Another glider crash?

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 5:45:48 PM UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
"Deputies say Szymanowski was coming in too fast. He tried landing twice, and on the third try, came up short."

What?

The pilot was flying an ASWW-19, which per my understanding has a gear handle located adjacent to the spoiler handle. Several witnesses on the ground watched the landing gear go up and down as the pilot over flew the entire length of the runway, turned around, and then overshoot the runway. Not sure if dehydration was an issue here? may never know? Thoughts and prayers with the pilot and his family.

Thanks for the added info, Tim.

I use to have little sympathy for those who grabbed the wrong handle and did not notice. Until I did it myself. Thoughts and prayers for the pilot, his family, partners, and all involved.

Steve Leonard

My friend who has an ASW-19 has a big, toothed hair clip (from his girlfreind) on his landing gear handle so he can instantly feel and see the difference.

When I have transitioned from an aircraft that has wheelbrakes on the spoiler handle, to the L-23, which has a separate wheelbrake handle under the seat, I have landed and wondered why the brakes don't work.

On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 10:21:38 AM UTC-4, Steve Leonard wrote:
Thanks for the added info, Tim.

I use to have little sympathy for those who grabbed the wrong handle and did not notice. Until I did it myself. Thoughts and prayers for the pilot, his family, partners, and all involved.

Steve Leonard

Squares...circles...UP...Down...green and red arrows...

How about a big red dollar sign and a big green checkmark?
;-)

Seriously, whatever jogs your memory and is easy for you to interpret should be just fine.

On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 6:39:53 AM UTC-7, Tim Hanke wrote:
On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 5:45:48 PM UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
"Deputies say Szymanowski was coming in too fast. He tried landing twice, and on the third try, came up short."

What?

The pilot was flying an ASWW-19, which per my understanding has a gear handle located adjacent to the spoiler handle. Several witnesses on the ground watched the landing gear go up and down as the pilot over flew the entire length of the runway, turned around, and then overshoot the runway. Not sure if dehydration was an issue here? may never know? Thoughts and prayers with the pilot and his family.

- Strange that someone that has been regularly flying the 19 made that mistake. The levers are clearly distinguishable - one goes from locked to unlocked position with a clear motion pattern and spoilers require just linear motion, plus both are pretty far apart.

At 18:32 21 September 2015, wrote:
On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 6:39:53 AM UTC-7, Tim Hanke wrote:
On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 5:45:48 PM UTC-4, son_of_flubber
wrote:
"Deputies say Szymanowski was coming in too fast. He tried landing
twic=
e, and on the third try, came up short."
=20
What?
=20
The pilot was flying an ASWW-19, which per my understanding has a gear
ha=
ndle located adjacent to the spoiler handle. Several witnesses on the
groun=
d watched the landing gear go up and down as the pilot over flew the
entire=
length of the runway, turned around, and then overshoot the runway. Not
su=
re if dehydration was an issue here? may never know? Thoughts and prayers
w=
ith the pilot and his family.

- Strange that someone that has been regularly flying the 19 made that
mis=
take. The levers are clearly distinguishable - one goes from locked to
unlo=
cked position with a clear motion pattern and spoilers require just
linear
=
motion, plus both are pretty far apart.

Sadly a common occurrence never-the-less

I watched a ASW-20 pilot do the exact same thing (pulling the gear up) thinking he was deploying the spoilers. First flight in a friends ship, it looked like a prefect landing, but he just kept coming and coming. Flew right into the fence at the end of the runway! I'm not surprised, there are 3 handles, all the same shape, size and all clustered together on the left side of the cockpit. I believe they were all black also, but I think later on the spoiler handle was blue. Often thought the shape should be different, say rectangular for the spoilers, round for the gear and airfoil shaped for the flaps. As an old radar operator, I remember the primary control knobs were different........square for gain, rectangular for tilt, round for marks, etc. never looked at the knobs, just knew by feel.
JJ

The spoiler handle hangs down from a
horizontal rod and rotates freely. To use
it you normally rotate it counterclockwise
about 90°.

The gear handle sticks straight up lower
down and rotates clockwise just enough
to get out of the stop.

AS seems to have put effort in designing
decent ergonomics, but dehydration and
unfamiliarity with type can trump that.

Back in my student days, some
instructors told me to look at the spoilers
on the downwind check. If you're moving
the correct handle you will see them
move.

On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 3:45:09 PM UTC-4, George Haeh wrote:

Back in my student days, some
instructors told me to look at the spoilers
on the downwind check. If you're moving
the correct handle you will see them
move.

I emphasize that with students as well. When you get to the landing checklist pull the divebrake/spoiler handle and look at the wing to see them operating. It's possible in my ASG-29 to pull "a handle" and feel something happen, but not what you expected. I've done it myself with the flap handle on my ASG-29. I found myself modulating flaps early on instead of the divebrakes. Luckily, I was looking at the wing and was able to recognize that I wasn't moving the correct handle.

P3