Meekatharra Crash

[airmuster]

FROM ABC

A pilot and passenger have been taken to Meekatharra hospital after a light plane crash at the town's airport.
Police say the aircraft crashed short of the runway, just after 9:00 am.
The plane was coming in to land on a flight from Doolgunna station when the accident occurred.
It is understood the pair received minor injuries.

Fuel problems????

Piper Malibu VH-FAL operated by TRENK Contracting

[bentleg]

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201106/r784015_6769124.jpg

[Arm out the window]

Prop stopped before it hit the ground (upper blade not bent), no fire, could possibly be lack of juice, that's for sure. Then again, maybe not ...

[The Green Goblin]

Looks like it stalled.

Calling Planky :p

[VH-XXX]

Quite obviously being a Piper, as we have seen with other Piper crashes of smaller models, the pilot elected to eject the wings in order to save the fuselage. A textbook ditching really.

Some new wings and a prop and she'll be good to fly again. Luckily the wheels were tucked away which means that they are probably not damaged :rolleyes:

[Wally Mk2]

........ouch!!!! SE planes..........oooh I don't know should we be flying such dangerous machines?:E
You could be right there 'army' looks to be devoid of any rotational forces to have produced that 'prop art':-) Interesting only one wing being surgically removed. Flat terrain, the rest of the airframe intact (to a point) no large trees in the photo. Lets get started on the reasons I always enjoy this bit:ok:


Wmk2

[SgtBundy]

It's obviously excessive drag caused by all that red dust built up on the fuselage. It just needed a clean.

[baron_beeza]

the pilot elected to eject the wings in order to save the fuselage.

Agreed but I think the danger of pulling the lever too early leads to this sort of thing. With the wings gone the aircraft suffers a loss of lift and can fall short of the threshold.....

As pointed out though, - it does minimise the risk of fire.

[aileron_69]

Plenty of fuel on board her, as was evidenced by lots of fuel around the crash site. He was following a Bras but had to go around as Bras was taking longer than expected to backtrack. He got halfway through go around and the engine quit, he go her going again, but it quit again, he managed to swing around to get back lined up to land but Bras was still on runway, so put her down off to the side to avoid making an even bigger bang. Looks to have done a pretty good job really all things considered.

[VH-XXX]

http://images.watoday.com.au/2011/06/15/2430255/Meekatharra2-729-420x0.jpg

Two walk away after crash rips wing off Meekatharra plane (http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/two-walk-away-after-crash-rips-wing-off-meekatharra-plane-20110615-1g368.html)

[rioncentu]

It's a Cessna isn't it?

Every plane crash is a Cessna:ugh:

[N4sir]

I'm not usually one to comment on accident threads, though seriously c'mon... pull the other one...

through go around and the engine quit, he go her going again, but it quit again

You are not going to get far from 500ft AGL

he managed to swing around to get back lined up to land but Bras was still on runway, so put her down off to the side to avoid making an even bigger bang.

I find this highly improbably, almost impossible.

[Wally Mk2]

..........ahhh come on 'N4' where's yr spirit of adventure? Don't spoil the fun just yet the anti-fun Mods will slam it shut b4 we can judge, try & hang the pilot:} although you do raise a good point there,perhaps he should have diverted whilst he still had energy to burn !:E

There's just no sport in it anymore :sad:

Wmk2

[Desert Flower]

The plane was coming in to land on a flight from Doolgunna station

Jeez - don't scare me like that! I know the people who run Doolgunna & my immediate thought was it was them until I saw the aircraft.

DF.

[aileron_69]

Fabrication much???

I'm not usually one to comment on accident threads, though seriously c'mon... pull the other one...

Quote:
through go around and the engine quit, he go her going again, but it quit again
You are not going to get far from 500ft AGL

Quote:
he managed to swing around to get back lined up to land but Bras was still on runway, so put her down off to the side to avoid making an even bigger bang.
I find this highly improbably, almost impossible.



My apologies N4, i'm sorry, I didnt realise you saw it happen. I was just repeating what the refueller in Meeka told me at lunchtime today when I landed here and asked him what the go was with the crashed plane on the far side of the runway. He said he was refuelling a plane at the time and watched all happen, and thats what he told me.
What did happen if you dont mind me asking?

[Homesick-Angel]

"trenk" is a subsidiary of Qantas yeah?

[601]

It's a Cessna isn't it?

nah - gotta be a Cessna Learjet:ok:

[N4sir]

perhaps he should have diverted whilst he still had energy to burn !:E

If he had that second donk, he may have nearly made it :} I know other WA operators/pilots have tried it on in the past...

He said he was refuelling a plane at the time and watched all happen, and thats what he told me

So was the bras on the runway or being refuelled? I thought you had all the facts aileron

[myshoutcaptain]

N4sir - you can have a Braz on the runway and someone else at the browser :ok:

[C-change]

The rego gave away the fuel state?

VH-F.A.L (F#%@ ALL LEFT)

[The Strez]

Maybe he ran into some of that volcanic ash that was affecting the southern half of WA today??? :}

[Arm out the window]

That's what all the dust is in the photo, volcanic ash.
A big bit must have hit two of the prop blades and the resulting imbalance stopped the engine.

[Dangly Bits]

Of course it crashed. It's missing it's wings! The Beech Piper Conquest doesn't fly very well without the front engine cowling either! :8

[aileron_69]

The Beech Piper Conquest doesn't fly very well without the front engine cowling either!

Thats the one with the inline radial engines right? :E

[xma007]

Top cowl no where to be seen?
Appears to be no damage to nose cowl either. Just maybe cowl is in a paddock somewhere. Engine would have got very hot and just maybe seized hence one blade not bent.:hmm: