"it rolled over chocks and became airborne"

Could be like the Cirrus the guy handpropped. Trying to get into a moving airplane isn't easy and he was head first in the door. An RV only needs a few hundred feet to get airborne. There is no telling what position the guy was in the RV, he was likely just a passenger. Or the aircraft being under maintenance could have also had some type of control lock or controls disconnected.
 
steingar said:
Who does maintenance on an aircraft while it's running?
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Trying to adjust idle speed, perhaps. Didn't see a cowling with the wreckage, though the front end of that airplane is pretty bashed up.

Ron Wanttaja
 
steingar said:
Who does maintenance on an aircraft while it's running?
Click to expand...

You've got the airplane torn apart for inspection, controls unhooked for some reason. And you want to do an engine run, but the throttle is at full rental power. When it fires, you try and save the day, but instead go for a bad version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (TM).
 
Or the mag is unknowingly hot and there was no intention to run the aircraft at that particular time until he pulled a blade through. Unfortunately he had great reflexes.
 
It actually crashed after flying for a considerable amount of time. There are several videos of the plane on Feces-book that show it flying very low and what appears to me to be very, very fast.
I've seen my share of RVs at fly ins, etc, and this one looks like its running flat out.
 
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steingar said:
Who does maintenance on an aircraft while it's running?
Click to expand...

Folks that work in aircraft?

I once watched a person working on a Saab 340 with one engine running. He was crab walking under the operating engine and scaring the crap outta me.

I was in the pilot seat of a 310 once with the left engine running. The mechanic was standing outside next to the pilot window communicating with me, having me run the engine up to different RPM levels, again, scaring the crap outta me.

As far as the story here, me thinks there is more to it than has been let out so far.
 
Waiting to hear the rest of the story
 
steingar said:
Who does maintenance on an aircraft while it's running?
Click to expand...

Lots of maintenance procedures require running the engine during or after. But I've never seen one running that didn't have a competent person in the left front seat.
 
Being reported the plane flew straight for 14 miles before crashing, but flew the 14 miles at about 100 agl.
 
I had to locate an oil leak in a new to me airplane at an airport away from home. Nobody around to help. Only way was to run the engine, though not above idle... I tied it down, chocked it, started it and went around the wing to look under the cowl, it was terrifying being between the wing and spinning prop. Fortunately the problem was immediately obvious and I beat a hasty retreat and shut it down.

There are many stories of Cubs and the like getting away during hand propping and taking off empty, flying until the fuel runs out, and landing undamaged.
 
I get running engine while something is being observed inspected whatever ..... but running the engine without anyone on the left seat is just unreal.
 
WannFly said:
I get running engine while something is being observed inspected whatever ..... but running the engine without anyone on the left seat is just unreal.
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But what do you do when you don't have a second warm body?

Not really supporting not having a second person. I'd never do it. But I can see when a lone person is working on their plane at the airport and doesn't have a friend handy.
 
midwestpa24 said:
But what do you do when you don't have a second warm body?

Not really supporting not having a second person. I'd never do it. But I can see when a lone person is working on their plane at the airport and doesn't have a friend handy.
Click to expand...

Either wait for a warm body or tie down. However I wonder what RPM the engine was running that it flew for a while and also wonder if a tie down rope or 3 would have helped...
 
Set up Continental fuel injection, and you will run it a lot while standing next to the engine. trim a turbine and you'll stand next to it while its running
Prop a non-electric equipped airplane and you'll be outside propping it. Not the first time, won't be the last time.
New a guy who put his girl friend on the right seat of his 172. It was one of those that had a pull starter engagement handle on the instrument panel. He primed it, t
throttle half way. and didn't pull the started handle hard enough, to engage the starter. so He thought he would prop it. The airplane flew about a mile with her in it before it crashed.
Lucky it was a C-172. she walked away scared, but un hurt.
 
midwestpa24 said:
But what do you do when you don't have a second warm body?

Not really supporting not having a second person. I'd never do it. But I can see when a lone person is working on their plane at the airport and doesn't have a friend handy.
Click to expand...

Well ...this guy had a friend in the right seat ... until they bailed and he couldn't get in after the door closed from the prop blast. (You've probably seen this before & still wondering what he was thinking). Caution - it is hard to watch!

 
Daleandee said:
Well ...this guy had a friend in the right seat ... until they bailed and he couldn't get in after the door closed from the prop blast. (You've probably seen this before & still wondering what he was thinking). Caution - it is hard to watch!

Click to expand...


It was his girlfriend.
 
midwestpa24 said:
It was his girlfriend.
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I've heard that before. It truly was a sad/bad day and my heart goes out to this guy. Perhaps he was just wanting to impress her with an airplane ride.

Seems that he called asking for a power pack to use for a low battery or when a mechanic would be available. When both of those ideas hit a dead end he came up with another plan that didn't work as well as he had hoped.
 
There is much day-old fish about this story, but the one person we could ask, we can't.
I don't know how the "experienced pilot" didn't at least gain some altitude, unless controls were locked. 1,000 AGL will give you time to get reoriented without hitting the earth.
Edit: others are speculating that he was hit by the canopy, and incapacitated. Possible, I guess.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
There is much day-old fish about this story, but the one person we could ask, we can't.
I don't know how the "experienced pilot" didn't at least gain some altitude, unless controls were locked. 1,000 AGL will give you time to get reoriented without hitting the earth.
Edit: others are speculating that he was hit by the canopy, and incapacitated. Possible, I guess.
Click to expand...

That was a guess of mine. We have no way of knowing what orientation he was in the cockpit. He could have been pinned in some fashion by the canopy or orientation. Sadly, we may never really know an answer to that unless there is a first hand witness or camera. There won't be a lot of answers in the wreckage
 
midwestpa24 said:
That was a guess of mine. We have no way of knowing what orientation he was in the cockpit. He could have been pinned in some fashion by the canopy or orientation.
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May not even have been seats in the airplane, if it had been undergoing a condition inspection. I take out the seat in my airplane, put a little piece of plywood on the floor stringers to sit on.

Still, one would hope the throttle or mags switched would have been accessible.

Ron Wanttaja
 
wanttaja said:
Still, one would hope the throttle or mags switched would have been accessible.

Ron Wanttaja
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Once it was in the air, he may not have wanted to pull power and make it come down. This was an RV, didn't take it long to get airborne.
 
Registered owner and deceased have the same sir name but different first names. Condolences to his friends and family.
 
She said she called 911 and immediately put on her mask to see if she would be able to administer CPR to any survivors.
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I guess if they both wear masks she can give CPR and not get COVID. :eek:
 
What are you talking about? Tools?
 
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/245455

From the factual report:

"Toxicology testing performed by NMS Labs at the request of the medical examiner identified ethanol at 0.252 gm/dl in femoral blood. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol at 0.160 gm/dl in liver tissue, 0.348 gm/dl in lung, 0.238 gm/dl in muscle, and 0.196 gm/dl in brain. In addition, cetirizine was identified at 60 ng/ml in cavity blood and liver tissue."
 
Well that's a turn of events we didn't originally suspect. Still doesn't answer whether the flight was intentional or not.
 
"Family members and a friend of the pilot told investigators the pilot had been experiencing episodes of unusual behavior for about 4 years, for which the pilot had sought medical evaluation; however, no medical records and no record of treatment or condition were located during the investigation."

Man. If I start having "unusual behavior" I hope my friends or family will keep me out of an airplane until it's figured out.
 
srp_4737 said:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/245455

From the factual report:

"Toxicology testing performed by NMS Labs at the request of the medical examiner identified ethanol at 0.252 gm/dl in femoral blood. Toxicology testing performed by the FAA’s Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified ethanol at 0.160 gm/dl in liver tissue, 0.348 gm/dl in lung, 0.238 gm/dl in muscle, and 0.196 gm/dl in brain. In addition, cetirizine was identified at 60 ng/ml in cavity blood and liver tissue."
Click to expand...
Convert that to BAC?
 
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