So far, all we know is that it wasn’t engine failure or fuel exhaustion. Pilot is alive, so hopefully we’ll learn what happened.
Glider crash - Winter Haven, FL
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RyanShort1
Final Approach
Almost looks like a powerline flip.
Could be, but he shouldn’t have been that low in that location.
That does appear to have an engine that pops up from the middle of the fuselage. From what I read, once those are raised, they create a large amount of drag, basically you are taking your 30-40:1 glide ratio and turning it into a Piper Arrow rock, then there is a checklist to get that propeller started which I heard takes at least 15 seconds. Likely it uses fuel, some are electric.
Maybe not an engine failure but rather an inability to get the engine started.
Earlier gliders with aux engines used Solo and Hirth 2-stroke engines which at times didn't want to start. This type uses a small Wankel engine and I have no knowledge on how reliably they fire up.
Unless it popped out during the crash , it appears that the bay doors were open and the engine unstowed.
Earlier gliders with aux engines used Solo and Hirth 2-stroke engines which at times didn't want to start. This type uses a small Wankel engine and I have no knowledge on how reliably they fire up.
Unless it popped out during the crash , it appears that the bay doors were open and the engine unstowed.
ChopAndDrop
Pre-takeoff checklist
My glider has no engine, but in training I was warned that motor-gliders should not rely on an engine starting-up to “save” a low flight. As others already mentioned, it’s a big gamble to deploy the engine-pod if it doesn’t start you’ve made your situation a lot worse.
I’ll add context that when gliding at-altitude, everything gets cold-soaked. The sun from the canopy warms your upper body, but your feet can be freezing.
The best configurations are those “Folding electric sustainers” where the folding prop is already at the nose, and electric motors are much more reliable to restart from cold.
I’ll add context that when gliding at-altitude, everything gets cold-soaked. The sun from the canopy warms your upper body, but your feet can be freezing.
The best configurations are those “Folding electric sustainers” where the folding prop is already at the nose, and electric motors are much more reliable to restart from cold.
Temps here have been in the mid-90s all week. He would have needed to be in the flight levels to get any meaningful cold soak.
brcase
En-Route
From what I can tell it is an electric Sustainer or Self launch (I don’t know if it supports self launch). So power failure or fuel exhaustion potentially might have been a factor.
Brian
Brian
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CFL
ADS-B track here...slow descent, lots of turns...I'm not a glider pilot, so I don't know if this is normal or not.
Looks like a 2017 motor glider with a 4 stroke engine.
Looks like a 2017 motor glider with a 4 stroke engine.
RyanShort1
Final Approach
Not the right kind of turns for thermaling… ?
ChopAndDrop
Pre-takeoff checklist
Maybe not really “flight levels” but yeah …. Looking at the Winds Aloft today, at KGIF going from Ground to Freezing is around 15k feet. So unless they were flying with Oxygen….
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ChopAndDrop
Pre-takeoff checklist
It’s Hard for me to put any faith in FlightAware for a Glider, most don’t even have Transponders, much less ADS-b out.
Eg. it’s missing the whole first part of the flight, only catching a few minutes at the end.
We can only speculate, but…. Looking for lift and not finding any.
My experience is that once I get at-or-below 2k Ft AGL, it’s really hard to find any working thermal.
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The ASH 31 website says it's a rotary engine.
ChopAndDrop
Pre-takeoff checklist
Did I accidentally land in the Car Forums? Here comes the “Wankel rotaries _are_ technically 4-stroke” argument again…. Ha !
No, Wankels are technically 2-strokes, if you want to consider them having a "stroke" at all.
Is it a rotary or a radial or a ?
topgun260
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Topgun260
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Yes rotary, and it’s also referred as a 4 stroke.
Austro Engine AE50R - Wikipedia
Yes rotary, and it’s also referred as a 4 stroke.
Austro Engine AE50R - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
It's a matter of terminology and definitions, trying to make one term apply to two very different types of engines. The Wankel is a 4-cycle engine (intake, compression, power, exhaust) but it achieves it similarly to a 2-stroke engine in that there is power "stroke" for every shaft rotation. That's why a Wankel has roughly twice the hp vs displacement of a 4-stroke piston engine.
I can see why it's a good choice for a self-launched glider. Wankels have poor fuel efficiency, but that's a minor concern for this application. They produce excellent power for their weight and size, both important in a glider.
Actually, three combustion events per revolution of the rotor...to be pedantic.
They produce a very distinctive exhaust tone. Daryl Drummond did all the rebuilds on the 13-B/13-B msp engines that we ran in our race cars. Love/hate relationship with those engines.
Actually, three combustion events per revolution of the rotor...to be pedantic.
I loved them for racing. Couldn’t over-rev the things, and the cost of an engine rebuild was a small fraction of that for a piston engine. Plus Mazda Motorsports would sell me parts for less than dealer cost.
That is one thing I will say about Mazda, they supported motorsports very well from making parts available/affordable and supporting driver development in closed and open wheel road racing. John Doonan was one hell of a fellow when it came to supporting junior drivers. I can't say enough good about him and Mazda.