Crunch Alert (USA) - hugely serious but (apparently) non-fatal

Having once 'felt the need' myself, this one undoubtedly has a compelling
story; it will definitely make its way into the NTSB database.

Thank goodness the pilot is (reportedly) OK. SSA member; diamond badge; 2-time
3rd place finisher in Region 9 Regional.

If it happens it must be possible. Let's - as pilots - do what we can to
minimize our chances of 'it' happening...

Begin cut-n-paste...
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 555AP Make/Model: JS1 Description: JONKER SAILPLANE
Date: 04/29/2012 Time: 1900

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: TAOS State: NM Country: US

DESCRIPTION
PILOT ENCOUNTERED RUDDER PEDAL PROBLEM, LOST CONTROL, AND ABANDONED THE
AIRCRAFT BY PARACHUTE.

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: K0E0 291855Z AUTO 23006KT 10SM SCT075 21/01 A3004

OTHER DATA


FAA FSDO: ALBUQUERQUE, NM (SW01) Entry date: 04/30/2012

End cut-n-paste...

From Albuquerque Soaring web site...

"Per Billy Hill this evening: today Angel Pala was thermalling with Billy in the area north of Moriarty and south of Lamy when he heard a loud bang, and lost rudder authority (both pedals fell full forward). Evidently the glider behaved like full right rudder. Shortly thereafter the glider entered an inverted spin, and Angel wisely decided he should walk home, and so hit the silk. He landed under parachute, and hiked out, and was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe. He seems to be fine and Billy expects to pick him up when he is released from hospital.

Mike

On Apr 30, 1:21*pm, Mike the Strike wrote:
From Albuquerque Soaring web site...

"Per Billy Hill this evening: today Angel Pala was thermalling with Billy in the area north of Moriarty and south of Lamy when he heard a loud bang, and lost rudder authority (both pedals fell full forward). Evidently the glider behaved like full right rudder. Shortly thereafter the glider entered an inverted spin, and Angel wisely decided he should walk home, and so hit the silk. He landed under parachute, and hiked out, and was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe. He seems to be fine and Billy expects to pick him up when he is released from hospital.

Mike

Happy that all is well with the pilot..

But do we know what happened? a mid air? a rudder cable failure?

T

On Apr 30, 7:28*pm, T wrote:
On Apr 30, 1:21*pm, Mike the Strike wrote:

From Albuquerque Soaring web site...

"Per Billy Hill this evening: today Angel Pala was thermalling with Billy in the area north of Moriarty and south of Lamy when he heard a loud bang, and lost rudder authority (both pedals fell full forward). Evidently the glider behaved like full right rudder. Shortly thereafter the glider entered an inverted spin, and Angel wisely decided he should walk home, and so hit the silk. He landed under parachute, and hiked out, and was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe. He seems to be fine and Billy expects to pick him up when he is released from hospital.

Mike

Happy that all is well with the pilot..

But do we know what happened? a mid air? a rudder cable failure?

T

It was not a mid-air. We are awaiting more information on the
investigation. The good news is that.Angel is now home and is
recovering from his bumps and bruises after landing, via parachute, in
Nowhere, NM........
Thx - 3R

On Monday, April 30, 2012 7:46:35 PM UTC-7, Renny wrote:
On Apr 30, 7:28*pm, T wrote:
On Apr 30, 1:21*pm, Mike the Strike wrote:

From Albuquerque Soaring web site...

"Per Billy Hill this evening: today Angel Pala was thermalling with Billy in the area north of Moriarty and south of Lamy when he heard a loud bang, and lost rudder authority (both pedals fell full forward). Evidently the glider behaved like full right rudder. Shortly thereafter the glider entered an inverted spin, and Angel wisely decided he should walk home, and so hit the silk. He landed under parachute, and hiked out, and was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe. He seems to be fine and Billy expects to pick him up when he is released from hospital.

Mike

Happy that all is well with the pilot..

But do we know what happened? a mid air? a rudder cable failure?

T

It was not a mid-air. We are awaiting more information on the
investigation. The good news is that.Angel is now home and is
recovering from his bumps and bruises after landing, via parachute, in
Nowhere, NM........
Thx - 3R

Wow, thank god it happened at altitude!
Isn't it that virtually all our rudder pedals mechanism are spring loaded, and if one cable breaks the result is instantaneously full rudder? I always thought this is a receipt for disaster. A glider without rudder control may still be flyable and even landable, but not with full rudder!

Ramy

On Monday, April 30, 2012 4:21:08 PM UTC-4, Mike the Strike wrote:
From Albuquerque Soaring web site...

"Per Billy Hill this evening: today Angel Pala was thermalling with Billy in the area north of Moriarty and south of Lamy when he heard a loud bang, and lost rudder authority (both pedals fell full forward). Evidently the glider behaved like full right rudder. Shortly thereafter the glider entered an inverted spin, and Angel wisely decided he should walk home, and so hit the silk. He landed under parachute, and hiked out, and was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe. He seems to be fine and Billy expects to pick him up when he is released from hospital.

Mike

What was the altitude AGL ?
Where is the JS1 rudder vented ?

Sure lucky it ended OK for the pilot !
Best Regards, Dave

Reportedly, the problem occurred at about 5,000 ft AGL and the aircraft inverted and entered a flat spin. Angel departed the aircraft about 3,500 to 3,800 feet AGL.

Mike

I've often wondered about the amount of altitude loss that occurs when exiting an aircraft in distress. Here it was about 1,500 feet in what would seem to be ideal circumstances - inverted (I have no idea what part centrifugal force was playing in this case).

Doesn't bode well for someone in a deep cockpit in an upright attitude. Maybe it's time to look seriously at DG's NOAH system...

-John

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 9:42:52 AM UTC-4, Mike the Strike wrote:
Reportedly, the problem occurred at about 5,000 ft AGL and the aircraft inverted and entered a flat spin. Angel departed the aircraft about 3,500 to 3,800 feet AGL.

Mike

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 10:43:53 AM UTC-4, John Carlyle wrote:
I've often wondered about the amount of altitude loss that occurs when exiting an aircraft in distress. Here it was about 1,500 feet in what would seem to be ideal circumstances - inverted (I have no idea what part centrifugal force was playing in this case).

Doesn't bode well for someone in a deep cockpit in an upright attitude. Maybe it's time to look seriously at DG's NOAH system...

-John

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 9:42:52 AM UTC-4, Mike the Strike wrote:
Reportedly, the problem occurred at about 5,000 ft AGL and the aircraft inverted and entered a flat spin. Angel departed the aircraft about 3,500 to 3,800 feet AGL.

Mike

John,

I watched a number of pilots trying to get out of their gliders at Perry on the ground. Between an excess of personal ballast and declining muscle strength, I'd be willing to bet half of them could never get out with any increased lateral or positive, vertical loading.

Related to this, I'm curious why static lines aren't prevalent in the US. It seems all of the European made gliders have a provision for the static line. Any of our Euro friends care to illuminate us on whether use of static lines is common there?

Don't know about static lines, but someone on the group (maybe Kirk Stant?) made a suggestion that if all else failed when trying to exit an aircraft in distress, lean all the way forward and pull the ripcord. He said you would get hurt, but you'd also be out. A last resort tip I'm going to remember!

Wearing a parachute I struggle to get out of my LS8 while sitting on the ground. I can't see me making it out in the air with increased lateral or positive vertical loading, but hopefully adrenalin can work wonders if I'm ever unlucky enough to need to exit...

-John

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 11:00:02 AM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
John,

I watched a number of pilots trying to get out of their gliders at Perry on the ground. Between an excess of personal ballast and declining muscle strength, I'd be willing to bet half of them could never get out with any increased lateral or positive, vertical loading.

Related to this, I'm curious why static lines aren't prevalent in the US. It seems all of the European made gliders have a provision for the static line. Any of our Euro friends care to illuminate us on whether use of static lines is common there?