REFLECTOR: Fw: RV-10 accident

[Andrew Ellzey]

Thanks for sharing this incident with everyone. It should make us all reflect on ourselves and our projects before we take to the air. 
 
Andy Ellzey


----- Original Message ----
From: Terry Miles <terrence_miles at hotmail.com>
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:55:02 PM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Fw: RV-10 accident


Thank you.  
Terry
 



From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On Behalf Of Ron Brown
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:35 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: REFLECTOR: Fw: RV-10 accident
 
Fancy panels and Automotive Engines:
I don't mean to be preaching to the choir, but I think there are some very valuable lessons here.  In building our experimental aircraft, we need to stay focused on the number one task - SAFETY!!!  Make sure the plane is ready to fly, the engine is thoroughly tested and checked out, and that the instrument panel and glass panels are ready to fly.  In flying the plane the first few hours, we need to focus on flying the plane.  After verifying that the plane and the engine and the systems are working properly, then we can tackle the glass panels = but do it on the GROUND.  In the air with a new airplane is not the time to try to figure out all of the gee whizzes.  What follows is a long read but very informative in that this fellow apparently had more money than brains, and no reasonable plan for sorting his new baby out.  It cost him and his family dearly.
 
Ronnie  
 
Subject: RE: RV-10 accident
 
The link to the preliminary NTSB report on this accident was just published on www.vansairforce.net.
 
http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?ev_id=20071120X01821&key=1
 
This is a news article regarding the crash: http://www.sharon-herald.com/homepage/local_story_306095719.html
 
I forward this to you because as technical and first flight advisors you may run into a similar situation.  The outcome, as described below, though tragic, provides a great opportunity for all of us to learn from, which is why I thought it important for you to read.
 
--------------
 
 Subject: rv-10 crash

A Tragic Case of Get-Done-Itis
Regarding the first RV-10 fatal accident

With the first RV-10 fatal accident now occurring, and a couple other cases
of RV-10's being substantially damaged, there are many builders who have
contacted me who are yet to fly their RV-10 who are very concerned about
what kinds of issues there are that might cause such accidents. There are
many people who have said that their wives, especially, were now very
nervous about them building an airplane, worried that perhaps there was
something wrong with the design. It affects people greatly when they see
things like this, and some have the tendency to completely pull back from
seeing what could be the joyful side of building and flying your own
aircraft.

We've known since the beginning that at some point, some day, statistically
there would be a fatal RV-10 incident. That's the problem with
statistics...you know without a doubt that a death at some point is
inevitiable, but, is it REALLY? Based on piecing together a bunch of
information on this first RV-10 accident, I really feel strongly that this
accident in particular was not one that should have had to become a
statistic. The RV-10 is a very good design, with very good handling
qualities, and at the time of the first fatal had over 110 copies flying.
The couple of cases of heavily damaged RV-10's were due to a couple factors,

and interestingly, the couple that I know of were both owned and flown by
someone other than the builder...they were build-to-order RV-10's. One was
a door coming off in-flight that caused the initial damage, something that
we all know is a possibility and hence is why Van's came out with their door

latch warning kit that they supplied all builders with. The other was a
case of pilot error on landing...something that can happen in any plane,
although landing accidents, being at slower speeds, are probably less often
fatal than all the other kinds. An RV-10 builder who builds their own RV-10
is usually strongly encouraged by the RV-10 community to receive transition
training before their first flight. This isn't to say that it could
completely prevent a pilot from landing mishaps down the road, but
personally, I believe it's a very good thing for all builders. When a
non-builder buys an RV-10, there perhaps isn't quite the same amount of
encouragement for them to attend transition training, as they may feel that
they're just simply buying and picking up an airplane just like is done by
many people every day. At any rate, the point is, given some basic
instruction and familiarity, and a certain level of pilot proficiency and
experience, there is nothing in regards to the airframe that really should
have a serious bite to it, so from the accidents so far, all seem to be
preventable, from my point of view.

I would like to state a couple things up front. First, this is some fact,
and some opinion. You're not reading an NTSB report, you're reading a case
study of information that I've become familiar with, either directly or in
some cases indirectly. Absolutely NONE of it is intended to reflect badly
on Dan Lloyd as a person. He was a great friend of mine since almost the
first day he posted on the now-defunct RV-10 Yahoogroup. I looked forward
to flying with him as we both achieved our dreams of what an RV-10 could
bring for us and our families, and it crushes my heart to know that the
experience for his children is now saddened. Dan was a fine man, who was
friendly to all, and has done a lot to help others along the way.
Unfortunately, even good people do bad things, as we all know. It's been
said that in any accident, there are many links leading to the ultimate
incident, and that by just breaking one of these links, the accident could
be prevented. Unfortunately, in this case, there were lots of links that
were being built very strongly, some of which may or may not have played a
part in the accident. While there will likely be some data available from
the EIS and Air-Data computer via his Chelton screens if they survived, due
to the lack of direct information in the minutes before the crash, and the
very heavy destruction of the aircraft, there is also the chance that no
solid determination will ever be made.