Wittering Tutor in a field

[Sky Sports]

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x720/tutor_1baa8f84e05818d3672cbad916d52d3a1dd507a2.jpg
From the RAF Wittering InstaSnapFaceWhatsBook page;

The RAF can confirm there has been an incident involving a Tutor training aircraft near RAF Wittering. The aircraft has landed safely on open ground and the pilot is uninjured. A recovery operation is underway and a full investigation will follow.

[MPN11]

It will buff ... oh, wait.

Looks like a neat landing, having selected the right sort of field.

[Rosevidney1]

May there always be such a convenient field for airmen in difficulties ………….

[India Four Two]

What a conveniently large field.

I’m reminded of an Airclues article in the late 60s, about a Chipmunk forced landing. A UAS was holding its Summer Camp at Shawbury while UBAS was away (at Lindholme, ISTR).

A solo student carried out an immaculate forced landing in a Shropshire field that was so small that the Chippie had to be recovered by a Ternhill Wessex!

[Big Pistons Forever]

Good job with what looks like a textbook force landing, but I have to admit my first thought when I saw the picture was "this would make a great CAPCOM entry" :O

[JagRigger]

'tis Fake News - at least the local press has it as false - who do they have as editor, a three year old ?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/846x724/untitled_38923ff619d99ec0c11a68b075c49f418051561c.jpg

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

Something lost in the translation there.
It could easily have been a "farce landing".
Or a "probationary landing".

[Wander00]

Or even "forced" landing. It's these regional accents cause the problems.........

[Tankertrashnav]

May there always be such a convenient field for airmen in difficulties ………….

That's what I thought. As you know there is a dearth of such fields in Cornwall, and the "hedges" which surround them sneakily conceal large chunks of granite under the vegetation, Doing my PPL one day my instructor asked me to select a field for a forced landing if the engine suddenly failed, I had a quick scan around and pointed out a field which I thought we might just reach and get into. He said it might be a possibility but perhaps the golf course immediately below us would have been a better choice!

Incidentally that field looks bigger than St Just aerodrome where I used to fly from!

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

Or even "forced" landing. It's these regional accents cause the problems.........

I think you rather missed my point....;)

[tmmorris]

No word on why yet (though I believe the fuel batch has been ruled out as a cause)

[ACW342]

Must have been a glider pilot. Field landings always a possibility/probability on a X-Country. I even have a beach landing/aero-tow out of a beach once.

[pasta]

Must have been a glider pilot. Field landings always a possibility/probability on a X-Country. I even have a beach landing/aero-tow out of a beach once.
I hope the tide wasn't coming in; could have been a stressful wait for the tug to arrive...

[ACW342]

Empty beach, 1000yds or so long. On the instance of the wing tip touching the ground, not only did dozens of kids and a few adults appear as if zombie like, arising up from the sand, but also a policeman on a BMW motorbike complete with flashing blue appeared from between the dunes. Within 30 seconds or so he had ascertained that "No I haven't crashed" and told me that that was great, as the paperwork for an aircraft crash was "quite horrendous" and off he went. The tide at the time was at the bottom of the ebb. phew!

[langleybaston]

Life's a beach, we are assured.

[NorthSouth]

Must have been a glider pilot.Naah cos then his aeroplane would have been sitting in a hanger gathering dust for the last few years awaiting the breakers :sad:

[STENDEC North]

All 3 blades still attached, progress, woohoo.

[ACW342]

NS, I don't think I said ACO glider pilot. They tend not to fly X-Country, rather give the young, oops gave, the young cadets the basics i.e. to solo standard (Not solo on a FS flight sim derivative, bu rather in a real aeroplane) Anyway back to the thread, well done that man. An aeroplane that can probably fly out of the field providing that the problem is fixable in situ. And if not, at least no BoI required.

A342

[CBSITCB]

I understand the RAF Tutor fleet is now grounded.

[Wander00]

Ooh heck, is that Air Cadet management in the background........hat, coat....

[tmmorris]

6FTS confirm all Tutors returned to flying now.

[CoodaShooda]

Our fields are bigger (https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/2343824/photos-rookie-pilot-in-mid-air-drama/?cs=157)

This was the result of an occasional Ppruner having the rudder lock hard over at 3000ft a couple of years ago.

Fleet was was grounded until they confirmed someone had used the wrong screw to secure a floor panel and it caused a jammed rudder mechanism.

[Bigpants]

On a more positive note at least the propeller had not fallen off. Expect fleet grounding in 3,2,1....

[Wensleydale]

I even have a beach landing/aero-tow out of a beach once.

Back in 1976, a YUAS Bulldog on summer camp to Woodvale crashed on Southport Beach after becoming locked into a flat spin. The student and instructor bailed out - the instructor quite late and hurt his back. The CFI heard the mayday and seeing the injured QFI lying close to the wrecked aircraft attempted to land on the deserted beach (which was a recognised forced landing point) so that he could administer first aid. Unfortunately he found the one soft spot of sand for miles and at the end of the landing run he dug in a wheel causing the aircraft to catch its wing tip and it ended up on its back. Reports in the newspapers varied: the most lurid was in the Sun which headlined with "Hundreds of holidaymakers ran in fear as two trainer planes collided in mid-air and fell blazing into the sea".

[MPN11]

OMG ... :) :) :)

[ShyTorque]

The CFI heard the mayday and seeing the injured QFI lying close to the wrecked aircraft attempted to land on the deserted beach (which was a recognised forced landing point) so that he could administer first aid. Unfortunately he found the one soft spot of sand for miles and at the end of the landing run he dug in a wheel causing the aircraft to catch its wing tip and it ended up on its back.

But that one was repaired and later given to me to fly; it had my name written on the engine cowling for some years. It flew OK but on the ground it always tended to sit tail low. Although it was rumoured that it could not afterwards be used for aerobatics, there was no such limitation in the F700 during my time. Then someone else crashed it in a field during another forced landing at a summer camp and it was eventually sold for spares.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=143797

[Wensleydale]

The similar report for XX618 that had the spin is here... https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=60093

and XX623 here. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=60092

[rolling20]

During my time on the Bulldog, it was drummed into us that getting out by 2000ft was imperative. The incident below we were told at the time was left very late, around 800ft if IIRC. The story doing the rounds then was that one of the pilots went out as per procedure and broke his nose and ankle on the tailplane. The other had sky diving experience and went out in a in a sky diving attitude and was unscathed. I have never enjoyed spinning if I am not wearing a parachute ever since. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137218

[BEagle]

The Bulldog had a strict limit on fuel asymmetry for spinning. Students were always required to keep the left and right tank contents in balance, so often the selector was moved from the 'BOTH' position to achieve this....

The only delayed spin recovery I ever encountered was when my (very good) student entered a right hand spin. It didn't seem to want to recover, so I thought that he must have relaxed the back pressure too soon before applying full left rudder. So I took control, re-applied full pro-spin, then recovered, but again it took a while....

I wrote up the trip in Bloggs' notes, but later we found that one fuel gauge was sticking and was hugely in error. So in large red pen I amended Bloggs' write to say "Not his fault - aircraft had an unserviceable fuel indication system!".

Keeping the ball in the middle and the fuel selector on 'BOTH' would probably have kept most Bulldogs' fuel in better balance than believing the useless fuel gauged and balancing as indicated.

Quite why we lived with such a well-known snag as the Bulldog fuel indication sysem for so long beats me....

[NutLoose]

Our fields are bigger (https://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/2343824/photos-rookie-pilot-in-mid-air-drama/?cs=157)

This was the result of an occasional Ppruner having the rudder lock hard over at 3000ft a couple of years ago.

Fleet was was grounded until they confirmed someone had used the wrong screw to secure a floor panel and it caused a jammed rudder mechanism.


Cessna suffered a problem with their rudders jamming over, took 50 odd years to come to light and sadly an instuctor died, see
Main (http://www.cessna150-152.com/members/A98Q0114.html)

[rolling20]

Beagle, I am guessing this one would have been around your time on the Bulldog? https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137257. The poor instructor fell from his harness on the descent. IIRC, but Beagle please correct me, you undid your chute harness first ,before the safety harness at the end of the sortie? The enquiry believed he had released it prior to abandonment. When the 82 spinning loss took place we were all drilled on quick abandonment. One of the star pupil flyers and who later became a CFS instructor, 'banged out' in the hangar sans parachute, with the words, ' I think I had better do that again!' We thought it funny at the time.

[Tiger_mate]

I watched the two Bulldogs come to grief on Southport beach whilst travelling as a car passenger along the coast road. I assumed them to be large remote control models and stated that "Someone has just lost a small fortune" - I guess size is relative to distance - and I did not see any parachutes. (But then I must not have seen anyone with an RC transceiver either ;-) )

[Megaton]

Is the Tutor fleet still grounded? My son thinks he’s going flying this weekend.

[DCThumb]

Not grounded anymore, judging by the Tutor doing some very agricultural Aeros over my house on Sunday!
!

[ShyTorque]

Beagle, I am guessing this one would have been around your time on the Bulldog? https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137257. The poor instructor fell from his harness on the descent. IIRC, but Beagle please correct me, you undid your chute harness first ,before the safety harness at the end of the sortie? The enquiry believed he had released it prior to abandonment. When the 82 spinning loss took place we were all drilled on quick abandonment. One of the star pupil flyers and who later became a CFS instructor, 'banged out' in the hangar sans parachute, with the words, ' I think I had better do that again!' We thought it funny at the time.

During my time as a Bulldog QFI (late 80s/early 90s) the engineering powers on high had become concerned that parachute packs were suffering wear in normal use. To reduce wear on the packs we were instructed to remove our parachutes before exiting the aircraft, either after shutdown or during a running crew change. We were required to sign for carrying out a practice "emergency abandonment drill" every month.

I point blank refused to ever remove my parachute harness in the aircraft because I saw it as a highly unsafe practice. Mental conditioning to routinely undo the parachute harness before climbing out was just asking for trouble, imho, so I practiced my abandonment drill every I climbed out. There was another, later fatal loss of control accident when it was thought that the instructor inadvertently unlocked his 'chute harness (box rotated by 90 degrees) before abandoning the aircraft and that the QRB was knocked during his subsequent parachute descent, whereupon he tragically fell out of his harness.

[rolling20]

I seem to remember Shy, that the parachute was the seat backing and we always left them in situ in the cockpit?

[ShyTorque]

I seem to remember Shy, that the parachute was the seat backing and we always left them in situ in the cockpit?

Sorry, no! The 'chute pack certainly had a stiff back to it (which is the part that first showed wear in use) but it was separate from the seat and kept in the line office. We were supposed to undo the chute pack, climb out, then retrieve it. As I said, I never left mine in the seat.

[132bod]

As groundcrew at CFS, '81- '93 all parachutes were left in seats and it did worry me about muscle memory & unlocking seat harness & parachute QRF together every time you exit the aircraft normally. I did on occassion have to do countless canopy jettison resets in the hangar so all pilots could actually experience canopy emergency opening. As an occasional passenger I also had to practice emergency abandonment. It wasn't an issue not unlocking the parachute - it was too novel an action in the first place. When I was in the cockpit ground running there was no need to be strapped at all.

[rolling20]

Sorry, no! The 'chute pack certainly had a stiff back to it (which is the part that first showed wear in use) but it was separate from the seat and kept in the line office. We were supposed to undo the chute pack, climb out, then retrieve it. As I said, I never left mine in the seat.
As 132bod has mentioned there Shy, I am fairly certain on my time 81/82 the chute was left in situ. As per my previous mention of my student colleague practice abandon without the chute. Drill was undo chute, undo harness after a sortie. He was going through the normal sequence to leave the cockpit on the ground. Of course it may have changed by the end of the decade. 132bod thank you for the info.

[BEagle]

rolling20, I had known the chap who was killed when he released both seat harness and parachute - but only as a fellow ULAS student many years earlier.

I can't remember the exact procedure we used when I became a Bulldog QFI in 1991, but the fatal accident was still quite fresh in peoples' minds and some procedure had been adopted to reduce the risk of inadvertent chute QRF release during a real abandonment.

[rolling20]

Thank you Beagle.

[Dutystude]

Prior to the tragedy, the procedure was:

Park and shutdown

Release seat harness

While remaining seated, undo the parachute harness.

Vacate ac leaving parachute on seat.

After the tragedy:

Release seat harness and vacate ac.

When clear of the ac (not on the wing) remove parachute.

Climb back on wing and place parachute on seat

[ShyTorque]

rolling20, I had known the chap who was killed when he released both seat harness and parachute - but only as a fellow ULAS student many years earlier.

I can't remember the exact procedure we used when I became a Bulldog QFI in 1991, but the fatal accident was still quite fresh in peoples' minds and some procedure had been adopted to reduce the risk of inadvertent chute QRF release during a real abandonment.

It appears that some haven't understood my post so I'll try again!
I was a Bulldog QFI on a UAS from 1989 till 1992. At the UAS I worked at, parachutes were not routinely left in the seat for the next person; they were normally kept in the line office. The procedure was to collect a parachute from the line office and return it afterwards, or when a running change was necessary, the oncoming student was assisted to don it before climbing in. However, due to wear on the parachute outer covering we were told we should use the practice of unstrapping from the parachute before exiting the aircraft and carefully lift it out afterwards, when standing on the wing. I declined to do this for the reason I already stated. The later accident occurred after this; it seemed obvious to me that the pilot who died probably reverted to the normal procedure used iaw with that instruction, rather than the emergency procedure, which was only carried out once a month. Had he been used to leaving the chute on his back every time he left the aircraft he might not have inadvertently unlocked his QRB before unstrapping his seat harness and abandoning the aircraft in flight.

[rolling20]

Fully understand Shy, but like I said procedures may have changed by the end of the decade.

[Dutystude]

It appears that some haven't understood my post so I'll try again!
I was a Bulldog QFI on a UAS from 1989 till 1992. At the UAS I worked at, parachutes were not routinely left in the seat for the next person; they were normally kept in the line office. The procedure was to collect a parachute from the line office and return it afterwards, or when a running change was necessary, the oncoming student was assisted to don it before climbing in. However, due to wear on the parachute outer covering we were told we should use the practice of unstrapping from the parachute before exiting the aircraft and carefully lift it out afterwards, when standing on the wing. I declined to do this for the reason I already stated. The later accident occurred after this; it seemed obvious to me that the pilot who died probably reverted to the normal procedure used iaw with that instruction, rather than the emergency procedure, which was only carried out once a month. Had he been used to leaving the chute on his back every time he left the aircraft he might not have inadvertently unlocked his QRB before unstrapping his seat harness and abandoning the aircraft in flight.

if you started flying the Bulldog in 89 then I think memory is playing tricks.

I left the Bulldog - first time round - in 88 and the procedure to vacate wearing the chute had been implemented before then.

[orca]

Dutystude,

During my UAS time (mid-90s) the drill was such that you released the seat harness, then shutdown, then released the parachute. Same reasoning but you didn’t vacate with a parachute on.

I very clearly remember the OC asking me if I knew the reason we did it like that.

[ShyTorque]

I don't know what happened prior to 1989 but it sounds like the same as our local procedures when I arrived (presumably it was done like that following the 1982 accident). The later edict to leave the chute in the seat came out during my tour. I don't know if it was later rescinded after the second accident because I no longer flew the Bulldog after 1992.

[Idle Reverse]

I think we may be a little out with some of the dates on this one. The pilot in the “harness accident” was Flt Lt Ian Redwood. Ian came through the CFS Bulldog course as a student QFI in the summer of 84 at Scampton. I flew with him on the course. The accident happened the following year in Mar 85. Generally speaking the chute stayed / lived in the aircraft seat. You walked out to the aircraft and the chute was already in the seat waiting for you. Prior to the accident, the parachute procedure after normal shutdown was to unstrap in the cockpit and leave the chute in the aircraft seat prior to vacating the aircraft. The chute harness was the higher of the two boxes and was realeased first, followed by the lower seat harness.
Evidence from the accident suggested Ian may have inadvertently released the chute harness before jumping from the spinning aircraft (albeit he may have hastily attempted to resecure the chute harness). Reflecting on this the white coated behavioural boffins decided we Pilots needed to “make it normal” to leave the aircraft with our chute still attached to us and so the norm / SOP was changed so that after shut down the crew would simply release the seat harness, vacate the aircraft with parachute still attached, and after jumping / stepping off the wing (ie feet now on the ground) to then release the chute harness and take the chute off. Having completed this “normal behavioural pattern” the crew would then step back onto the wing and return the chute to the cockpit seat. So my point is that the change came then in the summer of 85, after Ian’s accident. I left the waterfront and the Bulldog world in the following summer of 86 but I would have expected the revised SOP for the chutes might have been in force throughout its remaining service life; though the thread (albeit thread drift) on here might suggest otherwise ?
Happy days.

[Wensleydale]

I must confess that my memory of flying the Bulldog in 1975/76 involved leaving the parachute in situ....but it was a while ago (although I still remember the downwind checks).

[rolling20]

Prior to the accident, the parachute procedure after normal shutdown was to unstrap in the cockpit and leave the chute in the aircraft seat prior to vacating the aircraft. The chute harness was the higher of the two boxes and was realeased first, followed by the lower seat harness.

Idle Reverse, that is how I remembered it in 81/2. Hence my previous comment re the student 'banging out' in the hangar without the chute attached. RIP Ian.

[212man]

I think we may be a little out with some of the dates on this one. The pilot in the “harness accident” was Flt Lt Ian Redwood. Ian came through the CFS Bulldog course as a student QFI in the summer of 84 at Scampton. I flew with him on the course. The accident happened the following year in Mar 85. Generally speaking the chute stayed / lived in the aircraft seat. You walked out to the aircraft and the chute was already in the seat waiting for you. Prior to the accident, the parachute procedure after normal shutdown was to unstrap in the cockpit and leave the chute in the aircraft seat prior to vacating the aircraft. The chute harness was the higher of the two boxes and was realeased first, followed by the lower seat harness.
Evidence from the accident suggested Ian may have inadvertently released the chute harness before jumping from the spinning aircraft (albeit he may have hastily attempted to resecure the chute harness). Reflecting on this the white coated behavioural boffins decided we Pilots needed to “make it normal” to leave the aircraft with our chute still attached to us and so the norm / SOP was changed so that after shut down the crew would simply release the seat harness, vacate the aircraft with parachute still attached, and after jumping / stepping off the wing (ie feet now on the ground) to then release the chute harness and take the chute off. Having completed this “normal behavioural pattern” the crew would then step back onto the wing and return the chute to the cockpit seat. So my point is that the change came then in the summer of 85, after Ian’s accident. I left the waterfront and the Bulldog world in the following summer of 86 but I would have expected the revised SOP for the chutes might have been in force throughout its remaining service life; though the thread (albeit thread drift) on here might suggest otherwise ?
Happy days.

I joined my UAS in the winter of 1985, so this accident was very topical and fresh in people's minds, and the logic to exit while wearing the parachute seemed totally sensible. Sadly my best friend (APO Mark Davies) died a few years later (March 1988) when the off duty fireman first responder was unable to fathom how to release the two harness boxes and Mark was semi-conscious. He ran to get a belt cutter from his car but by the time he returned the aircraft had lit up: http://www.ukserials.com/pdflosses/maas_19880302_xx712.pdf

[Dutystude]

I think we may be a little out with some of the dates on this one. The pilot in the “harness accident” was Flt Lt Ian Redwood. Ian came through the CFS Bulldog course as a student QFI in the summer of 84 at Scampton. I flew with him on the course. The accident happened the following year in Mar 85. Generally speaking the chute stayed / lived in the aircraft seat. You walked out to the aircraft and the chute was already in the seat waiting for you. Prior to the accident, the parachute procedure after normal shutdown was to unstrap in the cockpit and leave the chute in the aircraft seat prior to vacating the aircraft. The chute harness was the higher of the two boxes and was realeased first, followed by the lower seat harness.
Evidence from the accident suggested Ian may have inadvertently released the chute harness before jumping from the spinning aircraft (albeit he may have hastily attempted to resecure the chute harness). Reflecting on this the white coated behavioural boffins decided we Pilots needed to “make it normal” to leave the aircraft with our chute still attached to us and so the norm / SOP was changed so that after shut down the crew would simply release the seat harness, vacate the aircraft with parachute still attached, and after jumping / stepping off the wing (ie feet now on the ground) to then release the chute harness and take the chute off. Having completed this “normal behavioural pattern” the crew would then step back onto the wing and return the chute to the cockpit seat. So my point is that the change came then in the summer of 85, after Ian’s accident. I left the waterfront and the Bulldog world in the following summer of 86 but I would have expected the revised SOP for the chutes might have been in force throughout its remaining service life; though the thread (albeit thread drift) on here might suggest otherwise ?
Happy days.

Just as I recall the events. And certainly the procedure in place in 88 when I left the Bulldog. Can’t swear to the procedure in 89.

Indeed, following the change, I logged a practice abandonment drill every time I flew since standard egress mirrored the actions I would take if I needed to abandon.

[H Peacock]

Arguably MD died because he broke his authorisation and then grossly mishandled XX712, not because a fireman couldn't save him from the burning wreckage.

[Mach the Knife]

Is there any one with any news/info concerning the Tutor in a field near Wittering. Tired of the disappointment of opening this thread up to read the new posts only to discover they are all about some unrelated Bulldog bolleaux.

[212man]

Arguably MD died because he broke his authorisation and then grossly mishandled XX712, not because a fireman couldn't save him from the burning wreckage.

Thanks for stating the bleeding obvious, although I was in no way questioning the valiant efforts made to assist him! I can’t offer an insight into his mind after his fiancée broke up their relationship, but the end result was he burned to death screaming on the radio.

[nonsense]

Is there any one with any news/info concerning the Tutor in a field near Wittering. Tired of the disappointment of opening this thread up to read the new posts only to discover they are all about some unrelated Bulldog bolleaux.

I confess I keep seeing the thread title and expecting a discussion about an instructor standing in a paddock, wittering on about something nobody else is interested in hearing about.

[rolling20]

I confess I keep seeing the thread title and expecting a discussion about an instructor standing in a paddock, wittering on about something nobody else is interested in hearing about.
If this thread hadn't drifted, then I for one wouldn't have known the answer to a few queries that have been unanswered for a number of years.

[MPN11]

If this thread hadn't drifted, then I for one wouldn't have known the answer to a few queries that have been unanswered for a number of years.
That was my feeling too. Surprising how much useful information gets out in OT conversations, for those with eyes to see.

I found the input from Mach the Knife quite inappropriate.

[taxydual]

The Accounts have run a computer module and have come up with an answer.

The Accountants plans are:

A: Build a runway and fly the thing out.

B: Leave the runway in situ, then other aircraft in difficulties could use it.

C: Constuct the rumway in airportable sections so it can be re-used.

Fred the Farmer (who owns the field) offered to cut the vegetation down, harrow it and fly the thing out.

I wonder who's plan will win the day.

[Fortissimo]

Whichever plan is used, I suspect they will do more damage getting it out of the field than somebody did getting in there in the first place!

I don't think it will be Plan A. 2 years is a long time to wait to get your aeroplane back.

[sycamore]

Is it back to a `firma terra`,or still looking for the lowest tender....?

[Onceapilot]

Bloody hell! That field looks better than most allied airfields in France after D-Day! If the kite is "S", send a pilot to fly it out! :ok:

OAP

[beardy]

Bloody hell! That field looks better than most allied airfields in France after D-Day! If the kite is "S", send a pilot to fly it out! :ok:

OAP
Very helpful and informative, thank you.

[Plumbob44]

The field was actually not that big. Photo taken on a mobile phone has a very wide angle lens which exaggerates distance. Take my word for it I was there but not the photographer! Touch down was 1/4 distance into the available area and the ac stopped 70 mtrs short of the tall vegetation although there was the option of curving right to parallel it.
The ac was recovered with wings removed the next day.

[Beancountercymru]

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-grob-g115e-tutor-g-byuu

[NutLoose]

WTF is that abortion, have they not heard of quick release drains, the engine would incidentally have come from Lycoming with a wire locked sump plug, they have replaced it with that, heck you can see the locking tab for it on the bottom of the sump housing...talk about bad engineering, even the thread into the sump is National Pipe Taper as a double safety point, that cap isn't. It's not rocket science to rectify.

Here, try these

Oil Drain Valve, Lycoming Thread 1/2 inch NPT, from Saf-Air, sa-p5000 - Chief Aircraft Inc. (http://www.chiefaircraft.com/sa-p5000.html)

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/ep/oilsystems_oildrain/aeroquipsumpvalve.php

[beardy]

Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - None
Commander’s Licence: Commercial Pilot’s
Licence Commander’s Age: 74 years

The value of old age and cunning leading to a successful forced landing.

[India Four Two]

There is no requirement for the oil cap to be wire locked on the Grob 115E, which is equipped with a modified (inverted) engine oil system to cater for aerobatic manoeuvres. The maintenance organisation considered that the most likely scenario is that the drain cap was not correctly secured after the engine was installed.

If it is not wire-locked, what kind of "correctly secured" is the MO talking about? Using a torque wrench?