Winch Launch Fatality

Dave Doe wrote:
In article ,
says...
At 04:03 19 June 2009, Dave Doe wrote:
In article ,
says...
Who knows details about this?


http://www.mlive.com/news/annarborne...170.xml&coll=2

There is some more info here...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2515...wi-pilot-named


United States police today released the name of a New Zealand pilot
killed last Sunday when the glider in which he was a passenger crashed.

Timothy John Moxham, 29, was a pilot for an air ambulance, Midwest
Medflight.

Police said a delay in releasing details of his identity was because of
the difficulty in reaching his parents in New Zealand.

Mr Moxham died in a glider owned by the Sandhill Soaring Club and flown
by the club president when it crashed near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Preliminary investigation indicated a winch cable used to help the
aircraft take flight may have failed on takeoff, police chief William
Cook of the nearby Unadilla Township told the Daily Press and Argus
newspaper. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The glider pilot, Orrin Burns Beckham, 63, of Ann Arbor, is in a serious
condition in a local hospital.

A colleague of the New Zealander, Medflight paramedic Andrew King said
Mr Moxham took his job to heart.

"Not only did Tim love flying and love being a pilot, but he loved being
a part of the (team) and getting people to the appropriate hospitals."

Mr King said Mr Moxham's desire to go gliding was recent. He said prior
to the trip, Moxham told him: "This is true flying. It's just you and
(nature)."

The New Zealander had been flying for more than 15 years, starting at
the age of 13 when his father taught him, and had logged more than 3000
hours of flight time, including flying offshore, corporate work and
flight instruction.

He also held certification to an FAA standards on airframe construction
and engine mechanics.

"People say we've lost a pilot, but he was so much more than that,"
said
another colleague, Medflight nurse Doug Berry. "He had such compassion
for the job and the people we transported. He cared about people.

"He touched the lives of hundreds of people," Mr Berry added, choking
back tears. "He was amazing."

- NZPA


--
Duncan

NTSB prelim is at
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...15X13631&key=1

Thanks Ron.

I see...
"
Witnesses reported that the glider was launched with a winch and during
the procedure the winch cable broke. The pilot executed a 180-degree
turn apparently in an attempt to return to the airport. However, near
the completion of the turn, the nose of the glider dropped and it
impacted the terrain.
"

How many times!!! - *don't* try to return to the field! OK, I don't
know the altitude (AGL) nor what was ahead of the field, but hey, we all
know, this is generally regarded as a no-no.

And...it's never really a 180 degree turn...if you are departing on the
runway centerline and make a 180, your heading will be 180 degrees from
what is was on departure, but you won't be lined up with the runway you
just left, so you will have to make something like a 270 degree turn
followed by a 90 degree turn in the opposite direction to line up with
the runway, so basically, you've made a 360 turn (unless you were able
to execute a split-S).

Granted, we don't know what the altitude was, but per all of our
training, you generally want to "FLY THE AIRPLANE" and continue generall
straight ahead with maybe slight course corrections to avoid nasty
objects that would give you a rapid stop such as a building, cliff wall,
etc. At glider speeds, one should have a pretty good chance of walking
away from even a tree top landing.