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In your experience what's the most common cause of a crash?


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  • 5 months later...
Posted by Mark R on 10/05/2013 21:34:20:

As with most have put 'other' and dumb thumbs is the usual culprit....which i think is totally different to pilot error/flying kills....its like driving a car for 30 years and never having an accident and then over steering into your own brick wall due to brain freeze....its not error just an erroneous brain moment. I think pilot error/flying skills is totally different. A new pilot flying a low wing warbird and crashing because he or she cant handle the flying characteristics is pilot error/flying skills.....dumb thumbs is just one of those things and has no bearing on your piloting skills....ask any professional if they have suffered it and i can guarantee they will say Yes, so is their skills lacking? Are they bad pilots?

Ok 2 penneth over n done with.

at that moment in time yes crying

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

To be totally honest .....................

The air was the wrong shape.

The planet jumped up and hit my plane.

Squirrels ate my wiring/batteries/screw driver (delete as req)

The tree didn't duck.

Martians took over my transmitter.

A distraction distracted me.

The hill was on the wrong side of me.

My coffee/burger/wife was getting cold. (delete as req)

Once I let go of the plane, why's it anything to do with me?

Edited By Chuck Plains on 01/04/2014 21:11:06

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I'll be honest, almost all of my crashes have been pilot error of one kind or another. Usually disorientation, going too slow on downwind turns and misjudged approaches. I also crashed once by running the battery to cutoff and trying to stretch the glide too far and once by taking off with reversed ailerons. My most memorable crash was when I lost my Sean Bannister Algebra 100 at Ivinghoe. I'd been flying it successfully elsewhere but on that day I launched and flew ok, it was the landing which went wrong. I turned it back towards the slope (mistake) and it went like a rocket back over the hill with me frantically stirring the sticks. Panic and overcontrol. Luckily it didn't hit anyone but was a total write-off. It was one of the Algebras with a ply fuselage, swept back wings, just rudder and elevator. Superb flyer, wish I still had it today. sad

Edited By buster prop on 02/04/2014 11:28:35

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Not counting minor mishaps which were all down to pilot error my last four 'serious' crashes are:

1 GP Stearman. Engine cut just after take-off and I tip stalled it trying to get it down. So engine cut followed by pilot error. When I eventually repaired it a few years later it turned out the ignition unit was faulty (Mackay 30cc petrol engine) and,after replacing it, the engine has rune well.

2 ARTF Wot4. Try to do two consecutive rolls too low I got my fingers toally confused and comprehensively destoyed it, including a lovely Irvine 46. Total pilot error compounded by hitting a tarmac runway

3 Acrowot Foam E. Pilot error. I inadvertently turned off the transmitter when fumbling for the elevator trim on an unfamiliar transmitter. Damaged the fuselage which has been replaced and it's flying again as good as ever

4. Hangar 9 60 size P47. Engine cut downwind after a lowish pass over the runway. I had to try and turn it as it was approaching a no-fly zone. Again pilot error caused a tip stall followed by a spin onto rough tarmac. This happened 6 days ago so a bit raw. However only wood a glass fibre was damaged (even the prop survived) and as the wing is (almost) unscathed and fuselage from the wing L/E back likewise, it will be rebuit and a new cowl etc has been ordered. I think I'd set the tickover too low when I moved the model over to a different transmitter.

I hasten to add these are well spread incidences. So 2 pilot error and 2 dead sticks.

Geoff

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Has to be pilot error for me. To my mind some of the other causes listed could be classed as pilot error as we should have checked before flight.

During my full size aviation years I actually read in an accident report once, reason for crash- failing to maintain sufficient airspace between aircraft and ground!

Yep that will do it everytime!

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Sorry to hear or your recent loss Geoff. Seems that a lack of airspeed information/stall warning is responsible for so many stall/spins and consequent model right offs following an engine failure. I wonder if Tx telementry with airspeed information would improve ones chances of making a successful dead stick landing following engine failure?

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Arising Star- pilot error,flew it into a tree

Calmato 40 - loss of signal

Soar 40 - Ditto and worryingly over the same spot

Diamond 2500 - Ariframe failure avoidable but for a poor preflight

Super Air - Poor preflight ailerons not connected

Calmato 40 - Poor preflight ailerons crossed

Bird Dog - Airframe failure

Storch - Stalll on take off, pilot error

All of these were totalled. Many other smaller dings and re buildable crunches but it seems poor preflight and failure tolearn lessons has always been my achilles heel.

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