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| B17 crashed today (Page 3/3) |
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MidEngineManiac
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OCT 24, 07:00 AM
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It reads to me like he was trying for a long flat approach to the numbers instead of being high and aiming for the 1/3rd point. Likely got distracted by something inside and drifted low. There was 2 guys at the controls and neither of them noticed the altitude. That points to being focused on something else. [This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 10-24-2019).]
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rinselberg
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OCT 24, 07:19 AM
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One of these made it through the Time Portal
Actually, it wasn't that many days ago that I was talking to someone who was a passenger on that same B-17, a couple or so years ago, when it was part of an air show or aviation exhibition in this area. His flight was a birthday or anniversary present from his wife. He knew about the crash and that is why the subject came up.
I had checked into it, just thinking "maybe", but I didn't want to part with the money that was listed online as the ticket price.
I think it was called "Wings of Freedom."[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 10-24-2019).]
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williegoat
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OCT 24, 07:21 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by Hudini:
I can understand leaving the flaps up to a certain point. However, if you hit the approach lights 1000’ feet short of the runway then the flaps in the up position are the proverbial teets on a boar. Useless decorations. Also consider the aircraft had enough forward momentum to continue up to the deice tank.
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Those tanks are just to the right of the south end of runway 6. It looks like he barely made it over the fence. Could he have still been in a turn at that point?
I think the ME262 (trainer?) that rinselberg posted belongs to the same people.[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 10-24-2019).]
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Hudini
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OCT 24, 09:04 AM
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Yes he could have been turning a very short final and clipped a light with a wingtip. Anyone know the runway length? Maybe he was trying to land on brick one and misjudged his wingspan. I am still thinking he should have put flaps down once over the lights. Maybe he just forgot them in the moment. It’s been done before.
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williegoat
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OCT 24, 12:24 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Hudini:
Yes he could have been turning a very short final and clipped a light with a wingtip. Anyone know the runway length? Maybe he was trying to land on brick one and misjudged his wingspan. I am still thinking he should have put flaps down once over the lights. Maybe he just forgot them in the moment. It’s been done before. |
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The runway is 9,500' long. He was only 300' up midfield on the downwind leg, so he still had 4,000' ahead before turning it around. There are building and such to his right the entire way.
I am amazed that he made it as far as he did.
I read that he was the most experienced B-17 pilot in the world.
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There are houses, trees and a river all around. He had no alternative.[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 10-24-2019).]
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MidEngineManiac
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OCT 24, 12:38 PM
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williegoat
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OCT 24, 01:23 PM
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He was not climbing at all and lost one, and maybe both engines on the right side.
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williegoat
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MAY 06, 12:33 AM
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https://news.aviation-safet...toric-b-17-airplane/
| quote | | Flightpath data indicated that during the return to the airport the landing gear was extended prematurely, adding drag to an airplane that had lost some engine power. An NTSB airplane performance study showed the B-17 could likely have overflown the approach lights and landed on the runway had the pilot kept the landing gear retracted and accelerated to 120 mph until it was evident the airplane would reach the runway. |
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So any speed he saved by keeping the flaps up was lost by putting the gear down.
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IMSA GT
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MAY 06, 01:22 PM
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The crappy thing was not only did the pilot make mistakes, he was irresponsible and didn't maintain the aircraft properly.....and he was the mechanic.
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williegoat
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MAY 06, 02:00 PM
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