Another Stearman crasdhed

[+Olham]

The pilot seemed to remain almost unharmed in this crash (light injuries), due to a dud engine (if I interprete the sound right).

A pity - she was a real beauty.

 

 

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Edited September 15, 2011 by Olham

[Hauksbee]

It does sound like he lost power (though not necessarily full engine stoppage) and unless there was a stand of trees dead ahead, or a parked gasoline truck, I'd say he was insane to try to turn back to the field from that altitude.

[tranquillo]

It does sound like he lost power (though not necessarily full engine stoppage) and unless there was a stand of trees dead ahead, or a parked gasoline truck, I'd say he was insane to try to turn back to the field from that altitude.

 

Yes, he certainly didn't have height or air speed for that turn - must have been something out of shot that left him no other option.

[+Olham]

Checked Google Maps, and if he was starting in westerly direction, the village Heining wasn't far ahead.

I guess, that the craft normally does a turn like that with not much effort.

But an engine with cut-outs must be unpredictable, powerwise.

[Hauksbee]

...an engine with cut-outs must be unpredictable, powerwise.

Amen! to that. Years back, I did a long summer of glider training and the instructors at the time were tireless in drumming into us newbies: "Low and slow kills pilots."

[+RAF_Louvert]

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A PT-17 was the first plane I ever flew in, (at about age nine or so). It's ashame that one in the video had to come to such a fate, but it's good the pilot was OK. I will say however that it looks to me as if he simply climbed too quickly and began to stall, then affected a turn to starboard and dropped the nose to try to regain air speed and ran out of sky to do it in.

 

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