Rear engine in a crash question

I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled
and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the
engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went
right over my head. A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled
mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it
is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it...

Al Mills

I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled
and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the
engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went
right over my head.

A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled
mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it
is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it...

Al Mills
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sounds like your seatbelt was NOT an aviation approved type.
If it was, it should have unlatched easily...
allowing you to fall and break your neck or
whatever was going to break your fall. g

Barnyard BOb --

BOb

Don't laugh. Saw a P-51 pour full power on after a landing attempt
that went bad and bird torque rolled inverted and went into sand
beside runway.

Group ran out and picked wing up to let pilot get out. Bubble canopy
was broken of course and when he released is seat belt fell on his
head and cracked a vertebrae.

Can't win sometimes for losing I guess?

Big John

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 16:51:36 -0600, - Barnyard BOb -
wrote:



I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled
and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the
engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went
right over my head.

A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled
mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it
is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it...

Al Mills
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sounds like your seatbelt was NOT an aviation approved type.
If it was, it should have unlatched easily...
allowing you to fall and break your neck or
whatever was going to break your fall. g

Barnyard BOb --

BOb

Don't laugh. Saw a P-51 pour full power on after a landing attempt
that went bad and bird torque rolled inverted and went into sand
beside runway.

Group ran out and picked wing up to let pilot get out. Bubble canopy
was broken of course and when he released is seat belt fell on his
head and cracked a vertebrae.

Can't win sometimes for losing I guess?

Big John
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm not laughing.

Just because the crash may be over...
undoing a seatbelt still may require
extreme care and caution.

I first became aware of this early in my
crop dusting career. Seems a fellow
put his Stearman on its back and in
haste to exit his inverted position...
yep, injured his neck and back a bit.

That bit of foolishness might have paralyzed him....
had he been SOBER.

I'm not even going to take a stab
at the moral of this story. g


Barnyard BOb -- seen a lot in 50 years of flight