Homebuilt scrap aircraft crashed in WA

[Squawk7700]

Police, paramedics respond after light plane crashes off WA coast (watoday.com.au)Emergency services have rushed to the aid of two people, who were inside a small homemade plane which crashed into the ocean off the coast of Lancelin on Saturday afternoon.

Around 12.25pm West Australian police and St John paramedics responded to reports a fixed wing flying vessel had crashed on a reef near Edwards Island Nature Reserve in Lancelin.



A police spokesman said there were two people on the plane – the pilot and a passenger. Both sustained minor injuries and were assessed by paramedics at the scene.

A Facebook page for Lancelin posted a picture of the plane, named The Mudskipper, and stated it was homemade and “will fly about two metres or so above the water, with a speed up to 120 kilometres per hour.”

“There has been a serious mishap but the flying boat is still afloat. Oh no The Mudskipper has crashed in Lancelin Bay, we believe everyone is OK,” they wrote.




I guess it was only a matter of time. From memory, they are calling it a boat rather than an aircraft.

[treadigraph]

https://x.com/LewisHaskew/status/111...315719681?s=20

Hmm, me Twixxer skills are obviously a bit limited.

Anyway, sorta Caspian Sea Monster.

[NZFlyingKiwi]

I usually cringe at the media's reporting of homebuilt (or 'homemade' as they like to say) aircraft but this one probably does fit their expectations more than most by the looks of it.

[Squawk7700]

Originally Posted by NZFlyingKiwi

I usually cringe at the media's reporting of homebuilt (or 'homemade' as they like to say) aircraft but this one probably does fit their expectations more than most by the looks of it.

Spot on…. and this one was proudly made using scrap components.

[Capt Fathom]

Originally Posted by Squawk7700

I guess it was only a matter of time.

Why do you say that Squawk?

[aroa]

A ‘fixed wing flying vessel’ Mmm.. vessel ..haven’t heard that term before. Doesn’t look too bad for a homebuild WIGE.
A microscopic take on the Caspian Sea Monster , ecranoplane.
I guess rocketing around just above the surface would be easy to dip in a wingtip.
Occupants ok that’s the main thing. Enough flying vessel fatalities of late.

[Stationair8]

Quantas plain in death dive?

[Squawk7700]

Originally Posted by Capt Fathom

Why do you say that Squawk?

What could possibly go wrong with something like that, just above the water, a salvaged Jabiru motor and no regulatory oversight?

[Capt Fathom]

It’s registered as a boat so there’s your regulatory oversight.
Some interesting videos on youtube re the build and how it works (worked).

[Squawk7700]

Originally Posted by Capt Fathom

It’s registered as a boat so there’s your regulatory oversight.

Surely you jest :-)

[MechEngr]

Did it crash while flying? Boats hitting reefs is nothing new.

[makgeo]

Saw a video of the incident. Was a loss of AoA and the front plowed into the water. The beauty of these craft is that it wasn't a stall from 100's of feet up and vertical speed wasn't the issue. Plane looked to have come out of it quite well.

Can't post links due to forum rules.

[aroa]

Flying machines registered as a boat. True. Another example of control freaking bureaucratic overreach in Oz.
Since at idle it sits on water ..ergo ..it’s a water borne ‘vessel’ So has to be so registered.
Ditto floatplanes and seaplanes.
In Canada and the US they laugh their heads off at this stupidity.
An aircraft on floats registered as an aircraft is exactly that.. it is not a tinny or speedboat. It’s an Aircraft.
Eff off I say to the idiot agency.

[Lead Balloon]

The Australian CA Act defines an aircraft to mean any machine or craft that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air, other than the reactions of the air against the earth’s surface. A wing-in-ground-effect 'thing' - when it's 'moving quickly without touching anything' - is deriving its support from reactions of the air against the earth's surface - either wet or dry.

[MechEngr]

Looks pretty tame to call it a crash, but OK

You Tube

[Squawk7700]

That video does it no favours, it looks like it was bound to end in disaster due to the speed and proximity to other vessels, waves and the sand.

[Cloudee]

Originally Posted by aroa

Flying machines registered as a boat. True. Another example of control freaking bureaucratic overreach in Oz.
Since at idle it sits on water ..ergo ..it’s a water borne ‘vessel’ So has to be so registered.
Ditto floatplanes and seaplanes.
In Canada and the US they laugh their heads off at this stupidity.
An aircraft on floats registered as an aircraft is exactly that.. it is not a tinny or speedboat. It’s an Aircraft.
Eff off I say to the idiot agency.

I’ve only ever seen VH rego on float planes. In what state do you also need boat rego?

[thunderbird five]

Originally Posted by Squawk7700

Surely you jest :-)

I do jest, and DON'T call me Surely!

[Capt Fathom]

Originally Posted by Cloudee

I’ve only ever seen VH rego on float planes. In what state do you also need boat rego?

The ones I flew had a boat rego on the floats and I had to have a boat license. Don’t know what the rules are now but I don’t see boat regos on them anymore.

[Aussie Bob]

The ones I flew had a boat rego on the floats and I had to have a boat license. Don’t know what the rules are now but I don’t see boat regos on them anymore.

Never flown one with boat rego, never been asked for a boat licence. I did however see the "authorities" being told to "piss off; ya got no authority, on the water it's a registered power boat, in the sky it's controlled by the Commonwealth" by a private float operator. He had landed where "they" reckoned he shouldn't. "They" backed down.

I think old mate had a great idea, I am just not that into his testing location. Hope he "flies" it again. Ironically, the Caspian Sea monster featured on "Abandoned Engineering" just last night.

Eff off I say to the idiot agency.

Amen to that aroa, wish more would join us :-)