Tiger down off Straddie
Some observations:
- there has been no indication as to the cause of this terrible accident, so why speculate as to the cause? It just has potential to upset the family / friends of the deceased and feed the media machine.
- I would aerobat an aircraft with timber spars before one of any other material (timber doesn't fatigue)
- "rag and tube" aircraft are stripped back to bare bones periodically (when re-covered). This doesn't happen to other construction types.
- the DH 82A was never approved to do "flick manoeuvres", however I have seen more than one flight manual with the statement "flick manoeuvres are permitted" - an omission of the word "not" was made. I have observed a DH 82A performing flick manoeuvres and when brought to the attention of the operator was told to mind my own business. I don't believe the ASIR I submitted resulted in any action.
As suggested in pervious posts, the GoPro should shed some light on what happened. This won't help the families / friends of the deceased with their losses. However, it may help prevent a re-occurrence of a similar incident.