Duxford WW2 plane crash landing due to 'lack of experience'

Aviation & Pilots Forums, discuss topics that interest Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts. Looking for information on how to become a pilot? Check out our Free online pilot exams and flight training resources section.
User avatar
Scudrunner
Site Admin
Posts: 1178
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:18 am
Location: Drinking Coffee in FBO Lounge
Contact:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cam ... e-54931793

Image


A pilot's lack of recent experience led to the crash landing of a vintage World War Two plane, a report found.

The Hawker Hurricane crashed at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire on 1 June.

A crosswind caused the plane to make an "uncommanded right turn" which led the landing gear to collapse.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the operator of the Battle of Britain aircraft would now use more experienced pilots to fly the plane in similar crosswinds.

The report said the Hurricane was returning from a 20-minute engine maintenance flight when it was due to land on the grass runway at the airfield.

The pilot attempted to angle the plane to deal with a crosswind from the right, but after touching down the plane bounced and turned to the right.

nvestigators said the pilot estimated the crosswind was 10-15 knots (11-17 mph).

The plane, designed in the 1930s, turned further to right and then the three-wheel landing gear collapsed at what the pilot estimated was 20mph.

Although there was no fire, Duxford's firefighting service applied a fire-suppressing agent as a precaution.

The 60-year-old pilot was not injured.

The AAIB said the pilot had "just over eight hours' flying experience in the Hurricane" and had not flown it for several weeks.

According to the report, the pilot "considered that his lack of relevant currency may have reduced his ability" to control the landing.

It said the "hard, dry runway surface" may have also been a contributory factor in the crash.

The plane's operator said that anyone with "less than five hours' experience on equivalent types will be limited to a maximum five knot crosswind component from the right".

Image


5 out of 2 Pilots are Dyslexic.
David MacRay
Posts: 823
Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:16 am

Oops, I figured as you get older you would know better. Guess not.
User avatar
Scudrunner
Site Admin
Posts: 1178
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:18 am
Location: Drinking Coffee in FBO Lounge
Contact:

Looks like it can be rebuilt but dam.
5 out of 2 Pilots are Dyslexic.
User avatar
Colonel
Posts: 2564
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

Rick Volker wrote an article a while back for the EAA Warbird magazine ....

He effortlessly flies and instructs on Pitts, and flies Harvard and Sukhoi and Bf109.

Rick's advice to the warbird guys was to get a (cheap) single seat Pitts, and
fly the shit out of it, and get good. Then it's easy to jump into a WWII warbird.

Single seat Pitts: $30k. WWII Warbird - millions. See the difference? Hourly
cost, anyone? Bueller?

Get really sharp flying something cheap. Then, you can fly anything, after you
spend a few minutes learning about it's systems.

Unfortunately, corporate politics - not merit - determines who flies warbirds.

No organizations mentioned, but you know who you are.
45 / 47 => 95 3/4%
User avatar
Scudrunner
Site Admin
Posts: 1178
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:18 am
Location: Drinking Coffee in FBO Lounge
Contact:

25K ;)
5 out of 2 Pilots are Dyslexic.
Doin_Time
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 2:50 am

Ahhh, currency versus proficiency! This story never gets old... I expect there are some guys who fly these on weekends when not flying 777’s at BA. They sure do land differently! Also, not a single “I fucked up” to be found... “maybe it was my lack of flying, or the hard dry runway, or the guy in the tower mooning me...”
User avatar
Colonel
Posts: 2564
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

They sure do land differently!
Yes, I remember Mike Mangold telling me that F-16 pilots
couldn't land worth shit in a crosswind. He didn't think much
of their stick & rudder skill.

It's really very simple. Buy a single seat Pitts. For 10 years,
every year fly 200 acro flights of 0.5 on the tach (100 tach
hour per year).

At the end of those 10 years, you can fly anything. Simple
and cheap. Just takes a little effort.
45 / 47 => 95 3/4%
User avatar
Scudrunner
Site Admin
Posts: 1178
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:18 am
Location: Drinking Coffee in FBO Lounge
Contact:

I bet the pilots beating himself up pretty bad over this. I sure would be, happy it can be repaired and hes ok.
5 out of 2 Pilots are Dyslexic.
User avatar
The Dread Pilot Roberts
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:56 am

I would like to see the guys resume to even be allowed to fly that plane, even if not that current.
Jameselng
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 6:48 pm

You don't need much of a resume when you're the owner....
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post