Originally Posted by
Big Pistons Forever
The problem here was the Tomahawk pilot didn't push the nose over so the aircraft did not stall and spin, the only action he did was push the transmit button. Yes alerting airport services is a good idea but it has to happen after you fly the airplane. In this case what could have been a simple forced landing ahead turned into a stall spin tragedy.
I have to wonder if this is not a result of instruction that placed more emphasis on talking on the radio instead of the imperative of lowering the nose after an EFATO and flying the aircraft to a controlled touchdown....
I disagree - having spent considerable professional time analysing that accident.
It was on the easterly runway - which is seldom used, as the winds in Britain are usualy westerly - so he had a poor mental picture of the area, which was quite heavily built up. He also had a largish passenger sat in the right hand seat.
The best fields were to the right, but I don't think he was fully aware of them because of unfamiliarity and view. So, he was turning left towards an area of open ground that he could see but the aircraft couldn't make - he tried to stretch the glide and spun in.
Even then, evidence is that if the fuel hadn't burned, he'd have survived.
Also I've had an EFATO, where being a well trained aviator, I was able to fly and position the aircraft, I made a simultaneous radio call. Pilots are clever like that, and there's no evidence that this chap didn't do the same.
G