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blindrodie
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 Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 12:51 pm Post subject: Tug pilot killed at LMFP last Saturday? |
 #1 |
Have not heard a single thing about it all day but this from our pilots group...
"Anyway, I am at Lookout for the week and Saturday there was a tragic accident. You may have heard by now, but one of the tug pilots, Charles Matthews was killed when his plane spiralled in to the side of the mountain a bit down from launch. Charles was on the afternoon probe flight. There are different stories and details, so I won't say anything is 100% fact at this point, but I did hear they cleared the plane of a mechanical failure. So it is still just speculation on what led to the crash. It does not appear that the chute was fired.
Charles is survived by his wife and 2 children.
Sorry to pass on this news, but be safe in your flights."
My sincere condolences.
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lostgriz
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 1:09 pm Post subject: |
#2 |
I was very sorry to hear this on Saturday. My thoughts are with the friends and family that have lost a loved one, very sad.
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FormerFF
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 1:17 pm Post subject: |
#3 |
From LMFP's facebook post:
| Quote: |
We are very saddened to report that on Saturday, May 26 we lost a wonderful member of our community in a Dragonfly accident.
This is what we know at this point, or at least the best that we can put together currently. Charles Matthews was flying the Dragonfly solo, checking the air in preparations for afternoon towing. There was a second Dragonfly aloft also checking conditions. The second Dragonfly was about 500 to 600 feet almost directly above Charles.
Witnesses watched the plane flying very slowly, parallel to the mountain about 50 feet above the mountain and about 300 feet out away from mountain, in front of the shop almost over Burkhaulter Gap road. The plane then started a 30 to 45 degree nose-down spiral dive, doing two rotations before disappearing into the trees. Dr. Carmichael was on the scene within 10 minutes to render aid but Charles had died.
The BRS rocket parachute system handle was not pulled.
The FAA has inspected the wreckage and released the aircraft for salvage finding no issues that could be determined to be the cause of the accident. We don’t know what caused the accident, there is speculation but at this point it is just speculation.
Charles had flown LMFP tow planes for two years, flying on weekends for the fun of it. He was an excellent tow pilot who was often requested. Charles was a very experienced pilot and had a lot of experience towing sailplanes as well as hang gliders. He was an ATP rated pilot with many thousands of hours. He earned his first rating as a sailplane pilot when he was 14 years old. His father was also an airline captain and many know the sailplane airfield that his dad Art Matthews built in the Sequatchie Valley. He originally learned to fly hang gliders about 25 years ago at Lookout with his dad and he had spent the last two years getting back into hang gliding and was flying very well. He was very excited about hang gliding, actually he was just excited about flying anything and he loved to fly the Dragonfly.
Charles was the kind of guy everyone wants as a friend – with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face. He was always positive, energetic, happy, and would do anything to help you out. He leaves behind his wife Cameron and his two children, Tyler and Eric as well as his parents , Art and Betty.
This is all very sad and Charles will be greatly missed. Our heartfelt condolences to Charles’ family and friends. Charles Mathews will remain in our hearts forever |
This sounds like a stall/spin, but the question is why. |
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HangDog
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HangDog
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Paul H
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 5:57 pm Post subject: |
#6 |
Since when are those tugs ultralights?
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Bobfly
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:03 pm Post subject: |
#7 |
My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Charles. This is very sad news.
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HangDog
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:27 pm Post subject: |
#8 |
| Paul H wrote: |
| Since when are those tugs ultralights? |
I was wondering who was going to catch that one!
They are listed as EXPERIMENTAL actually and require a regular pilots license from what I've learned about them.
Those things are like military Hummers or air tractors... very rugged machines.
I don't believe it was Matthews fault at all and according to one of the reports they seem to rule out anything to do with the structure of the aircraft. Yeah they are rugged but things do break from time to time but I personally just think they haven't found it yet or they just don't care too.
This really pisses me off and saddens me the same.
Seems like all the good guys always leave early in life.
God~Speed Brother!...
....now you can fly any time and any where you want too.
RIP |
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FormerFF
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: |
#9 |
I believe that a Dragonfly is registered as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft. Obviously it's not an ultralight and it's not certificated in the standard category either.
I don't like to engage in speculation, but that the BRS handle wasn't pulled makes me think the aircraft didn't suffer a structural failure. It almost points to an inflight incapacitation. |
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Paul H
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 7:00 pm Post subject: |
#10 |
It could also point to a typical pilot response is to try to fly the plane when something goes wrong. That doesn't always leave time for things like pulling a BRS handle.
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ChattaroyMan
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject: |
#11 |
| Paul H wrote: |
| It could also point to a typical pilot response is to try to fly the plane when something goes wrong. That doesn't always leave time for things like pulling a BRS handle. |
I flew tandem Quicksilver MXs and MXLs for 4 years full time in the mid 80's. I mentally went through similar scenarios regularly. My goal was to try a quick recovery while preparing to blow the chute. That is what chutes are for. My cutoff elevation was 150'. If I got in an issue at under 150 it was chute first - then do what I could to lessen the impact. Once flying the MXL 2-place solo I encountered an approx. 45º shear at 300'. Really nasty air! It was winter and I even saw my breath in front of my face during the time I worked to get back into the cold wedge of air I'd been flying in. It was all I could do to keep the ultralight upright attempting a wide 180º turn back away from the shear. All the while I watched the ground and gaged when to blow the chute. I never got within 200-250' of the ground before getting back into the cold. stable air. Twice when getting banked 90º in the shear I came close to chute time. If I'd have gone past 90º it was going to be blown.
I feel terrible for this pilot. It is so sad that we have had far too many deaths in light aviation over the past year or two - at least it seems that the fatality rate has picked up. My deepest condolences for the family and friends. I'm hoping the cause of this pilot's accident can be determined. In the mean time we all need to set limits for our personal flying skill levels and conduct mental scenarios of what we'd do under particular conditions or situations. We do a lot of hang-waiting at times. These times can at least be partially spent going over 'what ifs' for the site we're at. Perhaps doing so regularly will help us avoid at least a few of these tragic events.
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Mavi Gogun
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 11:33 pm Post subject: |
#12 |
| HangDog wrote: |
| Yeah they are rugged but things do break from time to time but I personally just think they haven't found it yet or they just don't care too. |
I can't imagine who involved wouldn't care to have an answer to that question.
| Paul H wrote: |
| It could also point to a typical pilot response is to try to fly the plane when something goes wrong. That doesn't always leave time for things like pulling a BRS handle. |
| FormerFF wrote: |
| I believe that a Dragonfly is registered as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft. Obviously it's not an ultralight and it's not certificated in the standard category either. |
The larger engine and ballistic parachute pushes it up into that category; there are lighter Dragonflies with smaller motor and no chute. A weird regulatory paradox: the safer Dragonfly required pilot certification to fly! |
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michaelb51
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 3:04 am Post subject: |
#13 |
Bless the Matthews family, and bless us one and all.
I was not there and don't know but:
* There's no version of the Dragonfly that meets Part 103 and no part of Part 103 that might have prevented this outcome.
* I've heard nothing yet which precludes a simple stall/spin explanation.
* The simplest explanation is often the right one.
Regardless of the eventual findings here, all pilots, especially powered, are more at risk from stall/spin than they are from aircraft failure, or unavoidable or undetected coincidence. Don't fly lowly, slowly. |
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Windlord
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 3:32 am Post subject: |
#14 |
Very very sad.  Prayers for them all.
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dievhart
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 7:00 am Post subject: |
#15 |
Very sad, holding his family in a high place in my heart, so sorry for your loss.
Let the good times you shared bring you smiles through your tears.
Diev
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blindrodie
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 9:39 am Post subject: |
#16 |
From our DF tug Pilot (owner/operator)
| Quote: |
Hey Jim,
I am very sad for Charles Matthews family and for the HG community. I can't help but
think of the saying "there go I, but for the grace of god."
At the risk of seeming insensitive, would you please post this comment and link to
the hanggliding.org forum on my behalf. This is exactly why I urge all Dragonfly
pilots to fly with an angle-of-attack indicator at all times. IF it was a simple
stall/spin incident -- something that I think could easily sneak up and grab any
Dragonfly pilot at any time, especially when one becomes "comfortable" with the
aircraft -- it is likely that a piece of yarn could have prevented it. This time of
broad attention to a specific, tragic incident would be a good time to help get the
word out and maybe save others.
Angle of Attack Indicator for Aerotow Tugs
http://www.questiongravity.com/adventureairsports/aoa.htm
Doug |
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lostgriz
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 10:42 am Post subject: |
#17 |
I believe a stall spin was the cause of the last tug pilot fatality, prior to this one. Again, very sorry to hear of this great loss.
I would agree that we all need to reflect on our safety procedures.
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timmay
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| Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 1:04 pm Post subject: what about |
#18 |
What about the possibility that the pilot became ill during the flight and lost consciousness? Or would you expect the plane to never stall in such event?
As a doctor I have been taught always to consider the possibility of a preceding event that underlies an accident, such as the patient with a broken neck that fell a result of a stroke; finding the cause is tricky because you don't know what happened first.
Tragic event, I sympathize with the friends and family, especially his children and wife, and I hope they can find comfort in the knowledge that he was respected and loved and that he died living his dream...
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whitemaw
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:07 pm Post subject: |
#19 |
NTSB Identification: ERA12LA364
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 26, 2012 in Trenton, GA
Aircraft: MOYES B/BAILEY B DRAGONFLY, registration: N56FP
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On May 26, 2012, about 1620 eastern daylight time, an experimental light-sport Moyes B/Bailey B Dragonfly, N56FP, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering, shortly after takeoff from Lookout Mountain Airport (0GE3), Trenton, Georgia. The certificated airline transport pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane departed 0GE3 without incident, climbed to an altitude of about 350 to 400 feet above ground level, and flew to a nearby ridgeline to evaluate wind conditions for hang-gliding flights which were operated from the airport. Witnesses reported that the airplane looked slow as it flew parallel to the ridgeline and subsequently entered a left spiraling dive. One witness stated that the airplane made two 360 degrees turns and he heard the engine "operating normally" before it impacted trees. The airplane's fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1998, and equipped with a Rotax 914 series, 100-horsepower engine. In addition, it was equipped with a Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) airframe parachute system.
Initial examination of the airframe and engine by an FAA inspector did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The BRS parachute system had not been activated, and was discharged by recovery personnel.
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