Fatal accident Lismore

[VH-XXX]

Well known aviation identity and aerobatic pilot deceased this morning at Lismore. A well known performer at many flyins we have all been to. Some would say brave considering the aircraft type but just because its rag and tube doesn't mean you can't do what you can do in a tin can.

News (http://m.police.nsw.gov.au/news_media_releases?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJT JGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjI5MzEwLm h0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D)

News are reporting it was an RV 12 on its maiden flight. When posted above it was not known what the aircraft type was.

[Lancair70]

I doubt an RV-12 is really considered "rag and tube" type aircraft.

[spinex]

Local paper has identified the plane as an RV-12 on its first flight - not the rag n tube we were all expecting. Quoted witness as saying it had crashed almost immediately after lift off. RIP

[Super Cecil]

Why would the RAA be commenting on a VH aircraft? Was it something other than a 12?

[Ultralights]

RV-12 can be Raaus registered, it meets LSA regs. this one might have been Raaus rego

[VH-XXX]

Don't confuse the 10 with the 12, the 12 is the small one, side by side, a mini 6a would probably be the best description.

Being involved in a build of one of these myself it will be very interesting to hear what went wrong exactly. The pre flight checklist for the first flight is absolutely comprehensive and it would be near on impossible to miss something on the aircraft. Add that to a very experienced aerobatic pilot and instructor. What a shocker with implications for many home builders.

The pilot was not the builder of the aircraft.

[Mick.B]

Being a first flight there should be some video out there I would say.

[Desert Flower]

From the Adelaide Advertiser:

A 62-YEAR-OLD pilot has died after crashing a recreational aircraft in northern NSW.

The crash happened shortly after 8.50am (AEDT) on Sunday at Lismore airport, police say.

The pilot is yet to be formally identified, but a police spokeswoman said he's believed to be a 62-year-old Lismore man.

Because the plane was not an ultra-light or a fixed wing aircraft, no investigation will be conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, she added.

Lismore airport was closed for most of Sunday, but reopened just before 5pm.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

So if an RV12 isn't a fixed wing aircraft, then what is it - a helicopter???

DF.

[RV6]

Err, the wings on an RV 12 are removable, but still ...
I hope RAAus is able to make some determination on what went wrong, so fellow RV 12 pilots can learn from this disaster.

[paulg]

I am told by someone who was at the airport at the time that it was a drifter or similar on its first flight.

[Sunfish]

Do we know if the engine sound stopped?

[VH-XXX]

The RV12 has removable wings and a 20 USG fuel tank which is housed in an aluminium tank that is assembled and sealed by the builder during construction. The fuel tank is fitted behind the pilot and passenger seats in the luggage area in plane speak. The benefit of this arrangement is the simplicity of removing the wings for transport because one does not need to drain or plug off fuel when removing the wings. The downside to this arrangement is the potential for rupturing of the fuel tank, however one could compare all day the merits of fuel in the wings versus in the fuselage. Think back to Christmas day a few years back when the 172 spudded in flat after hitting the power lines with full fuel - it still caught fire and I'm sure there are many other examples out there of the same.

It would be interesting to know how much fuel was carried for the flight. Of the test flying literature I have read prior to undertaking such flights I have been lead to believe that minimum fuel for the flight is always the preference.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~bc_j400/rv12.jpg

Paul G - it's an all metal Vans RV12, the first one to come to grief in Australia as far as I am aware. A very popular kit at the moment with a handful flying and many more under construction.

[mcoates]

Second one to come to grief..... they NEARLY wrote on off at JCW in Qld but after another 6 months work got got flying again...

[mickjoebill]

which is housed in an aluminium tank

Following on from the helicopter crash in NSW, cant help but raise the issue of bladders and general crash worthiness.

We can protect a F1 driver from a gaziulliuon gs from 150 mph into a concrete barrier with a carbon fiber cell weighing 35kg.

Having lost two cameramen colleagues in ultralights in the past month, in this respect the design of ultra lights are ultra ****e.



Mickjoebill

[Sunfish]

Mike, we can build the structure, however it's only a mk 1 human inside it. We have acceleration limits.

The best I can do for me is braided stainless steel and Teflon fuel lines - the rest is probably circa 1950.

[Jabawocky]

I have flown the -12, it was Dick Van Grunsmens own RV12, he built himself just to prove the kit was as planned.

Of all the LSA aircraft I have flown, this one handles the best, and is so docile in the stall it is not funny.

This guy was stick and rudder skilled allegedly, so nothing short of a fire in the cockpit or a massive bird strike or equally exceptional event should have brought this result.

Very sad.

[NOtimTAMs]

Bugger. It is who I thought it was - he has been named in the media. RIP, Wayne, you'll be greatly missed by the local flying community.

[Andy_RR]

From a post on the Vans Air Force BB, one would have to suspect some kind of control malfunction.

Very sad indeed.

[VH-XXX]

The descriptions provided of the accident sound similar to the 1992 Caribou crash on YouTube, the one with the turbine conversion that had a control lock fitted. Not saying that was anything to do with this, however the description of what happened after takeoff sounds quite similar.


I'll edit this to mention that the pilot was Wayne Fisher of Drifter fame. Wayne was the one you'd always see at fly-ins in his Driter VH-VSI perfoming what looked like crazy aero's over and over. I think I counted a dozen loops in a row one day, he was most entertaining to watch. Everyone used to comment about how stupid it was, but then someone would always butt in and tell how a wire braced Drifter was potentially as strong or stronger than your average Cessna. He certainly must have known how to maintain it well as he gave that aircraft a really hard time.

[Lancair70]

I saw the name of the pilot this morning. I first flew with him some 26yrs ago during work experience when I was in High School. We were testing the then new underbelly fuel tank for the Drifter. Had flown with him many times since and regularly called into his hanger for a chat.
A highly skilled stick and rudder pilot he was indeed.
I, like many would like to know what brought him undone, heart attack or major structural failure seem most likely.

RIP Mate.

[Fantome]

http://echonetdaily.echo.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/header1.jpg (http://echonetdaily.echo.net.au/)








Published On: Mon, Mar 25th, 2013
Lismore Shire (http://echonetdaily.echo.net.au/category/lismore-shire/) / Local News (http://echonetdaily.echo.net.au/category/local-news/) | By Admin (http://echonetdaily.echo.net.au/author/admin-2/)


Man killed in Lismore ultralight crash

Staff reporters
The pilot of an ultralight plane that crashed soon after take-off at Lismore Airport around 9am yesterday morning was a highly experienced pilot and a member of the Lismore Aero Club, police told media yesterday.
Wayne Fisher, 62, is believed to have been testing the new ultralight for the company he owned, Spectrum Aviation.
Mr Fisher had been involved in the manufacture of more than 200 ultralights during his career, local media reported.
He was killed on impact. There was no one else on board at the time.
Acting duty officer, inspector Virginia Szaak of Richmond Local Area Command, told media the plane got about 100 metres into the air before suddenly colliding with the ground.
She added that investigations were continuing into the cause of the crash.
The airport was closed to all air traffic for most of the day yesterday while emergency services and Lismore detectives investigated the crash, assisted by the Aviation Support Branch and aviation specialists.
The airport is operating

[VH-XXX]

The aircraft was nothing to do with his company, it belonged to the guy in the hangar next door as Wayne was acting at the test pilot. You can never be paid enough to be a test pilot when this kind of thing happens.

[menty]

Yes Recreational Aviation lost a great guy, a Johnathon Livinstone Seagul today, with the loss of Wayne Fisher in Lismore whilst taking a RV12 for its initial test Flight. A friend of 30 plus years who once tried to teach me to fly, who spent most of his time outside the box and who could fly anything better than anyone in recreational aviation all be it at times far to far outside the box. He will be sadly missed
God Speed, Wayne, a man who would never hurt a fly deserves wings to fly home on.

[mallymcl]

Wayne was a legend. I was 1-2 months into learning to fly with him and it was what I looked forward to on the weekends. Sometimes it was like he wasn't from Earth but it was always a great feeling up in the air with him- he built those drifters from scratch and it wasn't hard to tell you'd be looking for a while to find someone who knew more about flying those planes than him.

(Keeping in mind I am a novice)

I don't understand what happened- I felt so safe with Wayne in the seat behind me-it felt like he could land a plane anywhere. As I understood he had a big gliding background, he would often reference gliding while instructing. If it were an engine failure couldn't he bring it down on its belly? Because it was a low wing and that's where all the fuel is, does that make any crash landing fairly lethal? Any explanation would be appreciated.

This has not made me afraid of flying- I am just sad he's gone and I'll never get a chance to get in a Drifter with him again- they were a real treat to fly. Rest in peace mate. Mal.

[Lancair70]

Family and Friends are invited to a Memorial Service to celebrate Wayne's life, to be held at the Lismore Aero Club, 1 Airport Drive, South Lismore on Friday 5th April commencing at 11.00am.