Dayton airshow crash, pilot and wing walker killed.
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Dayton airshow crash, pilot and wing walker killed.
Everything is under control.
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This video shows smoke from the plane just before the crash
Extended: Wing walker Jane Wicker dies after Dayton plane crash - YouTube
Extended: Wing walker Jane Wicker dies after Dayton plane crash - YouTube
Last edited by Eboy; 23rd Jun 2013 at 00:34. Reason: url troubles
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Smoke is probably a transient rich mixture while rolling to negative G. I believe that is normal for the R-985 w/ a "G" valve in the carburetor.
To me he looks like pretty low airspeed entering the roll, he recognized IAS falling off, but started his rollout too late.
To me he looks like pretty low airspeed entering the roll, he recognized IAS falling off, but started his rollout too late.
Here's an interview with her -
Jane Wicker: A life in flight
Jane Wicker: A life in flight
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The outcome is occasionally much less good when someone flying a plane says "watch this". Audiences still pay money to watch someone defy death, and the defying does not always work. As long as audiences will pay, someone will fly. A problem is that now some of those paying people have to explain some unpleasant things to the kids they took to watch.
Airshow pilots will fly lower and slower, and when they cannot maintain control of the aircraft, they have nowhere to go to allow recovery. I cannot comment on whether or not our society needs people out walking in wings, or whether that aircraft was designed to do fly in that configuration. But, our society does not need planes being flown so low and slow, or maneuvered unusually there, that there is no room for recovery following a loss of control. That makes every other pilot seem careless to non aviation people, and again we pilots have a poor stigma to try to distance ourselves from.....
Airshow pilots will fly lower and slower, and when they cannot maintain control of the aircraft, they have nowhere to go to allow recovery. I cannot comment on whether or not our society needs people out walking in wings, or whether that aircraft was designed to do fly in that configuration. But, our society does not need planes being flown so low and slow, or maneuvered unusually there, that there is no room for recovery following a loss of control. That makes every other pilot seem careless to non aviation people, and again we pilots have a poor stigma to try to distance ourselves from.....
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When you look at the movie mentioned in the 3rd post:
You'll notice that right at the point when the plane dives to the ground the left elevator moves direction while the right one remains horizontal. (second 9 to 10 in the movie).
You'll notice that right at the point when the plane dives to the ground the left elevator moves direction while the right one remains horizontal. (second 9 to 10 in the movie).
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Could not see that properly, not sure of the setup on this aircraft, but certainly on a Tiger Moth the differential ailerons are such that the up going aileron moves a lot while the down going one hardly moves at all - could it be that?
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Doesn't a person sitting on the wing (even if it's just one of two in a biplane) massively disturb the airflow on that side? To my amateur eyes it looks like a sudden wing drop on the side with the wing-walker (on the wingtip, too), obviously with no chance of recovery at that height, not any technical problem.
And of course, first and foremost, it looks harrowing :-( At least it was apparently all over very quickly.
And of course, first and foremost, it looks harrowing :-( At least it was apparently all over very quickly.
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To my amateur eyes it looks like a sudden wing drop on the side with the wing-walker (on the wingtip, too), obviously with no chance of recovery at that height, not any technical problem.
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The wing walker caused the spin entry? One presumes that it wouldn't have been the first time the manoeuvre had been performed so why this time?
Looking at other videos from further down the flight line, the roll ended with the aircraft off the display line and heading towards the crowd line. It then (to me) appears to begin to head back to the display line and flicks out.
Very sad result.
Looking at other videos from further down the flight line, the roll ended with the aircraft off the display line and heading towards the crowd line. It then (to me) appears to begin to head back to the display line and flicks out.
Very sad result.
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The wing walker caused the spin entry? One presumes that it wouldn't have been the first time the manoeuvre had been performed so why this time?
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I guess it could have been due the angle of the filming:
Half a second to a second later:
Didn't notice at first but in the same timespan the direction of the aileron of the leftside wing has changed also.
Half a second to a second later:
Didn't notice at first but in the same timespan the direction of the aileron of the leftside wing has changed also.
Last edited by Bralo20; 23rd Jun 2013 at 19:57.
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DAR has it. The second video in this thread (discounting the withdrawn one) clearly shows a sudden stall of the wings with the person on, and resultant roll into the ground.
A combination of high angle of attack and disturbed airflow caused by the person. As has been said, the pilot would have been aware he was running out of energy, but had absolutely nowhere to go.
A combination of high angle of attack and disturbed airflow caused by the person. As has been said, the pilot would have been aware he was running out of energy, but had absolutely nowhere to go.