Grumman OV-1 Crash at Stuart Airshow

[w1pf]

https://www.wptv.com/news/region-martin-county/stuart/plane-crash-at-stuart-air-show
FAA, NTSB investigating deadly plane crash at Stuart Air ShowSTUART, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office says one person died when a plane crashed at the Stuart Air Show on Friday afternoon.The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they're investigating the crash of a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk.The FAA said the Mohawk, with only the pilot aboard, crashed on the approach end of Runway 1 at Witham Field, located at 2011 SE Airport Rd., around 1:15 p.m.Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said the victim is an adult male. It's unclear what caused the plane to go down."Fire Rescue personnel were already on the scene and had extinguished the flames which, by all appearances, had fully engulfed the airplane," said Sheriff Snyder at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

[ATC Watcher]

very sad news :( . Is it normal to fly this aircraft single pilot ?

[capngrog]

very sad news :( . Is it normal to fly this aircraft single pilot ?

Yes. The OV-1 was designed for single pilot operation, and there were no flight controls for the right seat. The right seat was occupied by an "observer" who operated the aircraft's fairly sophisticated suite of electronics, which included Side Looking Radar (SLR). The aircraft was operated in Vietnam by the U.S. Army.

Cheers,
Grog

[cujet]

Dr. Joe Masessa was a close friend of mine. I helped him out with his strikemaster jet and his Citation, mostly at F45, but some at PBI. I spoke with him shortly before the crash. I have no input, other than the wish to express my sadness at the loss of another good friend. I'm in Jupiter, FL and the airshow was right up the road in Stuart, FL. My family and friends had planned on going today (Sat Nov 2, 2019) . I've spent the last day on the phone with his friends and various girlfriends. Not my words, but they describe him perfectly: Joe was "Brilliant, Different, Bold". He was a well known surgeon, owned a series of Dermatology offices and owned 5 aircraft.

I heard from a friend who works at the Stuart field, he was "test flying" after some maintenance.

I don't have 10 posts so I can't post a picture.

[Tailspin Turtle]

Yes. The OV-1 was designed for single pilot operation, and there were no flight controls for the right seat. The right seat was occupied by an "observer" who operated the aircraft's fairly sophisticated suite of electronics, which included Side Looking Radar (SLR). The aircraft was operated in Vietnam by the U.S. Army.

Cheers,
Grog
There were, however, provisions for dual controls for checking out pilots transitioning into the Mohawk. It was quite a step up for the average Army pilot in terms of performance and system complexity.

[Cubs2jets]

I'm interested in the history of the airplane. In the last 15 years I'm only aware of 3 potentially flyable OV-1 Mohawks. 2 with the (now closed) Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC and one with the (now closed) American Wings Air Museum in Minnesota. Does anybody know if this plane was one of these or another OV-1 brought back to life?

Thanks

C2j

[pattern_is_full]

@ cujet - sorry for the very personal loss to you and anyone else who knew Dr. Masessa.

There's cellphone video out there of the final seconds - rolling turning dive - and as we know, there must be a dozen things that can put a twin-turboprop into such a situation. Sometimes very fast. Especially one of "a certain age." Not often - but rattlesnakes when they do.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/230334

[capngrog]

A good guy and a loss to the Warbird aviation community. I was privileged to see the airplane at the Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend some years ago, and again, as I recall, at the Sun 'N' Fun Airshow.

A video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsHROuCxKfM

God bless.

Regards,
Grog

[Machinbird]

When the OV-1 came out, they were equipped with the Martin Baker MkJ5B ejection seats, which were a pretty reliable seat to be riding in. Unfortunately, Martin Baker is no longer supplying the life limited life Pyrotechnics for these seats, so it is almost certain that the seats in this aircraft were disarmed. There would be no bailout from this type of aircraft with those big props right next to the cockpit.
I believe I talked to this pilot at one of the Oshkosh airshows. I definitely remember seeing the aircraft there. A sad loss from the aviation scene.

[DaveReidUK]

I'm interested in the history of the airplane. In the last 15 years I'm only aware of 3 potentially flyable OV-1 Mohawks. 2 with the (now closed) Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC and one with the (now closed) American Wings Air Museum in Minnesota. Does anybody know if this plane was one of these or another OV-1 brought back to life?

From Joe Baugher's website:

"68-15958 built as OV-1C. Converted in September 1980 to OV-1D. Acquired on unknown date by Richard Spencer in Rockford Illinois. Sold on Unknown Date to MD Aviation Ltd, Rockaway New Jersey. FAA issued registration number N10VD on December 18, 2008. FAA Certified it Airworthy on July 23, 1993. Used for exhibition. Seen at 2011 Sun n Fun Mar 30, 2011."

[Cubs2jets]

Thanks Dave.

C2j

[misd-agin]

https://mohawkairshows.com/video/

[Tailspin Turtle]

https://mohawkairshows.com/video/
Thanks for posting that. Note the stick for the right seat-occupant. The right seat was a bit more conventional from a flight controls standpoint because the left seat required the pilot to fly with his left hand on the stick (as opposed to a wheel) and his right hand on the throttles. The Army Aviation Test Board had a stripped Charlie model (no mission avionics) with dual controls in the early 1970s. It was a hoot to fly with light stick forces and an excellent roll rate.

[cujet]

One of the things that worried me was that I've seen Joe carry his little Honda Generator on the passenger side when he travels to airshows. Strapped in of course, but if it were to come loose, it could cause a problem. So I went over to his hangars, and found the generator there. I took a video of each hangar, shut off the lights and locked the doors. I don't expect much from the NTSB, as they've already carried off the crash debris. It was simply piled up on 2 flatbeds and carted away. But at least I know it was not the generator.

[cappt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vq_zWRCmmU

Watching this low level routine really made me nervous, nuts to be doing it in a Mohawk. R.I.P. good sir.

[tcasblue]

The very brief video of the accident does remind me of other videos I have seen that involve loss of control due to maneuvering. The NTSB will no doubt look further into that aspect but also keep in mind that it could just as easily have been due to a mechanical failure. At least now we know that the airshow involves significant low level maneuvering. Practice routines typically are similar to the airshow routine.

[misd-agin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vq_zWRCmmU

Watching this low level routine really made me nervous, nuts to be doing it in a Mohawk. R.I.P. good sir.

Fairly benign. Limited rolls (almost none) past 90 degrees. Small barrel roll with positive climb and didn't dish out (common beginner mistake). Looks like a minimum of maybe 200' for the flybys.

[India Four Two]

I agree with misd-agin. Very mild maneuvers compared with what the Mohawk was designed for. No looping maneuvers and only two, well-executed rolls, otherwise just steep turns.

[cujet]

I tried to listen to LiveATC tower/ground at 16:00z and there is only 47 seconds of blank audio. The crash happened about 1:10 PM on Nov 1, 2019 at SUA.

[cappt]

A steep dive with a noticeable pitch up around 100' followed by a a slight nose drop until ground contact.

https://www.local10.com/news/florida/plane-crashes-at-stuart-air-show

[cujet]

A steep dive with a noticeable pitch up around 100' followed by a a slight nose drop until ground contact.



I spoke to a friend who works in MX at SUA and was there when it happened. While he did not see it, those who did say the airplane simply nosed down from it's routine and crashed. No stall-spin, no slow flight, plane seemed to be at full power. Everyone who saw it said that they did not notice any attempt at recovery in either roll or pitch.

[misd-agin]

Anyone know the Mohawk's G limits?

[TRF4EVR]

Why is he wearing an oxygen mask? Not throwing rocks, just curious. I'm assuming that may be ops normal for the aircraft?

[megan]

Anyone know the Mohawk's G limits?Plus four minus 1.6 in his configuration, 360° rolls permitted. Oddly enough it has severe wing drop at the stall clean, but docile when carrying stores. (Flight Manual)

[601]

Why is he wearing an oxygen mask?
Probably the mic was incorporated in the mask helmet combination.

[Paul C]

Hi cujet, your pain is obvious through your posts, I hope it can get better in time, please keep us updated with what you find out. I never met Dr Joe but tried (unsuccessfully) to co ordinate my last few visits to the US with his schedule so we could talk Mohawk stuff.
Regards Paul in Oz

[dsc810]

Link below claims to be the film of final few seconds
Flight path basically as previous poster described

liveleak.com/view?t=rhFh_1572749795

[rmiller4292]

I'm interested in the history of the airplane. In the last 15 years I'm only aware of 3 potentially flyable OV-1 Mohawks. 2 with the (now closed) Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC and one with the (now closed) American Wings Air Museum in Minnesota. Does anybody know if this plane was one of these or another OV-1 brought back to life?

Thanks

C2j

There are 2 OV-1's on the ramp at San Marcos Texas (KHYI) and I believe they are the parts ships for one being built to fly at the same location. I don't have any further info than that.

[FlightlessParrot]

Link below claims to be the film of final few seconds
Flight path basically as previous poster described

liveleak.com/view?t=rhFh_1572749795

I think that video is the one already referred to, except that it has been stretched horizontally (judging by the aircraft nose in the foreground) and so misrepresents the flight path.

[Airbubba]

NTSB Preliminary Report:

National Transportation Safety Board
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report

Location:
Stuart, FL
Accident Number:
ERA20FA027
Date & Time:
11/01/2019, 1310 EDT
Registration:
N10VD
Aircraft:
GRUMMAN OV-1
Injuries:
1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under:
Part 91: General Aviation - Air Race/Show


On November 1, 2019, about 1310 eastern daylight time, a Grumman OV-1D, N10VD, registered to MD Aviation Limited, impacted near the approach end of runway 30 at Witham Field (SUA), Stuart, Florida. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an airshow demonstration flight at the 2019 Audi Stuart Airshow. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated about 1307.

The pilot was scheduled to perform a 12-minute routine that day. Personnel interviewed by NTSB reported differing number of passes performed after takeoff.

The person who was acting as crew-chief, and whom had accrued about 880 hours in the same make and model airplane during military conflict, reported that the pilot informed him and another individual before departure that no acrobatic maneuvers were to be performed due to the ceiling and wind conditions. The crew-chief stated that the pilot's, "…only reason to fly was to visually locate the acrobatic box so he would be ready [for] the show on Saturday. His intent was to make a slow speed low pass followed by a high speed low pass and a normal landing to a full stop." The crew-chief observed the pilot perform a check of all flight controls, flaps, and speed brakes while taxiing to takeoff adding all appeared to move and work normally. He reported that from his vantage point on the last pass when turning from base leg of the airport traffic pattern onto final leg of the airport traffic pattern, it appeared the bank angle exceeded 90°. The airplane then did a rapid right roll to an inverted position, and the nose dropped to what appeared to be 45° nose down followed by impact and fireball. He added that he did not see the speed brakes deploy or the landing gear extend.

An airshow performer who was about 2,150 ft north-northwest of the accident site reported that after departure from runway 30, the airplane began to climb, followed by a "dog leg" to the left followed by a right turn to enter the aerobatic box. The airplane then descended or dove in, and when near the approach end of runway 30, began to climb. He then diverted his attention, and when he looked back, the airplane was near the approach end of runway 30, facing approximately down runway 34, "overbanked" about 100° to the right. He then saw the airplane in a nose low attitude pulling, which continued until he lost sight. He added that the engines sounded like they were at full power. He heard the impact and then saw smoke.

Another witness, who was also an operations inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration, and who was standing near show center (about 3,770 ft northwest of the accident site) reported seeing the airplane flying inverted in a nose level attitude heading in a southeasterly direction. She looked to another inspector briefly, then observed the airplane in a 45° nose-down attitude "spiralling" to the right, providing a view of the upper part of the airplane. She did not see the impact, nor did she see any smoke trailing the airplane, or see components of the airplane separate. She thought the airplane was accelerating (consistent with power) or at least maintaining a constant rate during the descent, indicating to her that it was not decelerating.

A pilot-rated witness who was 15 ft above ground level on the Air Boss stand, which was located about 3,700 ft northwest of the accident site, reported hearing the pilot announce on the radio he would do a "low show"; the pilot sounded calm during that transmission. At that time the ceiling was ragged and moving to scattered at 1,600 ft. The pilot was setting up for his last pass and flew parallel to the runway 12 showline. The pilot then initiated a climb at the west end of the field achieving about 15° of pitch, which he held for a few seconds, then the pitch increased to 35°. At that time the witness saw blue sky behind the airplane. The blue sky remained, then while at 1,000 to 1,300 ft above ground level (agl), he noted a "crisp" right roll to 135° of bank which was stabilized. The airplane continued the brisk pull as it approached 180° of bank; the speed increased and the turn radius decreased. After completing 170° of heading change, while at 500 feet agl, the witness did not notice any wing rock or longitudinal change. The engines sounded fine to him. He did not see any attempt to unload the wings. During the last 200 ft of descent, the rotation rate increased slightly.

Airport security video depicted the final portion of the flight. A review of the provided video revealed that immediately before impact, the airplane was in about a 60° nose low and right wing low attitude. The video depicted the bottom and left side views of the airplane. The landing gear and left speedbrake were retracted, and all three vertical stabilizers were visible. The positions of the left aileron, left elevator, and rudder flight control surfaces could not be accurately determined.

The airplane impacted onto the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the approach end of runway 30. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.

At 1312, a surface weather observation taken at SUA reported wind 360° at 10 knots with gusts to 16 knots, 7 miles visibility, scattered clouds 1,300 feet, broken clouds 1,500 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 23°C, and an altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury.



Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make:
GRUMMAN
Registration:
N10VD
Model/Series:
OV-1 D
Aircraft Category:
Airplane
Amateur Built:
No


Operator:
On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held:
None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site:
Visual Conditions
Condition of Light:
Day
Observation Facility, Elevation:
SUA, 16 ft msl
Observation Time:
1312 EDT
Distance from Accident Site:

Temperature/Dew Point:
28°C / 23°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Scattered / 1300 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction:
10 knots / 16 knots, 360°
Lowest Ceiling:
Broken / 1500 ft agl
Visibility
7 Miles
Altimeter Setting:
30.08 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
None
Departure Point:
Stuart, FL (SUA)
Destination:
Stuart, FL (SUA)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries:
1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage:
Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:
N/A
Aircraft Fire:
On-Ground
Ground Injuries:
N/A
Aircraft Explosion:
On-Ground
Total Injuries:
1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude:
27.176111, -80.212500
Administrative Information
Investigator In Charge (IIC):
Timothy W Monville
Additional Participating Persons:
Alexander R Munoz; FAA/FSDO; Miramar, FL

Dana S Metz; Honeywell; Phoenix, AZ
Note:
The NTSB traveled to the scene of this accident.





https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20191102X80415&AKey=1&RType=Prelim&IType=FA

[tcasblue]

He seemed like such a nice guy in the interview. So sad when these things happen. But unfortunately, it appears to have the hallmarks of another of a long list of persons going beyond their limits. Give yourself some margin for your inevitable mistakes.

[golfyankeesierra]

Plus four minus 1.6 in his configuration, 360° rolls permitted. Oddly enough it has severe wing drop at the stall clean, but docile when carrying stores. (Flight Manual)
I saw the 2017 display video first and found it odd that he did that with those big droptanks (?) but now that makes sense.
Wonder if he was carrying them during this session, especially as he didn’t mean to do aero’s.