Crash in Lubbock, TX

[RyanShort1]

The pictures I have seem to indicate that his gear was down at the time of the crash.

 

[ARFlyer]

About 15 years ago a tower under construction in Cedar Hill collapsed after a section being hoisted fell and struck guy wires. It was over 2,000' when it came down.

The tower fell in a circular pattern about 200' in diameter. I was working about 1/4 mile away at the KDFW transmitter when it happened. I was really surprised at the compact area, but the KDFW guys told me that's the normal manner of collapse.

That's what my father has always told me about tower collapses. When "his" 2000' tower collapsed, while I was in high school, it broke into three pieces and fell in a circular pattern. The cause was found to be improper guy wire replacement by the company working on the site.

The main antenna was found 15 or so feet underground.

One of my father's engineers was at the base when it started to fall. He said that he just tucked up into a ball and closed his eyes.

 

[timwinters]

That tower is now a backup to a new one built on site about 20 years ago. I think it's 2,200' tall.

About 15 years ago a tower under construction in Cedar Hill collapsed after a section being hoisted fell and struck guy wires. It was over 2,000' when it came down.

2000' is the maximum height that a tower can be in the US without obtaining special waivers...permits...whatever. Over 2000' is considered a hazard to aviation.

There are only a couple in the US over 2000'; one in CA (2049'), the other in ND (2063').

So, it's doubtful that either tower you spoke of was/is over 2000'.

List of tallest towers

In the United States, the FAA and the FCC must approve all towers exceeding 200 feet (61 m) in height. Furthermore, it is very difficult to get permission for structures over 2,000 feet (610 m) high. The FCC presumes them to be inconsistent with the public interest, while the FAA presumes them to be a hazard to air navigation, resulting in poor airspace usage. A significant burden of proof is placed on the applicant to show that such a structure is in the public's best interests. Only when both agencies have resolved all legal, safety, and management concerns is such an application approved.

 

[Archammer]

So, I'm having real difficulty with this one here. Like Ryan, I know that area very well, and those images that you posted Ryan, are extremely helpful and reinforcing.

Looking at those pics, the sectional and the plates, those 2 towers are 814agl(4016msl) and just left of the approach path for 35L. They are 6 miles south of the field. Then there is the 620' electrical tower at 4 miles, and the last set just SW of the field 2 miles that are 373'.

In the video that tower was well above his altitude. Why was he so far below 800agl over 6 miles from the field? worst case scenario, he should have been at least 1500agl (4700' msl) over UFACI. Even with a visibility issue, that low that far away just doesn't sit right without a failure of some kind. But none was reported that I know of yet.

Now the surveillance video helps a little. He's obviously in a steep bank and a hard decent profile. I can live with the steep bank issue, as he may have been trying to hard turn for avoidance and was just too late. Having said that, the steep decent profile is pushing me towards malfunction or disorientation.

I hope it's alright that I'm analyzing this a bit. I like to learn from things, even though they are tragic.

 

[hindsight2020]

So, I'm having real difficulty with this one here. Like Ryan, I know that area very well, and those images that you posted Ryan, are extremely helpful and reinforcing.

Looking at those pics, the sectional and the plates, those 2 towers are 814agl(4016msl) and just left of the approach path for 35L. They are 6 miles south of the field. Then there is the 620' electrical tower at 4 miles, and the last set just SW of the field 2 miles that are 373'.

In the video that tower was well above his altitude. Why was he so far below 800agl over 6 miles from the field? worst case scenario, he should have been at least 1500agl (4700' msl) over UFACI. Even with a visibility issue, that low that far away just doesn't sit right without a failure of some kind. But none was reported that I know of yet.

Now the surveillance video helps a little. He's obviously in a steep bank and a hard decent profile. I can live with the steep bank issue, as he may have been trying to hard turn for avoidance and was just too late. Having said that, the steep decent profile is pushing me towards malfunction or disorientation.

I hope it's alright that I'm analyzing this a bit. I like to learn from things, even though they are tragic.

Don't overthink it. This is another simpleton loss of situational awareness (position and attitude) due to spatial D in good ol' IMC. I don't know why that seems so implausible to some on here. Might be ego bruisining, but it's a very common manner of death in the recreational GA landscape.

 

[funkster9]

I also think the spacing maneuver put his workload beyond his skill/proficiency level. Got busy with other things and altimiter got neglected.

 

[3393RP]

2000' is the maximum height that a tower can be in the US without obtaining special waivers...permits...whatever. Over 2000' is considered a hazard to aviation.

There are only a couple in the US over 2000'; one in CA (2049'), the other in ND (2063').

So, it's doubtful that either tower you spoke of was/is over 2000'.

List of tallest towers

Bad memory...it was a long time ago. I should have looked to verify the height before I posted. The KDFW tower is 1,578'. The tower that collapsed was 1,462' when it came down.

 

[Henning]

That video makes it APPEAR as if he was descending rather rapidly at the time of impact with the tower. Quality isn't great and you can't tell what the angle of the camera is with respect to the direction of flight, but it sure looks like he was dropping fast.

The path was more perpendicular than parallel given how far across the screen the fuselage made it after it went through the wires, looked pretty close to perpendicular to me.

This is what happened to my Ag Instructor too. He was doing mosquito abatement in an Aztec at night after hurricane Frances and hit a set of wires on a tower that hadn't had power restored yet.

 

[Henning]

The pictures I have seem to indicate that his gear was down at the time of the crash.

Not sure how the system operates, but wing amputation can very easily release the gear.

 

[Henning]

So, I'm having real difficulty with this one here. Like Ryan, I know that area very well, and those images that you posted Ryan, are extremely helpful and reinforcing.

Looking at those pics, the sectional and the plates, those 2 towers are 814agl(4016msl) and just left of the approach path for 35L. They are 6 miles south of the field. Then there is the 620' electrical tower at 4 miles, and the last set just SW of the field 2 miles that are 373'.

In the video that tower was well above his altitude. Why was he so far below 800agl over 6 miles from the field? worst case scenario, he should have been at least 1500agl (4700' msl) over UFACI. Even with a visibility issue, that low that far away just doesn't sit right without a failure of some kind. But none was reported that I know of yet.

Now the surveillance video helps a little. He's obviously in a steep bank and a hard decent profile. I can live with the steep bank issue, as he may have been trying to hard turn for avoidance and was just too late. Having said that, the steep decent profile is pushing me towards malfunction or disorientation.

I hope it's alright that I'm analyzing this a bit. I like to learn from things, even though they are tragic.

It does not appear he is in full control of the airplane coming into frame.