease people that he'd hang out the door with a ruler to measure the distance between the C150 and the ground. The point is, we spent lots of time learning to land the RV before it flew. We were either building the 9 or flying the 150. Since completion, I've flown with three other instructors.
4) Actual flight time in your plane as PIC? (I saw 64 hours but did you fly it all?) Yes, I flew all 64 wonderful hours. I also did first flight at Ryan field. Not only did we build the airplane but the engine was a new $20k Superior kit, and we built that with tender loving care too. Every bolt was torqued sealed to indicate completion and torque. There are yellow blobs of torque seal all over the airplane.
5) Number of landings? 129 in total. 14 landings with Dan in his 7A, 115 in my 9A after Dan for a total of 129.
6) Any hard landings that could have weakened the structure? (be honest)
I have been honest, Darwin, despite some of the unfortunate accusations and stupid comments I've received since I posted my email address, phone number, and invited input. If the goal is to identify what went wrong, rather than vilify the pilot & play public prosecutor as several have done, honesty is the only way we'll get there.
None of my landings should have weakened the structure. I recall only one landing into AVQ when I landed at stall speed 48kts. The last 6 inches were less than gradual but that occurred several months ago. There have been many flights and landings since then.
Quite literally, I can perform repeated touch and goes with the front wheel never touching the ground. It's an art I greatly enjoy and have done many of these graceful procedures. I credit the masterful use of footwork to my love of swing dancing. Balancing the nose of the airplane in the air in turbulent air while making radio calls, dumping flaps, and adjusting speed & trim has been a very rewarding experience. I marvel at the excitation one achieves from that level of accomplishment which only deepens the depression attached to damaging such a fine piece of equipment.
I don't break things, I fix them.
7) How was the final landing? Smooth, bounced? Runway 23 felt rough to me. I had just applied the brakes when all h?ll broke loose. Know that the front wheel is balanced and was inflated to 25lbs. No wheel pants, I was waiting for the final fairing from Bob at Fairings-ETC before completing the wheel pants. Several posts said that the fairing might have saved the day by serving as a skid plate. It should be reinforced internally so that it has "more life to give".
8) Speed of touch down? To the best of my recollection, I established 48 x 1.3 plus a gust factor. It was a very windy day. We had just fueled at IPL so there was still lots of fuel but the wife is skinny and we had very little luggage.
9) Speed at time of contact? If "contact" means when the nose gear bent over, I cannot be certain. It would be a guess and that doesn't help.
10) Stick position at time of contact? Had just allowed nose to settle to the runway so I could apply brakes.
11) Throttle position at time of contact? Idle. The plane has (more appropriately HAD) a cruise prop so idle is required much earlier.
12) Pictures of the runway landed on? I don't have any but given the ridiculous post that claimed bumps were less than 1/4 inch I intend to go back to San Diego soon. 1/4 inch is not measurable, walking off the runway I saw lots of gaps in the pavement that were a lot larger than 1/4 inch. 28R is in good condition. 23 (the runway I landed on) looked pretty bad to me, pockmarked with voids in the blacktop. Folks at the local FBO call it "the old runway". Overestimating the condition of the runway probably makes some people feel superior which means this won't happen to them. It's also fun to bash the pilot. If that makes people feel safe, have at it, I say.
13) Pictures of lip on intersecting runway? I don't have any but intend to get some. As you can imagine, the last two weeks have been pretty intense. By the end of the second day the airplane was disassembled in the hangar the friendly people at MYF provided me. On the third day it was loaded on my car trailer and we drove into the night. The first time I finally relaxed was at the border patrol between CA & AZ at 1am. Everyone else was thoroughly checked, but when they saw two old men with an airplane in tow, they waived us right thru. What a hoot!
14) Pictures of scrapes and gouge marks on runway after event? After Linda and I climbed out and saw thousands of hours of work turned to trash, I was obviously upset & very angry. I climbed back in and called the tower to apologize for closing the airport & "screwing up your runway". The female controller was expert and helpful. I got out again, looked back, and recall my scrape to be approx 50+/- feet. I managed to keep the airplane in the middle of the runway with directional braking (my special thanks to the instructor who repeatedly prepared me after one of his brakes on his airplane failed).
To the best of my recollection, it occurred at the point where I passed over 28R and continued onto 23. As the gear continued to gradually curl under the airplane, the downward view of the runway was increasingly alarming. I suspect the strong Sensenich prop kept the airplane upright & the minimal curl to only one blade further confirms the low rpm.
15) Measurements of lip to first harmful event? (first gouge or scrap?) N/A.
Feel free to ask any other questions. I've been forthright with details because this should never happen to anyone else (nor me). I am in the process of repairing and intend to fly it AFTER wheel pants and other remedial "improvements" are performed. The front gear is being tested for hardness by professional mechanical engineers. The fact that we (this old man and a volunteer) were able to bend the gear back into a more vertical position with a pipe wrench and an extension, has raised more than a few eyebrows.
See next post for more details.
Barry
Tucson
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