Pilot error, Bell P63, KingCobra. Very difficult to determine mechanical malfunction. A tragedy, more casualties of WW2. A moment of silence. Very sad.
A very sad loss of an air crew and historic planes.
Having watch the video several times, one has to wonder why they were in the same airspace. Some kind of stunt, a mis-calculation by the fighter pilot, a mechanical failure, intentional/suicidal impact?
My guess would be, P-63 is a low wing. His visibility to the outside of the turn would have been zero, with his aircraft completely blanketing the view of the bomber. Looks to me like he simply miss-judged the approach and line-up to the B-17.
My guess would be, P-63 is a low wing. His visibility to the outside of the turn would have been zero, with his aircraft completely blanketing the view of the bomber. Looks to me like he simply miss-judged the approach and line-up to the B-17.
While waiting on the official report, it does appear to me that the fighter pilot seriously misjudged his position and skewered the B17.
The B17 crew never had a chance.
It does appear that one of the crew members was someone I know. He actually sold his Valkyrie and applied the funds to the B17s maintenance costs. Can't say I knew him well but, I know he loved that B17,
Rams
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 11-12-2022).]
P-63 pilot's fault all the way; He was in a turn to (Basically) match up with the B-17 and would have had a clear view of it until just before impact. Really bad piloting by him.
If you want to see the ultimate idiot/arrogant pilot, look up B-52 crash....A extremely arrogant fool of a pilot (Who had been reprimanded numerous times) attempted to make a tight 360* turn at low altitude which stalled the inner wing causing the plane to roll vertical and then crash. One of his superiors was riding in the plane to "Make sure he didn't do anything stupid".....
Many camera viewpoints on BB News, the P63 struck just behind the rear spar of the B17's wing. The pilot simply did not have a view of the B17, pilot error. What was the flight plan for the airshow ? View from the cockpit of a P63. Sad accident. NTSB will discover evidence.
Torque converter driven supercharger, Allison 1710-117. Decoupling crankshaft torsional vibration. hmmn, I'll look that up, studied that subject a great deal, have some interesting reference material.
... It does appear that one of the crew members was someone I know. He actually sold his Valkyrie and applied the funds to the B17s maintenance costs. Can't say I knew him well but, I know he loved that B17,
Rams
I'm very sorry to hear that, Ron. I send my condolences to the friends and families of all those involved.
I had not read that post before- was a very great thing to see and for those gentlemen to do. And now I am even more heart-broken for those men and planes that crashed.
