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Landing with broken rudder cable



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 30th 19, 05:36 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

Long time ago I landed glider with broken rudder. Rudder cable broke during stopping spin rotation in aerobatic flight on 3000 feet, decided not to bail out to see if flying and landing is possible and to save the glider. Flying with "hardover rudder" (full deflection) was interesting experience. Broken rudder cable will cause a severe yaw and roll with the resulting sideslip. Glider keeps turning, spiraling or circling in one direction (of unbroken cable) weather you like it or not it wants to spin or spiral all the time. You need much higher speed about 140 km/h or more, or whatever it takes to control it to stop turning and to go into steep sideslip to fly straight with 30-50 degree of bank. Forget your legs, you don’t need rudder pedals any more. High speed and ailerons are your only friends. Keep your speed high because glider wants to spiral and stall at slower speeds. I landed that "sucker" perfectly by flying high speed in deep "grave" sideslip all the way to the ground to middle of airport leveling wings moment before touchdown with full air brakes. I'm probably one of very few pilots that pulled this off with success, and I was 22 at that time, had 130 flying hours in 220 flights.
I remember that in situation like this you think very fast, you even have time to think that a few months earlier there was the same type of accident in other part of the country and pilot bailed out and glider went through the roof of the house. Also tighten your belts and keep your feet off rudder pedals, just in case. Keep your speed high, wings level, expect severe yaw, circles become wider, it takes time before you can fly straight with one wing low. If you slow down glider will start turning again so keep your speed up to go straight. This flight was 9 minutes including 6 minutes tow to 3300 feet when several other “normal” aerobatic flights were 16 minutes.
Andre
  #2  
Old August 30th 19, 06:13 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

On Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 10:36:02 PM UTC-6, wrote:
Long time ago I landed glider with broken rudder. Rudder cable broke during stopping spin rotation in aerobatic flight on 3000 feet, decided not to bail out to see if flying and landing is possible and to save the glider. Flying with "hardover rudder" (full deflection) was interesting experience. Broken rudder cable will cause a severe yaw and roll with the resulting sideslip. Glider keeps turning, spiraling or circling in one direction (of unbroken cable) weather you like it or not it wants to spin or spiral all the time. You need much higher speed about 140 km/h or more, or whatever it takes to control it to stop turning and to go into steep sideslip to fly straight with 30-50 degree of bank. Forget your legs, you don’t need rudder pedals any more. High speed and ailerons are your only friends. Keep your speed high because glider wants to spiral and stall at slower speeds. I landed that "sucker" perfectly by flying high speed in deep "grave" sideslip all the way to the ground to middle of airport leveling wings moment before touchdown with full air brakes. I'm probably one of very few pilots that pulled this off with success, and I was 22 at that time, had 130 flying hours in 220 flights.
I remember that in situation like this you think very fast, you even have time to think that a few months earlier there was the same type of accident in other part of the country and pilot bailed out and glider went through the roof of the house. Also tighten your belts and keep your feet off rudder pedals, just in case. Keep your speed high, wings level, expect severe yaw, circles become wider, it takes time before you can fly straight with one wing low. If you slow down glider will start turning again so keep your speed up to go straight. This flight was 9 minutes including 6 minutes tow to 3300 feet when several other “normal” aerobatic flights were 16 minutes.
Andre


For all the rest of us who might not be able to "land land that sucker perfectly" I would suggest giving it to the insurance company and bailing out.
  #3  
Old August 30th 19, 06:27 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Chris Wedgwood[_2_]
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

What glider type was this?
  #4  
Old August 30th 19, 06:33 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Surge
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

Why would a broken rudder cable cause the rudder to stay fully deflected?
Wouldn't this only affect certain gliders with rudders which are "dual" spring loaded to return to centre position and the one spring breaks?

Faced with the same situation, I doubt I would bail out.
3000 feet AGL isn't very high and there are risks with bailing out. One has no reserve chute should the emergency pilot chute fail to deploy and hitting nasties like power lines on the way down could be fatal.
  #5  
Old August 30th 19, 07:09 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

On Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 10:27:27 PM UTC-7, Chris Wedgwood wrote:
What glider type was this?


SZD-12 Mucha 100
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SZD-12_Mucha_100
http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pszd12.htm

"gravitation takeoff"
Bezmiechowa , szd-12A "Mucha 100 A" - samo-start grawitacyjny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la3rb9LfG0Q
  #6  
Old August 30th 19, 07:17 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

On Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 10:27:27 PM UTC-7, Chris Wedgwood wrote:
What glider type was this?


SZD-12 Mucha 100A



  #7  
Old August 30th 19, 07:46 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

Please check it and correct me if I'm wrong.

Usually the only springs in the rudder lines are those in front of pedals. Those springs keep the whole rudder line in tension.

What happen if let's say the right rudder cable breaks: right pedal goes full forward and the same do the left pedal. The glider start circling left. Possible correction: pull the pedals rack all the way back and put the left foot heel over the left pedal and pull back.

What happen if the right pedal spring breaks: right pedal goes back and left pedal goes full forward. The glider start circling left. Possible correction: pull the pedals rack all the way back and push hard the right pedal.
  #8  
Old August 30th 19, 08:05 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

On Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 10:33:53 PM UTC-7, Surge wrote:
Why would a broken rudder cable cause the rudder to stay fully deflected?
Wouldn't this only affect certain gliders with rudders which are "dual" spring loaded to return to centre position and the one spring breaks?

Faced with the same situation, I doubt I would bail out.
3000 feet AGL isn't very high and there are risks with bailing out. One has no reserve chute should the emergency pilot chute fail to deploy and hitting nasties like power lines on the way down could be fatal.


Good cable pulls rudder over, need high speed for better controll. At low speed it wants to roll and spiral, not enough aileron, outher wing has more lift, goes up. When you have some bank nose goes down into spiral. Only high speed and wings level helps to circle before you force it to steep sideslip to fly straight forward sideways.
  #9  
Old August 30th 19, 09:56 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Eric Munk
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

Had this happen on a Puchacz when the cable tension member broke off the RH
rear pedal during a spin recovery. Aerodynamically balanced rudder
(counterweighted), combined with cable-tension from spring on one side
only, made for interesting flying. Aircraft landed OK with some effort due
to hardover rudder. Subsequent mandatory AD addressed the root cause and
cable attachment to rear pedal was modified worldwide.

  #10  
Old August 30th 19, 03:26 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dan Marotta
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Default Landing with broken rudder cable

Nice job!

...But that's why I carry insurance on my glider and always wear a
parachute.* My biggest fear in the Stemme (and it's not really that big)
is fire, and I've already established my minimum bail out altitude for
that case.* Below that altitude, I'll simply stuff it on the ground, get
out (if I can), and run.

On 8/29/2019 10:36 PM, wrote:
Long time ago I landed glider with broken rudder. Rudder cable broke during stopping spin rotation in aerobatic flight on 3000 feet, decided not to bail out to see if flying and landing is possible and to save the glider. Flying with "hardover rudder" (full deflection) was interesting experience. Broken rudder cable will cause a severe yaw and roll with the resulting sideslip. Glider keeps turning, spiraling or circling in one direction (of unbroken cable) weather you like it or not it wants to spin or spiral all the time. You need much higher speed about 140 km/h or more, or whatever it takes to control it to stop turning and to go into steep sideslip to fly straight with 30-50 degree of bank. Forget your legs, you don’t need rudder pedals any more. High speed and ailerons are your only friends. Keep your speed high because glider wants to spiral and stall at slower speeds. I landed that "sucker" perfectly by flying high speed in deep "grave" sideslip all the way to the ground to middle of airport leveling wings moment before touchdown with full air brakes. I'm probably one of very few pilots that pulled this off with success, and I was 22 at that time, had 130 flying hours in 220 flights.
I remember that in situation like this you think very fast, you even have time to think that a few months earlier there was the same type of accident in other part of the country and pilot bailed out and glider went through the roof of the house. Also tighten your belts and keep your feet off rudder pedals, just in case. Keep your speed high, wings level, expect severe yaw, circles become wider, it takes time before you can fly straight with one wing low. If you slow down glider will start turning again so keep your speed up to go straight. This flight was 9 minutes including 6 minutes tow to 3300 feet when several other “normal” aerobatic flights were 16 minutes.
Andre


--
Dan, 5J

 




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