wrote in message
oups.com...

Peter Dohm wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

That sounds pretty much like what happened to Steve Wittman.
He put off fixing the problem until after he got to Oshkosh.

--

FF

Ok, I'm curious, since I haddn't heard this before, and it doesn't seem
to be part of the report (ATL95FA092) in the accident database.

...

At least hypothetically, delamination could have been detected in the
same manner on the O&O Special as on a composite aircraft--by
taping with a coin, or even a fingernail. However, Mr. Wittman was
not tall enough to do so on a plane larger than a Tailwind, and this
would appear far beyond the scope of a pre-flight inspection unless
one had some cause for suspicion; whether visual, hearsay, or some
anomoly on a previous flight.

Sooooo, tell us more...


I read, but do not recall where, perhaps you should DAGS in this
newsgroup, that someone who helped Mr Wittman prepare the
O & O for that last flight noticed a problem and tested the
fabric by pulling on it with a suction cup. Even though some
pulled loose, Mr Wittman did not think it was that serious
and the helper deferred to Mr Wittman in the matter.

That is not reflected in the NTSB report, but it may be that one
person helped him prepare the plane and a different person helped
with the pre-flight inspection per se.

--

FF

Thanks, FF, that explains it. I don't personally know anyone who
wouldn't have deferred to Mr. Wittman on the matter He was the
designer, builder, and pilot of the plane and also highly regarded as
a guru in that type of construction.

It's interesting in that it provides a "quick and dirty" method of
non-destructive testing, and also a reminder to *really* understand
a manufacturer's recomendations for using or installing a product.

It was certainly unfortunate, but not nearly so bad as the prospect
of pining away in nursing home a few years later.

Peter

p.s.: Since I'm confident that I have a few years left; I'm gratefull
for one more tool (the suction cup) to check for latent defects.