another crash

Steve Leonard wrote on 8/31/2019 8:33 PM:
On Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 10:19:15 PM UTC-5, kinsell wrote:

It still works for me. Fatal crash of motorglider, Aug 25 at Buckley
Washington, near Tacoma. Clipped trees after takeoff. I'm not finding
anything else.

Registry shows owner has a DG-300. Don't see any evidence of a motor in the pictures. Maybe a low altitude release? Condolences to the family and all his friends.

Steve Leonard

I was told by a person that knows people in the affected club that the pilot was
attempting a landing at the airfield, because he was unable to stay aloft. He was
launched from Bergseth field a few miles away.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

With the plane and cockpit mostly intact, I am curious what kills you in this impact. Would a airbag under the pilots save him in this situation. Looks to be he pancaked in and broke off cockpit and tail boom section where the attach to the metal tube frame that holds wings and main landing gear.

BG




On Sunday, September 1, 2019 at 3:04:49 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Steve Leonard wrote on 8/31/2019 8:33 PM:
On Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 10:19:15 PM UTC-5, kinsell wrote:

It still works for me. Fatal crash of motorglider, Aug 25 at Buckley
Washington, near Tacoma. Clipped trees after takeoff. I'm not finding
anything else.

Registry shows owner has a DG-300. Don't see any evidence of a motor in the pictures. Maybe a low altitude release? Condolences to the family and all his friends.

Steve Leonard

I was told by a person that knows people in the affected club that the pilot was
attempting a landing at the airfield, because he was unable to stay aloft.. He was
launched from Bergseth field a few miles away.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

As I previously stated, the canopy mounted head rest would have hit the back of the pilots head with some force when the canopy departed during the crash.

On Monday, September 2, 2019 at 9:00:49 PM UTC-6, Charlie Quebec wrote:
As I previously stated, the canopy mounted head rest would have hit the back of the pilots head with some force when the canopy departed during the crash.

And this could break the pilot's neck. Or, the sudden deceleration of the crash could tear the aorta off the root at the hear or some other location, causing a rapid internal hemorrhage. Or there could be whiplash from crash which could break the neck.

Without a medical report, any suggestion of what made this accident fatal is purely speculation.

Speculation is the norm here Nick, but I stand by my comment. Head rest mounted on canopy is a recipe for disaster.

Do you have any data to back that statement up?

Charlie Quebec wrote on 9/3/2019 4:54 PM:
Speculation is the norm here Nick, but I stand by my comment. Head rest mounted on canopy is a recipe for disaster.

I wonder if the headrest causes any injury or other problem when the canopy is
ejected.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

Can’t find it again right now, but there was a pilot killed by the headrest in one accident. Will try to find.

To be clear, I am refering only to the one piece DG canopy not the 2 piece. It’s clear in a nose first crash, the canopy would fly forwards, there is nowhere else for it to go, it’s not even in the picture of this crash.
I removed mine from my 200 after reading the crash report. I just use a feather pillow stuffed into the turtle deck area, works nicely.