Piper Cherokee ditches off Kingscliff (Merged)
Twin Comanche Down
Strange that it couldn't even maintain height with ONE person on board.
More likely a fuel problem? I've heard about problems involving takeoffs on the tip tanks causing unporting on alternating sides as each engine surges?
More likely a fuel problem? I've heard about problems involving takeoffs on the tip tanks causing unporting on alternating sides as each engine surges?
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I have no idea why it crashed, but consider this.
Tip tank fuel is accessed on Twin Commanche via a selector turned to AUX tank, plus a switch which opens a solonoid valve to allow the TIP tanks to drain into the AUX.
If a pilot was to have an electrical failure or switch off both generators in flight the loss of electrical power would close the solenoids and may lead to a engine/s failure due to fuel starvation if the tank selectors are not returned to MAIN.
As I said, no idea if this is/was the cause, but something to be aware of in this type.
Z.
Tip tank fuel is accessed on Twin Commanche via a selector turned to AUX tank, plus a switch which opens a solonoid valve to allow the TIP tanks to drain into the AUX.
If a pilot was to have an electrical failure or switch off both generators in flight the loss of electrical power would close the solenoids and may lead to a engine/s failure due to fuel starvation if the tank selectors are not returned to MAIN.
As I said, no idea if this is/was the cause, but something to be aware of in this type.
Z.
Zhaadum
It is a long time since I last flew a PA30 but if my memory serves me correctly an electrical failure will result in the solenoids staying in the last selected position. Correct me if I’m wrong?
MakeItHappenCaptain
Again someone might want to correct me if my memory is a little faded but take-off, climb, descent and landing can only be done on the main tanks. Tips and Aux’s are for level flight only for the exact reason you have just said.
It is a long time since I last flew a PA30 but if my memory serves me correctly an electrical failure will result in the solenoids staying in the last selected position. Correct me if I’m wrong?
MakeItHappenCaptain
Again someone might want to correct me if my memory is a little faded but take-off, climb, descent and landing can only be done on the main tanks. Tips and Aux’s are for level flight only for the exact reason you have just said.
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I'm not sure about Turbz, but the point I was making is that it's not reasonable to suggest the pilot committed suicide based on a witness saying "the engines were going really loud".
How do you know that he didn't have a heart attack, or some other physical issue? That possibility would fit the facts a lot better.
Ascribing the crash to suicide is incredibly hard on the family, when it could easily have been something else. Some of you should think before you post.
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This thread is bordering on the idiotic with the suggestion being floated. J430 you ought to be offerring an apology for suggesting at such an early stage such a rediculous explanation. While it may, and I say MAY, be an explanation, its extremely unlikely, I say again, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. I'm not prejudging the case, but how about a more reasonable scenario which is how many twins come to grief - loss of control following an engine failure. Idiot.
I see in the ATSB report, the pilot experienced problems with the left engine. The initial analysis is the left engine was developing power and the right propellor feathered at the time of impact.
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Brian A,
Hey I know we all can shoot from the hip, seems you just did too.
lets do that shall we, read the preliminary report.....then wait for the full and FINAL report.
J
Hey I know we all can shoot from the hip, seems you just did too.
Brian Abraham Read the full report. The answers there.
J
Last edited by J430; 21st Mar 2007 at 23:36.
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wait for the full and FINAL report
Depending on how certain "facts" are presented you can draw greatly varying conclussions.
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J,
Mate you are out of line and should pull your head in.
You should not have made any such suggestion or inuendo (ie: suicide) in the first place.
I wouldn't call you and idiot - but the more posts you make...........
This incident is sad as you say, but you are rubbing salt in potentially.
Just let it go and don't do it again.
Please!
Cheers,
Di
Mate you are out of line and should pull your head in.
You should not have made any such suggestion or inuendo (ie: suicide) in the first place.
I wouldn't call you and idiot - but the more posts you make...........
This incident is sad as you say, but you are rubbing salt in potentially.
Just let it go and don't do it again.
Please!
Cheers,
Di
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Ladies and gents, in the vast majority of media reports, the facts are so far from what is printed, I would suggest that none of us ever post anything at all. My comment or fear was....based on descriptions printed by the media........ ATSB report clears things up quite well I think, so in order to keep some folk happy I will remove my "concerns" which were commented on some six weeks before the ATSB released their report.
J
J
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J430, To explain. Some 35 or so years ago a very good friend of mine lost his life in an accident. No one observed the accident and the wreck was not found for some two days. I had dinner with him and his not long wife a week before the accident and he spent the evening enthusiastically and with great passion talking of his ambitions in the aerobatic competition arena of aviation. He had a competition coming up and hoped to do well. Someone, somewhere for some reason floated the story that it was suicide, and that rumour pervades today in some areas of the aviation family, indeed it was even mentioned in a thread here on proon a few months ago as being suicide. I can assure everyone with all the certainity that a friend can muster that it was not suicide but merely the outcome of the same cause that brings us some 80% of our accidents - pilot error. Is someone in 35 years time going to be talking of this twin accident as being suicide with some authority because he read it on a professional pilots website many years ago? Mud sticks (unfortunately) and once the horse has bolted............ You should have learnt by now to treat anything in a paper and things observed by non aviation people with some scepticism. Indeed, if you get into accident investigation even well credentialled aviation people are not always reliable witnesses you'll find.
