Ultralight Crash Vic

[TOPendFLYER]

Ultralight crash near Mornington. Engine failure then fell out of the sky according to the news. Anyone know any more details?

[Blue Carpet]

Source: Plane crash kills one | Herald Sun (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24898313-661,00.html)


Anthony Dowsley, Matthew Johnston and AAP
January 11, 2009 04:10pm

A PLANE has crashed into a residential street in Mornington, killing the pilot.

Victoria Police said the ultralight aircraft was a single-person plane that had tried to land in Craigrossie Road, Mornington.

The plane crashed into bush next to a tennis court, narrowly missing homes in the area.

Craigrossie Rd is close to the popular Mill Beach in Mornington.

A resident of Craigrossie Road, Meg Turner, said the plane crash landed on her property.

"It didn't touch the house but went over the other side of the tennis court and into bush and trees," Ms Turner said.

Another resident of Craigrossie Road, who did not wish to be named, said he heard a loud noise as the plane hit trees when it crashed.

"What I heard was a roar like a motor mower in its last gasp and that large roaring noise you get when a motor mower hasn't got any petrol," he said.

"There was a no noise at all, then there was a roar, then there was a thumping noise as it hit the trees. It did not occur to me listening to it that I had heard a plane crash."

He said people on the beach saw the plane flying without power.

"They saw it turn right into the foreshore - their belief was that it had crashed into the foreshore," he said.

"In fact it has crashed, I suppose, 100 metres to the east of the Mornington foreshore."

[UnderneathTheRadar]

F*ck - just found out who it is. This is a big big big loss to GA, RAA, the PAC, FunFlight and many many other good causes the bloke put his heart and soul into. A consumate pilot and top man

I won't name him until the authorities do.

Sorely sorely sorely missed already. RIP.

F*ck this is a bad industry sometimes.

UTR.

[Mick.B]

Reports are saying it was a Bushby mustang.

[AussieNick]

aww you gotta be ****ting me!

[VH-XXX]

VH-JBR from Tyabb, red in colour. Very sad. Quite a little rocket ship those machines with a very high stall. Didn't sound like he had a chance.

[Desert Flower]

F*ck - just found out who it is.

Without naming names, did this guy also own/owned a Seneca?

DF.

[steelcraft]

looking at the CASA website the aircraft was the owned by the bloke who use to own a seneca but I am told it was not him in the accident

[VH-XXX]

For those wondering what the aircraft type looks like, here is an identical one (aside from the colour).

http://users.netconnect.com.au/~njah1/mustang.jpg

[Wally Mk2]

Smart looking litte ship, sad indeed this terrible accident.

Reminds me of the casutt racer.

Is that BNS by chance XXX?...belay that, read da sign Wmk2:bored:



Wmk2

[Blue Carpet]

Here it is.


http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/3/4/8/1010843.jpg

[Desert Flower]

looking at the CASA website the aircraft was the owned by the bloke who use to own a seneca but I am told it was not him in the accident

I did wonder about that, because the RB I know would have to be more than 54.

DF.

[Digger56]

On lookers said he was flying low over the Mornington foreshore at the time the Continental O200 engine quit. Not ideal terrain or altitude, for this yesteryear formula "race plane". The pilot's landing options to say the least were compromised.

The plane VH-JBR a "Midget Mustang" is registered to and owned by Rob Black. The aircraft was maintained by Tyabb airport club president and Aviation Centre owner Allan Swartz. The deceased pilot was a Tyabb airport committee man and also Tyabb airport's safety officer.

[the wizard of auz]

From what I saw on the news tonight, he did a damn fine job of not hitting anything. that could have been a lot more tragic than it was.

[Digger56]

Extract from the AGE.

On his final, fateful flight, Mr Robson may have deliberately chosen to bring down the stricken plane into the dense thicket of trees at the back of a Craigrossie Road house to avoid hitting people or property, police said.

The plane, a single-seater Bushby Mustang, was built in 1984 and owned by Mr Robson's close friend, Robin Black.

Mr Robson, of Tyabb, was the aero club's safety officer.

Club president Allan Schwarze said it was odd for the plane to have crashed because they "nearly always land successfully".

Neighbour Sandy Benjamin said the plane was flying low when it flew past her house about 3.45pm. "It was low — lower than other planes — because I was watching it as it came past," she said.

[the wizard of auz]

Bloody Witnesses on tele were all crapping on about it doing aerobatics and low level maneuvers. Well Duh....... you tend to get low and flick it about while trying to get it in after the engine fails. (yeah, half of the said the engines stopped.......... and the he started doing low level aero's)

[Wally Mk2]

Obviously this is tragic & lets hope that an investigation shows that the poor hapless pilot did a fine damn job of avoiding a crowded beach for an emerg ldg. What really gets me after this type of event happens is the general public are out in force. Ban light planes from flying along a beach low level, this I've heard already. A couple of non aviation people I know last night said to me those ultralights are dangerous. Now the question is does this particular plane come under the cat of Ultralight? Yes it does as far as the law makers go but it's far more a real plane tham some rag & tube contraption powered by not much more than a lawn mower engine. A metal plane with a a Conty engine in it doesn't to me come under the heading of 'ultralight'. From the publics perception ALL light planes are Ultralights & therefore are dangerous:ugh:
Now as a side note & this is just a thought. Perhaps the ballistic recovery shute system ought to be made more available to ultralights/light planes. This type of A/C most likely would not have been able to be fitted with one but had it been able too would from a low height & deployed perhaps given the pilot a better chance to say ditch?
I like the concept, but it's not commonly used at the moment.

Wmk2

[Flying Binghi]

I dunno - seems to me that aircraft are the last thing I'd be worried about on a beach....

In total, 63 people have drowned at Victoria's beaches in the past eight years - Dying for a swim | Herald Sun (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24869981-661,00.html)

...and thats just Victoria. Perhaps we need to ban swimming :hmm:

[VH-XXX]

Tragic plunge out of the blue | Herald Sun (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24899584-2862,00.html)

Feel free to leave a comment!


"tragic for the family, but the issue of public safety on beaches where people fly in primitive aircraft is a real one. At Ocean Grove and Lonsdale regularly the beaches are buzzed by packs of what can only be described as flying lawnmowers. These craft make hideous noise, pollute, and terrorise people walking on the beach. How long before they also drop from the sky and take someone innocent with them? Similarly the irritating hot-air balloonists who have already crashed in Balwyn in the past?"

[Flying Binghi]

...then theres Fraizer island and all those monster 4x4's and motorbike hoons. They should be removed from the beachs :rolleyes: ........................:hmm:

[Walrus 7]

VH-XXX,

Yes, well, when the general media intentionally seeks out people to say bad things after a plane crash, you can only expect that things like this will get published. Flying lawnmowers, huh? We ought to organise the Airtourer Assn to do a mass flypast of Point Lonsdale. That would freak them out!

Now more seriously. Martin gave me a lot of help with a feature article about 12 months ago, and it was greatly appreciated. Some of his views were not shared by many in the industry, including me, but people who put are prepared to put in as willingly as he was are rare. His contribution to aviation was considerable, and it will be hard to find someone to fill his shoes.

Thanks, Martin.

Walrus

[bekolblockage]

Now the question is does this particular plane come under the cat of Ultralight? Yes it does as far as the law makers go

I don't believe that is correct is it?
Although amateur built I don't think it classifies as an ultralight.

[VH-XXX]

It can't be an ultralight at present as the stall speed is too high at a quoted approximate 49 knots, however a good mate of mine flies one and he quoted me speeds more like 65 knots stall.

Midget Mustang Specifications (http://www.mustangaero.com/Midget%20Mustang/Midget%20Specifications.html)

[Wally Mk2]

I guess I ought to have said they (as in this mustang) isn't considered by the public as a proper plane but an ultralight, something very dangerous obviously to 'them'.


Wmk2

[zube]

Media photos show there was no fire. Witness reports in media claim there was no smell of "petrol" at the wreckage site.

Wonder why the engine failed ?

The investigation will no doubt tell us the reason in due course.

[Wally Mk2]

That's a valid question & yes hopefully the invetigation will found out but lets not speculate too much here too quickly, these threads often degenerate into a slanging match about such statements then the Mod/s slam it shut.
I feel for the whole Tyabb flying community right now, confusion & utter sadness must reign.


Wmk2

[VH-XXX]

The petrol thing on-site is always an interesting one. As Avgas evaporates so quickly if the tank(s) were ruptured the Avgas wouldn't last long on a hot day before evaporating. The MM has a very small fuel capacity anyway, possibly less than 2 hours total in practice. A little too soon to speculate on that given the lack of credible witnesses.

Myths to be busted:

- Aircraft don't always explode when they crash even with fuel on board
- Aircraft don't fall out of the sky when the engine stops

There are also very few electrics on the MM and if I'm not mistaken, it's cranked by hand which could explain the lack of a fire, not taking into consideration exhaust heat etc as a source of combustion.

[Flying Binghi]

The MM has a very small fuel capacity anyway, possibly less than 2 hours total in practice

There seems to be a perception perhaps that all aircraft carry several thousand litres of fuel.

Question - what was the soil at the crash site ? near a beach a high probability of it being sand.
Spill fuel onto dry sand - will you get a puddle ?

We have good aircraft crash investigators in this country, methinks we should let them work it out.

[VH-XXX]

Unfortunately being experimentally registered, they may not look too closely. Hopefully they do.

[Chu Mai Huang]

Ultralight? If only that were true.
Experimental? If only that were true.

"Next!"