Bendigo Hard Landing 17-Dec-2017
 

Just saw some footage from Channel 7 about a hard landing at Bendigo today?
Looked like a bright yellow Foxbat? and seemed very badly damaged.

Male instructor & Female student were both injured and take to hospital by ambulance. Hopefully, they will recover from their injuries.

I heard on the radio that fuel leaked onto the runway and had to be cleaned up.

Bendigo Airport re-opens following light plane crash | Bendigo Advertiser

Notes that the crew were male and from Melbourne.

I'm not a religious person, but Jesus that's bad. Short of a control surface falling off or willy willy prior, there's no excuse for that result with an instructor on board, especially on a runway! But... it was a bit blowy today so would have to give the benefit of the doubt.

I'm trying to work out how it happened on take off

When i saw it on the news, at least to me it looked like the damaged you would expect bounced landing and then pushing the nose into the ground.

Who's Vixen was it?

Not sure if it belongs to a certain flying school out of YMMB but if so, there's plenty more where that came from..! They're multiplying like (yellow) rabbits down there..!

From https://www.raa.asn.au/safety/accide...ect-summaries/

Sounds like the instructor could do with a lesson on 'forceful' take-over technique. Do instructors still learn tips like that these days? Sometimes it's required to maintain the safety of the aircraft...

Thinking of getting a Foxbat or a Vixxen. This prang notwithstanding, any owner/operators care to give us any impressions of the types?

With the only exception being Jabiru, they would be the most successful LSA in the country. The owners love them and the flying schools love them. I was told that Soar own 36 of them or will do soon. The chap that sells them is an honest and likeable no-bull guy and it shows in the numbers he has sold.

I've flown one and thought it went well. It was a tad slow for my liking, however the new Vixen has solved that problem.

Like the kung fu to the nose?
#2 pencil in the ear?
Finger in the eyeball?

That’s BS.
And you don’t learn “forceful” techniques during a FI course.
Sometimes...just sometimes as a FI you run out of luck.
Maybe the student wasn’t ready for what was about to happen and maybe the student was.
I’ve been lucky in my years as FI but I can count my blessings where it was luck and not skill that saved the day.

Cheers Sticky, I’ve always liked the look of them, especially the huge transparencies.

Captain Dart,

I have only flown an early one and I thought it was pretty awful. Flaps in bad spots, fuel system was a mess, throttle on the door sill that at best caught in your shorts while dismounting and at worst could castrate you.

I believe later iterations have been better.

Roger that. Maybe the Vixxen will have better ergonomics and will leave one’s manhood intact.

13 prangs / incidents in 17 days ! :eek:

The throttle position depends on how the controls are set up. If you have a central yoke, the throttles are in the castration position on both sides of the cockpit. Dual yokes gets you a single throttle on the central console. I prefer this setup, mainly 'cos I like my man-bits.
The flaps are a bit "meh", but are easier to operate with the dual yokes....however the aircraft will pitch *down* when you extend the flaps, and pitch *up* when you retract them, which takes a little bit of getting used to.
Not a bad aircraft overall..

No, none of the above. A quick chop on the wrist will usually do the trick (rarely is this required though). Gaining control of the throttle from underneath the hand of the student etc. Techniques might vary depending on aircraft type.

Having a plan of what to do with a 'student frozen on the controls' is something every instructor will need at some point. Relying on luck or waiting until it happens before thinking of something is usually not as effective...

Yes, the organisation who publish the incident reports directs their pilots to review the reports on a regular basis to learn from others experiences. I would expect such an organisation would review the data for any trends and respond with appropriate action rather than expect individuals do this themselves? You know, just like an effective aviation organisation SMS would do! Things like changing processes, syllabus of training, Flight review topics, training material etc..

You don't think the GA world has lots of incidents too eh?

Those incidents include such events as accidentally transmitting on the wrong frequency, hardly comparable to an ATSB investigated incident!

Maybe one of these would help? https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Cattle-Pro...EAAOSwI-BWGCsb

I once saw an instructor with bruises on his hand from fighting a student on the controls no joke. The student froze up and they ended up hitting a wingtip on the ground in their low wing.

True indeed. Quick war story (not real war, of course) During my QFI course at Central Flying School at RAAF East Sale in the 1950's we were on Wirraways. I held the rank of Flight Sergeant while all the CFS instructors were officers. At 8000 ft over West Sale as a student instructor I had pattered Wirraway spinning to my CFS instructor Flight Lieutenant Denis Smallbones (RAF exchange instructor who flew Spitfires in WW2).

He took control and became the student pilot while I practiced to be the instructor. I told him to conduct an 8 turn spin to the left which he did. In the Wirraway the student was in the front seat and the instructor in the rear seat. At the 8th turn I directed him to recover. But the bugger kept on spinning. I raised my voice and said in a firm voice "Recover now, SIR"

Smallbones: "I can't Sir - I am frightened"
Self: "That's OK old chap - I have control now - just let go of the controls.
Smallbones: "Can't Sir, we will all die"

I was unable to free the controls from his grip. By now we were down to 3000 ft from 8000 ft and spinning hard with the idiot in the front frozen with full pro-spin controls jammed hard over.

Self (getting alarmed by now, that he wasn't kidding) "Relax old chap I HAVE CONTROL"

Smallbones" I'm scared Sir" (he wasn't the only one by now)
Self: "Let go of the bloody controls, you fu@*%# ing idiot, SIR".

Immediately the controls became free and I was able to complete the recovery pulling out by 2000ft.

"That's the way, Centaurus" said a chuckling Smallbones. "If you get caught with a student frozen on the controls, don't be afraid to swear long and loudly at him which should shock him into letting go.

Lesson learned; although fortunately that situation never occurred to me in my life as a flying instructor. That last resort technique is not taught at civilian flying schools; but should be, IMHO.