Groundloop accident at the Senior Contest

Originally Posted by Ron Branham[_2_]

On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1:51:11 PM UTC-5, John Good wrote:
At around 12:54 today, Thomas Johnson (V12 - MiniNumbus) was injured in a takeoff groundloop accident. He was airlifted to an Orlando hospital, where he'll be met by his wife.


This is what happened to Tom Johnson. V12. One of our club members is Tom’s partner in the Mini-Nimbus. He posted this on our email site as we are all anxious to hear about Tom’s status.

“V12 has a CG hook which is less directionally stable during the initial takeoff. Apparently the left wing dropped to the ground maybe due to propwash from the towplane. The left wingtip on the ground turned the glider about 30 degrees to the East where it departed the runway, crossed the service road and collided with a truck that one of the other contestants had parked next to the runway in violation of contest procedures. The glider submarined the body of the truck.�
Please keep Tom in your prayers a quick recovery, and full recovery.

Ron Branham

Best wishes to Tom for a complete recovery. It should be the responsibility of EVERYONE at an event such as this to look for infractions that could inhibit the safety of the launch. Whether it be something over which one could trip to something that might result in a fatality the contest director, launch crew, flag man/woman/person, tow pilot, VP, manager and airport dog should all be aware of and enforcing the rules. I would imagine that submarining the truck was what resulted in the pilot's injuries. An avoidable situation for sure.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 6:43:10 PM UTC-7, Walt Connelly wrote:
'Ron Branham[_2_ Wrote:
;1040218']On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1:51:11 PM UTC-5, John Good
wrote:-
At around 12:54 today, Thomas Johnson (V12 - MiniNumbus) was injured in
a takeoff groundloop accident. He was airlifted to an Orlando hospital,
where he'll be met by his wife.
-

This is what happened to Tom Johnson. V12. One of our club members is
Tom’s partner in the Mini-Nimbus. He posted this on our email site as
we are all anxious to hear about Tom’s status.

“V12 has a CG hook which is less directionally stable during the
initial takeoff. Apparently the left wing dropped to the ground maybe
due to propwash from the towplane. The left wingtip on the ground
turned the glider about 30 degrees to the East where it departed the
runway, crossed the service road and collided with a truck that one of
the other contestants had parked next to the runway in violation of
contest procedures. The glider submarined the body of the truck.�
Please keep Tom in your prayers a quick recovery, and full recovery.

Ron Branham
Best wishes to Tom for a complete recovery. It should be the
responsibility of EVERYONE at an event such as this to look for
infractions that could inhibit the safety of the launch. Whether it be
something over which one could trip to something that might result in a
fatality the contest director, launch crew, flag man/woman/person, tow
pilot, VP, manager and airport dog should all be aware of and enforcing
the rules. I would imagine that submarining the truck was what resulted
in the pilot's injuries. An avoidable situation for sure.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot




--
Walt Connelly

I worked for many years at a National Laboratory, first in the 70's then in 2000's. The safety culture was a total turn around in that time period. One simple concept was that ANYONE could stop an experiment, process, procedure, etc. for a safety issue. The issue would be investigated and corrected before work could resume w/o repercussions to the person reporting the problem.

Tom

Originally Posted by 2G

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 6:43:10 PM UTC-7, Walt Connelly wrote:
'Ron Branham[_2_ Wrote:
;1040218']On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1:51:11 PM UTC-5, John Good
wrote:-
At around 12:54 today, Thomas Johnson (V12 - MiniNumbus) was injured in
a takeoff groundloop accident. He was airlifted to an Orlando hospital,
where he'll be met by his wife.
-

This is what happened to Tom Johnson. V12. One of our club members is
Tom’s partner in the Mini-Nimbus. He posted this on our email site as
we are all anxious to hear about Tom’s status.

“V12 has a CG hook which is less directionally stable during the
initial takeoff. Apparently the left wing dropped to the ground maybe
due to propwash from the towplane. The left wingtip on the ground
turned the glider about 30 degrees to the East where it departed the
runway, crossed the service road and collided with a truck that one of
the other contestants had parked next to the runway in violation of
contest procedures. The glider submarined the body of the truck.�
Please keep Tom in your prayers a quick recovery, and full recovery.

Ron Branham
Best wishes to Tom for a complete recovery. It should be the
responsibility of EVERYONE at an event such as this to look for
infractions that could inhibit the safety of the launch. Whether it be
something over which one could trip to something that might result in a
fatality the contest director, launch crew, flag man/woman/person, tow
pilot, VP, manager and airport dog should all be aware of and enforcing
the rules. I would imagine that submarining the truck was what resulted
in the pilot's injuries. An avoidable situation for sure.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot




--
Walt Connelly

I worked for many years at a National Laboratory, first in the 70's then in 2000's. The safety culture was a total turn around in that time period. One simple concept was that ANYONE could stop an experiment, process, procedure, etc. for a safety issue. The issue would be investigated and corrected before work could resume w/o repercussions to the person reporting the problem.

Tom

I experienced the same thing essentially, worked in health physics with a nuclear reactor refueling crew. Some shutdowns were text book perfect because management was on the ball and concerned not only with a quick and efficient refueling but a safe one too. I saw places that were heavily fined by OSHA and other Federal agencies who quickly straightened out, others that never did no matter what. It’s all a matter of management culture. Where management was heavy with engineers and physicists things went smoothly, where it was dominated by MBAs and CPAs, not so well. In environments where I had been given some teeth and authority things went well, others not so much. Delegation of authority is necessary to improve safety in virtually all environments.

In reality it is amazing that an event such as the Seniors goes off year after year with as few problems as it does.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot

Updates to Tom’s condition are being made to club members at Coastal Soaring via email and to the Seniors competitors via Signal app. We are abiding by the families wishes to not send out many posts on the internet.

We do know Tom is awake and talking with friends. His surgery to repair his broken leg was completed successfully yesterday. He has had three surgeries and he is scheduled for another on Friday to repair his foot/ankle. Edie is surrounded by friends and family and is doing well.

An FAA inspector spent last Wednesday morning reviewing the incident location, the condition of the ship, truck location, launch procedures, and a video of the incident from security cameras on the gliderport. We switch camera views based on the runway in use to review flight operations. The FAA inspector was in contact with his counterpart at the NTSB and we hope an interim report will give us more answers.
The video contradicts one of the witness statements and some incorrect information has been disseminating on line. Although the video is from a distance, it clearly shows that the quote taken from an email from Rus Howard, that Ron Branham posted on Rec Aviation Soaring on March 17th is accurate except the impact point appears to have been on the truck’s running board and lower passenger side door. The nose of the ship did not go under the truck. The wing runner on V12 was a CFI-G and cell phone video from the launch of the previous aircraft, by the same individual, did not show any procedural anomalies. Weather conditions at the time of the accident winds were out of the south at 12-15 mph. Takeoffs were being made on runway 18..

As in all aviation incidents, when one of our friends is injured, we all feel the pain. The FAA will release their investigation when it is complete and appropriate recommendations will be complied with. Meanwhile, pilots should perhaps consider whether it’s wise or helpful to offer comments and speculation on an incident they did not see and don’t have full knowledge of.
We have Tom and his family in our prayers and we are standing by to provide any assistance. All the competitors, staff, and management at Seminole-Lake Gliderport wish Tom a speedy recovery.

Sincerely,

Rich Owen
Contest Manager
Senior Soaring Championship

Thanks Rich;

For now, it is sufficient to know Tom is progressing well.
The details can wait.
I think very highly of Tom--he is one of the faculty of the SSF FIRC that I attend.

Please ask someone to pass along my wishes for a full and speedy recovery .

Hartley Falbaum


On Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 9:26:38 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Updates to Tom’s condition are being made to club members at Coastal Soaring via email and to the Seniors competitors via Signal app. We are abiding by the families wishes to not send out many posts on the internet.

We do know Tom is awake and talking with friends. His surgery to repair his broken leg was completed successfully yesterday. He has had three surgeries and he is scheduled for another on Friday to repair his foot/ankle. Edie is surrounded by friends and family and is doing well.

An FAA inspector spent last Wednesday morning reviewing the incident location, the condition of the ship, truck location, launch procedures, and a video of the incident from security cameras on the gliderport. We switch camera views based on the runway in use to review flight operations. The FAA inspector was in contact with his counterpart at the NTSB and we hope an interim report will give us more answers.
The video contradicts one of the witness statements and some incorrect information has been disseminating on line. Although the video is from a distance, it clearly shows that the quote taken from an email from Rus Howard, that Ron Branham posted on Rec Aviation Soaring on March 17th is accurate except the impact point appears to have been on the truck’s running board and lower passenger side door. The nose of the ship did not go under the truck. The wing runner on V12 was a CFI-G and cell phone video from the launch of the previous aircraft, by the same individual, did not show any procedural anomalies. Weather conditions at the time of the accident winds were out of the south at 12-15 mph. Takeoffs were being made on runway 18.

As in all aviation incidents, when one of our friends is injured, we all feel the pain. The FAA will release their investigation when it is complete and appropriate recommendations will be complied with. Meanwhile, pilots should perhaps consider whether it’s wise or helpful to offer comments and speculation on an incident they did not see and don’t have full knowledge of.
We have Tom and his family in our prayers and we are standing by to provide any assistance. All the competitors, staff, and management at Seminole-Lake Gliderport wish Tom a speedy recovery.

Sincerely,

Rich Owen
Contest Manager
Senior Soaring Championship

Harley,

Will do.

Rich

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 7:32:51 PM UTC-7, Richard Owen wrote:
Harley,

Will do.

Rich

Whether or not the glider "submarined" under the truck is irrelevant - what is relevant is the truck shouldn't have been there per contest rules. Additionally, and more importantly, the contest manager failed at enforcing these rules.

Tom