DA42 TwinStar crashes at Lands End, (Merged)
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: In the boot of my car!
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The more you read this report the more unbelievable the chain of events.
Talking about "chain" I feel sorry for the insurance company who I presume will caugh up for this? he might as well have taken a "chain saw" to the aircraft so obvious was the result of this attempted takeoff.
Sorry I have no sympathy for this excuse of a pilot as he could have killed all on board who relied on his expertice
His last comment about never taking off on wet grass again maybe should have read ! never takeoff again full stop
Pace
Talking about "chain" I feel sorry for the insurance company who I presume will caugh up for this? he might as well have taken a "chain saw" to the aircraft so obvious was the result of this attempted takeoff.
Sorry I have no sympathy for this excuse of a pilot as he could have killed all on board who relied on his expertice
His last comment about never taking off on wet grass again maybe should have read ! never takeoff again full stop
Pace
Join Date: Dec 2001
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There doesn't seem to be any explanation as to why he went off road, going across three of the runways, rather than use the one where there was a reasonably healthy headwind. 
Join Date: Oct 2000
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I shouldn't comment really being a mod and that but wtf was this guy thinking! Everything was against him that day, I would love to know what was behind this flight. Why was it so important for him to get off the ground?
Moderator
Well, that was interesting, and filled in detail, but really did not tell us anything we did not suspect already!
Yeah, I'm very pleased that the passengers did not receive injuries. I hope the pilot retains a stinging recallection of this foolishness for a very long time - let's call it an injury.
I watch these aircraft being built, and see the huge effort and care which goes into creating each as a great plane. Okay, not a really great STOL soft field plane, but it can't do everything well! When I think of all of the hours of people's time that goes into one of these, or any aircraft, the fact that a "muppet" can wreck it in moments is an injustice. Yes, only the aircraft got bent, but we're all paying for this in our insurance premiums. Perhaps when insurance companies refuse to pay out for sheer stupidity, our premiums will reflect the actual risk of responsible aviation! I learned a long time ago that the fact that a pilot can afford to fly a flashy plane, does not necessarily mean that there is a skill level appropriate to the aircraft.
Pilot DAR
Yeah, I'm very pleased that the passengers did not receive injuries. I hope the pilot retains a stinging recallection of this foolishness for a very long time - let's call it an injury.
I watch these aircraft being built, and see the huge effort and care which goes into creating each as a great plane. Okay, not a really great STOL soft field plane, but it can't do everything well! When I think of all of the hours of people's time that goes into one of these, or any aircraft, the fact that a "muppet" can wreck it in moments is an injustice. Yes, only the aircraft got bent, but we're all paying for this in our insurance premiums. Perhaps when insurance companies refuse to pay out for sheer stupidity, our premiums will reflect the actual risk of responsible aviation! I learned a long time ago that the fact that a pilot can afford to fly a flashy plane, does not necessarily mean that there is a skill level appropriate to the aircraft.
Pilot DAR
Join Date: May 2001
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There are too many vigilantes on this forum. He won't be making the same mistakes again for sure. The incident will have cost him a lot in terms of embarrassent, public flogging on pprune, possible legal ramifications and undoubted financial ones. Pulling his licence will serve no useful purpose. Passengers on private flights weigh up their pilot to the best of their layman's ability and take their chances. That's life.
Ok, the sanctimonious among you, shoot me down.
Ok, the sanctimonious among you, shoot me down.
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By any measure a 1300 hour PPL is an experienced pilot. However it would appear that in this case, experience was completely negated by a spectacular failure of judgement. I for one am chilled by the circumstances surrounding this accident and the pilots decision to attempt a take off in such conditions.
I sympathise with the passengers and hope they are not unduly traumatised by this event. At the very least the pilot should be compelled to undertake some re training in addition to an assessment of his decision making abilities. It frightens me to think we share the sky with such people.
I sympathise with the passengers and hope they are not unduly traumatised by this event. At the very least the pilot should be compelled to undertake some re training in addition to an assessment of his decision making abilities. It frightens me to think we share the sky with such people.
Originally Posted by Donalk
It frightens me to think we share the sky with such people.
I wonder if Diamond will be sued, just like Cirrus.
Muppet 25%, Diamond 75% negligent - because there's no placard in the aircraft stating "Don't be a daft tw@t".
FBW
Muppet 25%, Diamond 75% negligent - because there's no placard in the aircraft stating "Don't be a daft tw@t".
FBW
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Not sure why I should have a particular view on this incident. I have very little time in a DA42.
The whole business of operating from grass is slightly dodgy. The actual takeoff performance can be dramatically different from anything that might have been documented in the POH.
Try and do a "soft-field" departure and the figures are something else again, due to the massive elevator drag in the early part of the takeoff roll.
I once took off, at MTOW, from perfect smooth grass, and was airborne at a verified 340m; not bad.
On another occassion I took off from a "1200m" strip where I only just got out and it took about 1000m. The surface was rough as hell, the grass was about 6" tall. I was light, too - some 20% below MTOW. Yet the same plane gets off tarmac in c. 300m at MTOW.
I don't think most pilots realise what a trap grass can be, especially if the surface is wet or better still boggy. PPL training is very poor when it comes to the bits of aircraft performance which one actually needs to know.
On the Thielert engine, I suspect a lot of pilots ignore the engine warnings. I know a few owners and these engines don't seem to make a week without some flashing light somewhere. It's very different from my IO540 which I would never fly with if I saw an abnormal oil temp/pressure/CHT etc. It could be a duff probe but I would change the probe (I carry spare probes). I suspect the Diamonds are hell for pilots who actually want to go somewhere because "stuff happens" on them so often.
The whole business of operating from grass is slightly dodgy. The actual takeoff performance can be dramatically different from anything that might have been documented in the POH.
Try and do a "soft-field" departure and the figures are something else again, due to the massive elevator drag in the early part of the takeoff roll.
I once took off, at MTOW, from perfect smooth grass, and was airborne at a verified 340m; not bad.
On another occassion I took off from a "1200m" strip where I only just got out and it took about 1000m. The surface was rough as hell, the grass was about 6" tall. I was light, too - some 20% below MTOW. Yet the same plane gets off tarmac in c. 300m at MTOW.
I don't think most pilots realise what a trap grass can be, especially if the surface is wet or better still boggy. PPL training is very poor when it comes to the bits of aircraft performance which one actually needs to know.
On the Thielert engine, I suspect a lot of pilots ignore the engine warnings. I know a few owners and these engines don't seem to make a week without some flashing light somewhere. It's very different from my IO540 which I would never fly with if I saw an abnormal oil temp/pressure/CHT etc. It could be a duff probe but I would change the probe (I carry spare probes). I suspect the Diamonds are hell for pilots who actually want to go somewhere because "stuff happens" on them so often.
I think this chap should go for the Darwinian Awards for 2009.
I am simply incredulous that anyone should be allowed out with such an expensive piece of plastic without his mother's permission.
I am simply incredulous that anyone should be allowed out with such an expensive piece of plastic without his mother's permission.
The pilot reported that he thought his location was closer to the airport buildings and on the left side of Runway 25. He then attempted to take off. His plan was to track alongside Runway 25, displaced to the left, which he felt was firmer ground than on the runway itself.
...
The wheel marks on the airfield indicated that the aircraft had followed a straight track in a direction of approximately 200° from its start location on the right side of Runway 25.
I find the lack of comment on this discrepancy somewhat odd. Did the pilot confuse 20 and 25?
...
The wheel marks on the airfield indicated that the aircraft had followed a straight track in a direction of approximately 200° from its start location on the right side of Runway 25.
I find the lack of comment on this discrepancy somewhat odd. Did the pilot confuse 20 and 25?
I don't think so: he simply confused reality with fantasy. Why did he need to get back home so badly?
Gethomeitis is a very, very dangerous disease.
I seriously think that the gentleman concerned should consider giving up aviation completely otherwise he will soon be dead. I don't think re-training will work in his case.
I believe that mushroom-growing can be quite rewarding.
Gethomeitis is a very, very dangerous disease.
I seriously think that the gentleman concerned should consider giving up aviation completely otherwise he will soon be dead. I don't think re-training will work in his case.
I believe that mushroom-growing can be quite rewarding.
