Airventure Piper Cub Crashed

From a local older pilot, he was told the pilot had been doing low level maneuvers such as wing overs.

Not sure if that was immediately before the crash or well before the crash. It is also 2nd hand info, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
TripleZ said:
From a local older pilot, he was told the pilot had been doing low level maneuvers such as wing overs.

Not sure if that was immediately before the crash or well before the crash. It is also 2nd hand info, so take it with a grain of salt.
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I'd take it with a grain of salt - for the tower to be the first to make the call to emergency services is probably a good indication that he was in contact with the tower and reported trouble. That combined with the eyewitness accounts that the engine was backfiring sure sounds like engine failure to me. If he was screwing around low over the water, I really don't think the tower would have been the first to make the call.

Now, as you mentioned, he may have been doing some maneuvers prior to the problem, but it sure doesn't sound like that was the immediate cause of the accident.
 
I was on the bus with someone who claimed to be a friend of the pilot. He was supposedly a multi-thousand hour experienced airline pilot who had arrived earlier in the week and was taking an acquaintance up for a flight. The person on the bus made it seem as if the pilot was typically a safe pilot. I'm intentionally being vague about the details because I haven't corroborated any of the claims. That being said, the purveyor of the information does seem to check out on the other verifiable information provided, lending credence to the claims.
 
gprellwitz said:
I was on the bus with someone who claimed to be a friend of the pilot. He was supposedly a multi-thousand hour experienced airline pilot who had arrived earlier in the week and was taking an acquaintance up for a flight. The person on the bus made it seem as if the pilot was typically a safe pilot. I'm intentionally being vague about the details because I haven't corroborated any of the claims. That being said, the purveyor of the information does seem to check out on the other verifiable information provided, lending credence to the claims.
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He was a retired ATA Captain and also had flown the B-17 and B-24 for Collings Foundation.

The woman with him was former ATA as well.

Here is his obit:
http://clipperpioneers.com/obits/Staples_obit.html

Everyone that knew him over at PPW described him as a complete professional.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Everyone that knew him over at PPW described him as a complete professional.
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Man, I'm starting to think that the last thing I want to be is "a complete professional" or "the best/most safety conscious pilot anyone knew." Those guys are always being talked about in obituaries. OTOH, it's probably not a good idea to be the guy that "is living on borrowed time" or "I can't believe he lived this long" either. Nope, I'm happy just being an average pilot. You never hear anyone say in an obit that "he was just an average pilot."
 
Milwaukee Journal sentinel article in the paper today said the pilot lost control while doing an aerobatic maneuver. The 2nd airplane that went out with him for a sight seeing tour said the pilot attempted a hammer head. Posting from my phone, otherwise I'd link the article.
 
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