Originally Posted by
SATCOS WHIPPING BOY
An absence of trees in the photos does not rule out the aircraft hitting one. I was looking in particular at the semi-circular fold in the leading edge of the starboard wing close to the tip. Any thoughts on that please?
I am inclined to agree that damage suggests the wing could have been ripped off by impact with a tree.
It would have then possibly flown like a sycamore seed to drop on the crop. The other wing also departed with very substantial damage.
The tail plane remained intact however the left section of the stabilator is severely bent back.
The wreckage seems to have dropped on its resting position with no ground marks. There is no evidence in those pictures of cartwheeling.
The nose-wheel has not dug in to the ground or snapped off. It appears the the wreckage was travelling sideways otherwise the leg would be under the airframe?
If you look behind the fueslage in the first picture there are some trees.
Is it possible it ploughed through them to its final position?
By all accounts the instructor was very experienced so I doubt he was scud running.
Therefore could it be engine related or pilot incapacitation?