Old Buckenham

[A V 8]

Hi all,

Popped into Old Buck on Saturday to pick up some go juice. Landing on 07, I noticed a light a/c in the long grass about 30 metres to the left, quite seriously damaged (collapsed u/c etc) and facing 25. Apparently it happened earlier in the day? Hope all on board were ok.

Anyone know what happened?

[Lister Noble]

I was told on Sunday, that it was a Jodel landing in too strong a crosswind,maybe 17+ knots on Saturday?
A lot of damage to the aircraft and the pilot was quite shaken up as well, but thankfully not injured.
Lister

[stiknruda]

I took my taildragger over for lunch on the recent Bank Holiday Monday with a cross-wind that was 20knots plus.

There is no way I would have wanted to land on 07 unless absolutely imperative so I used the grass cross runway 02/20 - plenty long enough for me and for a Jodel.

What a shame.

Stik

[Mike Cross]

We were No 2 to him on final. He was going for the hard and we were for the grass in the Luscombe. Had a birds-eye view as it unfolded.

Looked like he just got it on to the runway and then the into-wind wing was lifted by a gust. He veered off the runway to the left in a gentle curve that tightened up as he came to a halt facing the wrong way. Canopy opened immediately and both were climbing out as we passed overhead.

Someone who saw it from the ground said the wing lifted pretty high (not obvious from the air).

I suspect it was one of those unfortunate cases where the fates conspire against you and the gust comes in that critical fraction of a second when you are about to touch.

Mike

[niknak]

Not so far away, the official record will show that the surface winds were 150 to 170 deg between 15 and 25kt.

not wishing to pre empt any official vedict, but this is the 2nd aircraft to be serously hurt in the last two weeks when very strong x - winds just happened to prevail.

Why take the risk?

[twelveoclockhigh]

Not so far away, the official record will show that the surface winds were 150 to 170 deg between 15 and 25kt.
not wishing to pre empt any official vedict, but this is the 2nd aircraft to be serously hurt in the last two weeks when very strong x - winds just happened to prevail.
Why take the risk?


Was there on the day and the wind direction was more variable than 150 -170, 110 - 180 and strength 6 - 15 knots but certainly nothing like 25!.

I don't think it was so much the strength of the wind but more the amount it moved around.

There was a luscombe which did a rather impressive ground loop a couple of hours earlier on its landing roll - again caught by wind.

[Laundryman]

This almost happened to me at Bourne on Saturday as I was taking off, plane suddenly started to veer to the left, just managed to hold things together with hard right rudder,left aileron and pull back. Phew!!!

[S-Works]

Not so far away, the official record will show that the surface winds were 150 to 170 deg between 15 and 25kt.
not wishing to pre empt any official vedict, but this is the 2nd aircraft to be serously hurt in the last two weeks when very strong x - winds just happened to prevail.
Why take the risk?


you are right, perhaps we should cover ourselves in bubble wrap and never leave the house as well?

[SkyHawk-N]

This almost happened to me at Bourne on Saturday as I was taking off, plane suddenly started to veer to the left, just managed to hold things together with hard right rudder,left aileron and pull back. Phew!!!

Laundryman - You weren't flying a PA-28 or something like, early afternoon just after 12:00pm? The one that took off before me had the same thing happen. I took the hint and was ready for it when I went for it a couple of minutes later!

Also around the same time another low wing aircraft had an exciting time at about 100 feet, a sudden gust blew it into a 30 - 40 degree right bank, this was quickly handled but looked quite 'interesting'.

[stiknruda]

It has just twigged that there was a "round England" Luscombe rally at the w/e. The lead called an RAF Station almost due south of Old Buck and hadn't read the NOTAMS as he wanted transit for 20odd a/c right through an Airshow. I was displaying at the time!!

So was it one of those Luscombes?

Stik

[Laundryman]

Skyhawk you must have been the plane that had just turned onto final did it look as exciting from where you were as it was scary for me <:-))

[SkyHawk-N]

Skyhawk you must have been the plane that had just turned onto final did it look as exciting from where you were as it was scary for me <:-))

As always it probably looked more controlled from outside the cockpit :O

[Laundryman]

Thank goodness for that <:-))

[Mike Cross]

Stik
Yes it was our lead aircraft who asked if he could transit through the MATZ stub. He had been briefed (as had all of the pilots) re the air display. He was advised to keep clear so we all headed east and followed the railway up to Diss. Better for your controller to know who and where we were rather than have us just outside his zone without knowing our intentions.

As I'm sure you know, there was no TRA notified and a MATZ is not controlled airspace. None of us entered the MATZ and your assertion that we had not read the NOTAMS is wrong. Sorry if the call made you nervous.

Some pics here. (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=23338)

The Luscombe reported as having groundlooped was not in our group and had landed at OB some time before our arrival.

WRT the Jodel, I got the impression he was flying the approach very slowly, we had to be careful not to catch up. This could have contributed. An extra 5kt in gusty conditions is rarely a bad idea.

Mike

[tmmorris]

Saturday was evidently a tad on the windy side in East Anglia - I was supposed to be doing a tandem skydive at Chatteris and flew over, but went home again at lunchtime without having done it, as the wind was outside limits for the skydiving operation. 15G25kts there, too, but I got out OK - and not so gusty at home at Benson, fortunately.

I wish they'd cut the grass a bit at Chatteris, though!

T

[stiknruda]

Mike,

Just a bit of banter, you guys neither encroached or worried me and I know one of your older participant pilots BUT the situation could have been so different as the 'drome had no two-way A2G comms until half an hour before I taxied out.

There were 4 Chipmunks holding about 3 miles south - I wonder if you folk saw each other?

Shame that the aeroplane was damaged at OB, though. A nice friendly place with a little known of cross runway!

Stik

[Mike Cross]

Saw nothing of the display or the Chippies. The busiest time was when a few other aircraft passed through our loose gaggle near Chelmsford. Apart from that the whole trip was remarkably peaceful. We had been hoping to spot various BBMF aircraft who were buzzing around the area but not a sausage.:(

[stiknruda]

Mike, As I commenced my 9000' backtrack, BBMF's Lancaster was doing a slow pass down the northern peri track, it certainly was an awesome sight out of the cockpit bubble.

As it called "last pass", I completed my run-up checks and lined up. Wierd feeling to be following such a majectic and historic bomber into the overhead.:ok:

Stik

I understand from a Conningsby Spitfire flying chum of mine that they'll all be in London this Sat for HM's birthday flypast.

[futurshox]

This isn't much more than a 'me too' post but I did see the Jodel get upset at Old Buck. The wind at the time was very jittery (for want of a better word!) so I can very well imagine that it was an unfortunately-timed gust that took his wing. It did lift very high, probably at least 45 degrees, if not as much as 60 from horizontal. I'm glad the occupants were OK.
Didn't notice the Luscombe ground loop though; must have had my head in a burger at the time...

[ContinentalC85]

About 12-14 Luscombe arrived at Old Buckenham on Sat
All had previously coped with a mighty x-wind at North Weald and now decided to take on another
Luscombe pilots are super human !!
(Mind you I f****d up the next x-wind at Fenland and did a go around
Take a look at the Luscombe web site www.europeanluscombes.org (http://www.europeanluscombes.org) for some piccies etc ( mainly courtesy of Mike Cross above)